Santiago, Rangers win AZL Finals opener

It may have been his first start in nearly a month, but Manuel Santiago set the tone for the Arizona League Rangers in the first game of the Finals. 
The 19-year-old southpaw allowed one hit over six frames as Texas' Rookie-level affiliate romped past Indians Blue, 10-0, in Game 1 of the best-of-3 Championship Series at Goodyear Ballpark.

Gameday box score
Santiago (1-0) retired 10 batters in a row before Cleveland's 25th-ranked prospect Jose Tena ended the streak by grounding a one-out single up the middle. Tena was thrown out trying to take second by backstop Reynaldo Pichardo, who drove in the game's first run with an RBI single in the second off Daritzon Feliz (0-1).
The Venezuela native recorded five straight flyouts before ending his outing with a popout to first in the sixth. 
In 13 games between the AZL and the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Rangers 1, Santiago went 7-0 with a 2.60 ERA, allowing 16 earned runs while whiffing 55 batters over 55 1/3 innings. 
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Heriberto Hernandez put the game out of reach in the seventh, parking a 1-2 offering from lefty Chandler Fidel over the fence in left-center field. Texas' No. 18 prospectOsleivis Basabe and ninth-ranked Davis Wendzel crossed the plate on the roundtripper.
Basabe and Pichardo drove in a pair of runs apiece. 
Damian Mendoza, who recorded two saves in two opportunities for the Rangers during the regular season, picked up the save after allowing one hit and one walk over three frames.