Just a few days ago, you would have thought that Team USA was well on their way to the championship round by defeating Puerto Rico to open Round 2 play.
After Friday night, it's back to the drawing board for the third time in as many WBC tournaments.
Nelson Figueroa dominated the Americans for six innings, and three big runs in the sixth got Puerto Rico all the runs they would need as they advanced to the semifinals, 4-3. The US ends their WBC run with an even 3-3 record.
Puerto Rico opened the scoring right away, as they got one on Ryan Vogelsong in the first. Angel Pagan led off the game by singling to center. With two outs, Yadier (not Bengie, as Harold Reynolds kept calling him) Molina also singled, and Pagan scored on Mike Aviles's RBI single.
The US couldn't do a lick at the plate through five innings. Here's their offensive "highlights": Brandon Phillips reached first on an error in the first (to which Ryan Braun grounded into the dreaded inning ending DP), Ben Zobrist walked in the second, and Phillps singled in the fourth. They looked lifeless, and sure as heck played like it.
The sixth is when Puerto Rico busted it open, and when Joe Torre made his first of two questionable decisions on the night. Vogelsong was lifted with Carlos Beltran on first from a walk and two outs. That was a bit odd because he was only at 73 pitches, and you're allowed 80. Vinnie Pastano was called upon instead, and he immediately loaded the bases on a single to Aviles and walk to an ice cold Alex Rios.
Another walk to Carlos Rivera made the score 2-0. Pestano then failed to get his fourth straight batter out when Andy Gonzalez ripped an RBI double to left, making it 4-0. That was it for Pestano, as Jeremy Affeldt had to get the final out.
It took until the seventh before the US showed any sign of life whatsoever. For the first time in a whopping 15 innings, they got an extra-base hit on a triple by Joe Mauer. He scored on Giancarlo Stanton's RBI single. With two men on and Jose De La Torre pitching, Adam Jones struck out looking with a full count on another terrible strike three call. But then again, poor umpiring in this tournament should no longer be a surprise, and it's not.
The eighth inning brought the Americans within one, but it also brought the second questionable Torre decision. Jimmy Rollins and Phillips each singled with one out. Braun stroked an RBI double, and it was 4-2. Mauer took another walk to load the bases, and after Stanton popped up for two down, Zobrist forced in a run on a walk, and it was suddenly a one-run game.
Here's where Torre dropped the ball, quite frankly. Eric Hosmer was due up, so Puerto Rico manager Tony Pena called upon lefty J.C. Romero. Rather than pinch-hitting for Hosmer, who's had a decent WBC but only hit .200, Torre let him stay in there. The result? A simple groundout to second.
You could say the air was sucked out of the Americans, as they went down 1-2-3 to end the game.
First thing's first, let's give plenty of credit to Puerto Rico. They fought back against Italy on Wednesday, and did the same in this one after losing 7-1 to the US on Tuesday. Figueroa was fantastic, as was Romero getting the final four outs.
But, it's hard not to wonder what might have been had Torre made some different calls during the game. Vogelsong started off the game a little shaky, but more than settled down. Why not leave him in to pitch to right-handed Aviles and possibly Rios in the sixth? He certainly looked ready for it. Pestano is normally a very good reliever, so nothing against him, but it clearly wasn't the right call.
Then there's the Hosmer at-bat in the eighth. That's a spot where Torre could've turned to Jonathan Lucroy, who's a career .325 hitter against lefties, including an incredible .400 last season. Then he could've stayed in to catch while Mauer moved to first. Seems pretty logical to me. Instead, Hosmer grounded out, and that was that.
Look, I'm in no way trying to diminish the great career of Torre, as I very much enjoyed his three years managing my Dodgers. But I have to be honest here, and I didn't like the way he managed this game at all. Of course, not having a great hitter like David Wright didn't do him any favors, either. It was just a bad night all around, I guess.
The final four is now set, as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, and Japan will look to earn international bragging rights. As for the US, it's back to trying to figure this thing out for 2017. Will they try to convince younger stars they have to play? Will they try to get the guys who commit some sort of extended Spring Training so they're more in game shape? Or will it be status quo?
I guess we all have four years to think about it.
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Dominicans crack Kimbrel, USA in do-or-die
In the three-time history of the World Baseball Classic, Thursday night's tilt between the United States and Dominican Republic was arguably the biggest game of them all. The winner advanced to the championship round, the loser needs to beat Puerto Rico to get there as well.
