A big day for Eduardo Escobar.  Thurston was thirstin' for a Lara win.

ARAGUA 11, ANZOATEGUI 4 IN ANZOATEGUI

Twins:  Eduardo Escobar was 3-for-6 with a two-run homer and two runs for Aragua.  Oswaldo Arcia was 1-for-5 for Anzoategui.

Aragua:  Teodoro Martinez (Texas) was 4-for-5 with three home runs (his second, third, and fourth) and a double, scoring four times.  Ramon Flores (Yankees) was 6-for-6 with a double and two runs.  Chris Smith (San Diego) struck out five in five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks.

Anzoategui:  Oscar Salazar was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.  Orlando Arcia (Milwaukee) was 3-for-5 with a home run (his fifth) and two runs.  Orlando Arcia and Oswaldo Arcia batted second and third in the Anzoategui lineup.  Jean Toledo pitched two shutout innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout.

The game:  Aragua scored two in the first, two in the fourth, and two in the sixth to go ahead 6-2.  Escobar and Hector Gimenez (Milwaukee) each hit a two-run homer in a four-run eighth that put the game out of reach.

LARA 5, CARACAS 3 IN CARACAS

Lara:  Jairo Perez (Mets) was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Gabriel Lino (Philadelphia) was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Raul Rivero pitched six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

Caracas:  Carlos Perez (Houston) was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run.  Alex Gonzalez was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Albert Suarez (Tampa Bay) pitched five innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

The game:  Joe Thurston's two-run double broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth.  Caracas brought the tying run up to bat with two out in the ninth.

LA GUAIRA AT ZULIA

Rained out.

THURSDAY'S GAMES

Zulia at Margarita

Magallanes at Caracas

La Guaira at Lara

Aragua at Anzoategui