Mexican League playoff preview

The Mexican League's 2007 playoffs get underway Tuesday night, as the Leones de Yucatan aim to defend their title against seven other teams vying for the league championship.

Of the four opening-round quarterfinal series, two have the potential to be high-scoring affairs, while the other pair pits some of the stingiest pitching staffs in the league.

The LMB's two most high-powered offenses -- Diablos Rojos del Mexico and Saraperos de Saltillo -- both open at home, hosting Tabasco and Puebla, which ranked fourth and second, respectively, in team batting average during the regular season. Of the four, only Saltillo had a pitching staff that ranked in the top half of the circuit in terms of team ERA.

The Pericos del Puebla are led by Donny Leon, a 30-year-old New Yorker who fell just short of the Triple Crown with a league-leading 30 homers and 1O4 RBIs and the third-highest average (.384).

The other two clubs that open at home are Quintana Roo and Monterrey, which ranked first and second in pitching. The Tigres de Quintana Roo host defending champion Yucatan, while the Sultanes take on Acereros de Monclova -- another one of the league's top pitching teams.

Quintana Roo's ace is Pablo Ortega, a 30-year-old right-hander who went 12-3 on the season while winning the ERA crown with a mark of 2.38.

Monterrey is the hottest team headed into the postseason, having won its final six games, and nine out of 10, to claim the league's top overall record, at 69-38. Tabasco and Quintana Roo, on the other hand, limp into the playoffs having gone 11-14 in the final month of the season.

Each round consists of best-of-seven series and can be followed live on MiLB.com's Gameday Audio.