Who would've though it would be Craig Kimbrel to hand the Dominicans their ticket to San Francisco?
As unlikely as it seems, the Dominicans scored two runs in the top of the ninth to crack open a 1-1 tie, and Fernando Rodney put the exclamation point on a thrilling 3-1 victory. Team USA is now back in action on Friday looking to stay alive.
R.A. Dickey was handed the ball to start this one, and he looked as sharp as can be in getting the Dominicans in order, striking out Robinson Cano for the final out. It was a complete turnaround from his start last Friday against Mexico, where he scuffled over four shaky innings.
Team USA came to bat knowing they'd be without the services of "Captain America" David Wright, who was a late scratch with sore ribs. However, Brandon Phillips and Joe Mauer each singled to get things going. With two outs, Miami's own Giancarlo Stanton hit an infield single to short, as Mauer was just able to beat the soft toss to second.
With the bases loaded, the US was in a great spot to unravel Dominican starter Samuel Deduno, who obviously doesn't have the pitching credentials of someone like Dickey (not that many people do). Eric Hosmer worked a walk to force a run in. Adam Jones, on the other hand, struck out looking at a breaking ball, and the US again failed to really capitalize with runners on.
The Dominicans got that run right back in the second. Hanley Ramirez absolutely unloaded on a solo homer to left measured at 451 feet to make it 1-1. If he swings the bat that well during the season, then hopefully I'll still be doing Dodger recaps deep into October.
This game looked like either offense could take off at any point, but for the next six innings not a single run was scored. Dickey ended up going five strong for one run and four strikeouts. Deduno made a name for himself by K'ing seven over four innings of impressive work. Basically, the US had their chance to KO him early, but couldn't get the job done.
Off to the ninth we went, where Joe Torre correctly inserted Kimbrel to keep the score even. He did what just about any smart manager would do in this situation. Considering that Kimbrel's 2012 saw him record 42 saves with a 1.01 ERA, you would think that even with the Dominicans' powerful lineup, they'd be silenced.
So it was definitely a shocker to watch Nelson Cruz double on the first pitch he saw. That more than revved up an already raucous crowd, and Carlos Santana had a good at-bat by getting him over to third on a groundout.
Erik Aybar's at-bat was probably even more impressive when you factor in an absolutely horrendous strike two call by umpire Angel Hernandez. His RBI single to right made it 2-1. An out later, with Aybar on second from a steal, Jose Reyes brought home another run with an RBI single, chasing Kimbrel in the process. Mitchell Boggs got the last out.
As if things weren't bleak enough watching the game's best closer give up two runs and Wright being hurt, the US had their bottom part of the order due up against Rodney in the ninth. Jones continued his rough night by flying out. Pinch-hitters Ben Zobrist and Shane Victorino couldn't do any better, and that was that.
Miami isn't exactly known for having the game's best baseball fans. I keep thinking back to a tweet that went out a few weeks ago that showed just a few people (if that) standing in line when single-game tickets went on sale for the Marlins. But make no mistake about it, these fans were awesome from the start, and really added to the energy of the game. I could've done without that damn horn the whole game, but still, it sure was fun to watch.
Now the US finds themselves in a must-win situation... again. The good news is that they've been down this road before, as they needed W's over Italy and Canada last week just to get to this point. The bad news is that Puerto Rico just ousted Italy in comeback fashion, and even though they dropped a big one on Tuesday against the Americans, they do have some momentum going for them.
Ryan Vogelsong will take the hill for the US, while Puerto Rico counters with Nelson Figueroa.
Who would've though it would be Craig Kimbrel to hand the Dominicans their ticket to San Francisco?
As unlikely as it seems, the Dominicans scored two runs in the top of the ninth to crack open a 1-1 tie, and Fernando Rodney put the exclamation point on a thrilling 3-1 victory. Team USA is now back in action on Friday looking to stay alive.
R.A. Dickey was handed the ball to start this one, and he looked as sharp as can be in getting the Dominicans in order, striking out Robinson Cano for the final out. It was a complete turnaround from his start last Friday against Mexico, where he scuffled over four shaky innings.
Team USA came to bat knowing they'd be without the services of "Captain America" David Wright, who was a late scratch with sore ribs. However, Brandon Phillips and Joe Mauer each singled to get things going. With two outs, Miami's own Giancarlo Stanton hit an infield single to short, as Mauer was just able to beat the soft toss to second.
With the bases loaded, the US was in a great spot to unravel Dominican starter Samuel Deduno, who obviously doesn't have the pitching credentials of someone like Dickey (not that many people do). Eric Hosmer worked a walk to force a run in. Adam Jones, on the other hand, struck out looking at a breaking ball, and the US again failed to really capitalize with runners on.
The Dominicans got that run right back in the second. Hanley Ramirez absolutely unloaded on a solo homer to left measured at 451 feet to make it 1-1. If he swings the bat that well during the season, then hopefully I'll still be doing Dodger recaps deep into October.
This game looked like either offense could take off at any point, but for the next six innings not a single run was scored. Dickey ended up going five strong for one run and four strikeouts. Deduno made a name for himself by K'ing seven over four innings of impressive work. Basically, the US had their chance to KO him early, but couldn't get the job done.
Off to the ninth we went, where Joe Torre correctly inserted Kimbrel to keep the score even. He did what just about any smart manager would do in this situation. Considering that Kimbrel's 2012 saw him record 42 saves with a 1.01 ERA, you would think that even with the Dominicans' powerful lineup, they'd be silenced.
So it was definitely a shocker to watch Nelson Cruz double on the first pitch he saw. That more than revved up an already raucous crowd, and Carlos Santana had a good at-bat by getting him over to third on a groundout.
Erik Aybar's at-bat was probably even more impressive when you factor in an absolutely horrendous strike two call by umpire Angel Hernandez. His RBI single to right made it 2-1. An out later, with Aybar on second from a steal, Jose Reyes brought home another run with an RBI single, chasing Kimbrel in the process. Mitchell Boggs got the last out.
As if things weren't bleak enough watching the game's best closer give up two runs and Wright being hurt, the US had their bottom part of the order due up against Rodney in the ninth. Jones continued his rough night by flying out. Pinch-hitters Ben Zobrist and Shane Victorino couldn't do any better, and that was that.
Miami isn't exactly known for having the game's best baseball fans. I keep thinking back to a tweet that went out a few weeks ago that showed just a few people (if that) standing in line when single-game tickets went on sale for the Marlins. But make no mistake about it, these fans were awesome from the start, and really added to the energy of the game. I could've done without that damn horn the whole game, but still, it sure was fun to watch.
Now the US finds themselves in a must-win situation... again. The good news is that they've been down this road before, as they needed W's over Italy and Canada last week just to get to this point. The bad news is that Puerto Rico just ousted Italy in comeback fashion, and even though they dropped a big one on Tuesday against the Americans, they do have some momentum going for them.
Ryan Vogelsong will take the hill for the US, while Puerto Rico counters with Nelson Figueroa.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Captain America powers Team USA
If Team USA is going to win this World Baseball Classic thing, they have the perfect guy with the perfect nickname ready to carry them all the way.
"Captain America" David Wright came through with another huge night, driving in five runs to back Gio Gonzalez's gem, as the US pounded Puerto Rico, 7-1. The win earns them a berth against the loaded Domincan Republic on Thursday, with the winner of that onto the championship round.
With Gonzalez looking every bit like the 21-game winner he was last season with the Nationals, the US finally scored first, unlike their previous three games. Ryan Braun took a walk with two outs in the first, and Joe Mauer's RBI single made it 1-0.
From there, the US added a single run here and there, while the combination of Gonzalez, Jeremy Affeldt, and Vinnie Pestano shut down the Puerto Ricans through seven. In the third, Brandon Phillips singled, Braun did the same, and Mauer walked to load the bases. Wright got his first RBI on a fielder's choice, though Mike Aviles's diving stop at short kept the damage to one.
"Captian America" tacked on another RBI in the fifth, as his single scored Jimmy Rollins, who singled leading off the inning, to make it 3-0. The lead was stretched to 4-0 in the seventh when Adam Jones singled to center, scoring Eric Hosmer.
About the only threat Puerto Rico could muster was in the eighth, and even then they only scored one run. Miami's own Steve Cishek beaned Jesus Feliciano leading off. That brought in David Hernandez, who gave up a double to Eddie Rosario and an RBI groundout to Angel Pagan. Alex Rios popped up to end the inning.
The bottom of the eighth is when the US took over for good, as has been the case during this three-game winning streak. Rollins and Braun singled, then Mauer took another walk. Wright smacked a three-run double to deep center, blowing the game open at 7-1.
Craig Kimbel put the cherry on top by getting Aviles to ground into a game ending double play.
Two things are becoming quite apparent as this tournament rolls on. One, if the opposing team wants to win, they need to grab an early lead and build on it. Two, the US gets more comfortable at the plate as the game progresses, so you can count on some runs late in the game. In other words, to beat the US, you better build a big enough lead to withstand a late charge.
And while you're at it, you might want to avoid pitching to Wright, even if men are on base. Of course, that's kinda hard if the bases are loaded, but you get my point. Through four games, "Captain America" is hitting .438 with a 1.276 OPS and 10 RBIs. The RBIs are tops in the tourney. Right now the Mets actually look like a brilliant team for once, as they clearly have the right guy to build around. At the plate and with the leather, he's been awesome.
What's nearly forgotten in this one is the great start by Gonzalez, who pitched five shutout innings, striking out five. His stuff looked very sharp, too, which isn't exactly good news for the rest of the league. Kudos to the bullpen as well. We all know that the pitch counts turns these games into bullpen affairs as the game wears on, and the US looks more than ready for that.
When the WBC is all said and done, we may look back on Thursday's matchup as the biggest game. The Domincan Republic boasts and undefeated record, plus studs like Robinson Cano, Hanley Ramirez, and Jose Reyes. The US is getting better and better each game. That's going to be fun to watch.
Joe Torre will turn to R.A. Dickey, who is definitely looking to bounce back after a subpar performance in a loss to Mexico. Puerto Rico goes with Samuel Deduno, who is mostly a middle reliever with the Twins, rather than Wandy Rodiguez, who is not on his regular rest. The winner earns a ticket to San Francisco, the loser plays Friday against the winner of Italy and Puerto Rico.
"Captain America" David Wright came through with another huge night, driving in five runs to back Gio Gonzalez's gem, as the US pounded Puerto Rico, 7-1. The win earns them a berth against the loaded Domincan Republic on Thursday, with the winner of that onto the championship round.
With Gonzalez looking every bit like the 21-game winner he was last season with the Nationals, the US finally scored first, unlike their previous three games. Ryan Braun took a walk with two outs in the first, and Joe Mauer's RBI single made it 1-0.
From there, the US added a single run here and there, while the combination of Gonzalez, Jeremy Affeldt, and Vinnie Pestano shut down the Puerto Ricans through seven. In the third, Brandon Phillips singled, Braun did the same, and Mauer walked to load the bases. Wright got his first RBI on a fielder's choice, though Mike Aviles's diving stop at short kept the damage to one.
"Captian America" tacked on another RBI in the fifth, as his single scored Jimmy Rollins, who singled leading off the inning, to make it 3-0. The lead was stretched to 4-0 in the seventh when Adam Jones singled to center, scoring Eric Hosmer.
About the only threat Puerto Rico could muster was in the eighth, and even then they only scored one run. Miami's own Steve Cishek beaned Jesus Feliciano leading off. That brought in David Hernandez, who gave up a double to Eddie Rosario and an RBI groundout to Angel Pagan. Alex Rios popped up to end the inning.
The bottom of the eighth is when the US took over for good, as has been the case during this three-game winning streak. Rollins and Braun singled, then Mauer took another walk. Wright smacked a three-run double to deep center, blowing the game open at 7-1.
Craig Kimbel put the cherry on top by getting Aviles to ground into a game ending double play.
Two things are becoming quite apparent as this tournament rolls on. One, if the opposing team wants to win, they need to grab an early lead and build on it. Two, the US gets more comfortable at the plate as the game progresses, so you can count on some runs late in the game. In other words, to beat the US, you better build a big enough lead to withstand a late charge.
And while you're at it, you might want to avoid pitching to Wright, even if men are on base. Of course, that's kinda hard if the bases are loaded, but you get my point. Through four games, "Captain America" is hitting .438 with a 1.276 OPS and 10 RBIs. The RBIs are tops in the tourney. Right now the Mets actually look like a brilliant team for once, as they clearly have the right guy to build around. At the plate and with the leather, he's been awesome.
What's nearly forgotten in this one is the great start by Gonzalez, who pitched five shutout innings, striking out five. His stuff looked very sharp, too, which isn't exactly good news for the rest of the league. Kudos to the bullpen as well. We all know that the pitch counts turns these games into bullpen affairs as the game wears on, and the US looks more than ready for that.
When the WBC is all said and done, we may look back on Thursday's matchup as the biggest game. The Domincan Republic boasts and undefeated record, plus studs like Robinson Cano, Hanley Ramirez, and Jose Reyes. The US is getting better and better each game. That's going to be fun to watch.
Joe Torre will turn to R.A. Dickey, who is definitely looking to bounce back after a subpar performance in a loss to Mexico. Puerto Rico goes with Samuel Deduno, who is mostly a middle reliever with the Twins, rather than Wandy Rodiguez, who is not on his regular rest. The winner earns a ticket to San Francisco, the loser plays Friday against the winner of Italy and Puerto Rico.
Monday, March 11, 2013
USA battles back and battles onto round 2
For the third straight game, the US found themselves in an early hole, and down by one entering the eighth inning against Canada.
Two mighty swings by Adam Jones and Eric Hosmer later, it's onto the next round against Puerto Rico.
Pac Man hit a one-out, two-run double to put the US up one, and Hosmer's bases clearing double in the ninth put the icing on the cake in a 9-4 victory. It certainly wasn't easy, as the US had to play catchup once again, but found a way to get it done for the second straight day.
In a sign of the times, the US gave the ball to Derek Holland in a win-or-go-home scenario, which shows just how many other pitchers decided to skip this tournament. Nothing against Holland, but he doesn't exactly ring of "shut down pitcher" when a win is needed.
A major reason Holland was held off until Sunday was due to the lefty-heavy Canadian lineup. That worked for a couple of innings, but the third was different. Justin Morneau led off with a double, and Michael Saunders, who hit just about as well as you possibly could in this tournament, cranked a two-run shot to right, making it 2-0.
What's probably lost in all of this is that Canada had runners on the corners with nobody out, yet Holland wiggled out of trouble unharmed. In fact, those were the only two runs he gave up in five strong innings. So give the boy some credit, he pitched a solid game.
In the fourth, the US got those runs back, with a little help from the other team. Joe Mauer singled leading off and David Wright walked. Ben Zobrist got the surprising start in right, and his bunt single led to a ball thrown away at first, bringing in Mauer. A sac-fly RBI by Jones later, it was 2-2.
Things stayed even until Canada plated one against Glen Perkins in the sixth. Joey Votto walked and Morneau singled to start the inning, but Perkins got the next two. Adam Loewen had a great at-bat by battling off many pitches before hitting an RBI single, putting his team back up 3-2.
The pressure was definitely on the US in the eighth, especially after blowing two runners in scoring position with one out the previous inning. Mauer and Wright again singled and walked to start things up, but this time Zobrist popped up a bunt, which was horrible execution. Fortunately, that's when Jones found his power with his two-run double, grabbing the lead at 4-3. Shane Victorino added an RBI single, and it was now 5-3.
David Hernandez was summoned to shut down the eighth... which is precisely what he didn't do. He didn't give up the lead at least, but sure made it interesting. Votto, Saunders, and Chris Robinson all singled to load 'em up. Loewen grounded one into the hole between first and second, which is where Brandon Phillips made a fantastic diving stop to get an out, allowing only one run to score. Steve Cishek came in, walked Pete Orr intentionally, and got Tim Smith grounding out to end the threat.
With only a one-run cushion, the US went to work in the ninth. Phillips led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by Jonathan Lucroy, hitting in Mauer's spot. Closer Jonathan Axford came in to keep it at two runs down, but that's when Hosmer ripped hit three-run double with two outs, blowing the game wide open.
Just for fun, Joe Torre sent in a well-rested Craig Kimbrel to put the cherry on top, freezing Votto to end the game.
The final score doesn't do justice to just how close a game this was for 95% of it. Give Canada lots of credit for going pitch-for-pitch and nearly pulling off the upset. The US just had too much muscle for them, and it didn't come out until late.
It's hard to imagine just how much flak the US would have received if they didn't get those big swings late in the game, but thankfully for them they don't have to worry about it. There's no doubt Torre would have been blamed for sitting Giancarlo Stanton and starting Zobrist and Victorino for the first time. Heck, he's getting heat for that now even with the win.
Stanton didn't get a hit in the first two games, but he has such massive power, I was fully expecting to see him back in there on Sunday, maybe just a bit lower in the order. Nothing against Zobrist, who did get three hits, but I would think Stanton will start in his home park on Tuesday and beyond.
Let's give the US their props for fighting from behind two games in a row, even if the talent on the other side of the field doesn't nearly match their roster. They still had to get the job done facing the pressure of being a laughingstock, quite frankly, and they did. So kudos to them.
Next up is Puerto Rico, with Italy taking on the Dominican Republic in the other half of the bracket. Gio Gonzalez will go in the first game, and R.A. Dickey will look to redeem himself by going whenever the second game may be.
Two mighty swings by Adam Jones and Eric Hosmer later, it's onto the next round against Puerto Rico.
Pac Man hit a one-out, two-run double to put the US up one, and Hosmer's bases clearing double in the ninth put the icing on the cake in a 9-4 victory. It certainly wasn't easy, as the US had to play catchup once again, but found a way to get it done for the second straight day.
In a sign of the times, the US gave the ball to Derek Holland in a win-or-go-home scenario, which shows just how many other pitchers decided to skip this tournament. Nothing against Holland, but he doesn't exactly ring of "shut down pitcher" when a win is needed.
A major reason Holland was held off until Sunday was due to the lefty-heavy Canadian lineup. That worked for a couple of innings, but the third was different. Justin Morneau led off with a double, and Michael Saunders, who hit just about as well as you possibly could in this tournament, cranked a two-run shot to right, making it 2-0.
What's probably lost in all of this is that Canada had runners on the corners with nobody out, yet Holland wiggled out of trouble unharmed. In fact, those were the only two runs he gave up in five strong innings. So give the boy some credit, he pitched a solid game.
In the fourth, the US got those runs back, with a little help from the other team. Joe Mauer singled leading off and David Wright walked. Ben Zobrist got the surprising start in right, and his bunt single led to a ball thrown away at first, bringing in Mauer. A sac-fly RBI by Jones later, it was 2-2.
Things stayed even until Canada plated one against Glen Perkins in the sixth. Joey Votto walked and Morneau singled to start the inning, but Perkins got the next two. Adam Loewen had a great at-bat by battling off many pitches before hitting an RBI single, putting his team back up 3-2.
The pressure was definitely on the US in the eighth, especially after blowing two runners in scoring position with one out the previous inning. Mauer and Wright again singled and walked to start things up, but this time Zobrist popped up a bunt, which was horrible execution. Fortunately, that's when Jones found his power with his two-run double, grabbing the lead at 4-3. Shane Victorino added an RBI single, and it was now 5-3.
David Hernandez was summoned to shut down the eighth... which is precisely what he didn't do. He didn't give up the lead at least, but sure made it interesting. Votto, Saunders, and Chris Robinson all singled to load 'em up. Loewen grounded one into the hole between first and second, which is where Brandon Phillips made a fantastic diving stop to get an out, allowing only one run to score. Steve Cishek came in, walked Pete Orr intentionally, and got Tim Smith grounding out to end the threat.
With only a one-run cushion, the US went to work in the ninth. Phillips led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by Jonathan Lucroy, hitting in Mauer's spot. Closer Jonathan Axford came in to keep it at two runs down, but that's when Hosmer ripped hit three-run double with two outs, blowing the game wide open.
Just for fun, Joe Torre sent in a well-rested Craig Kimbrel to put the cherry on top, freezing Votto to end the game.
The final score doesn't do justice to just how close a game this was for 95% of it. Give Canada lots of credit for going pitch-for-pitch and nearly pulling off the upset. The US just had too much muscle for them, and it didn't come out until late.
It's hard to imagine just how much flak the US would have received if they didn't get those big swings late in the game, but thankfully for them they don't have to worry about it. There's no doubt Torre would have been blamed for sitting Giancarlo Stanton and starting Zobrist and Victorino for the first time. Heck, he's getting heat for that now even with the win.
Stanton didn't get a hit in the first two games, but he has such massive power, I was fully expecting to see him back in there on Sunday, maybe just a bit lower in the order. Nothing against Zobrist, who did get three hits, but I would think Stanton will start in his home park on Tuesday and beyond.
Let's give the US their props for fighting from behind two games in a row, even if the talent on the other side of the field doesn't nearly match their roster. They still had to get the job done facing the pressure of being a laughingstock, quite frankly, and they did. So kudos to them.
Next up is Puerto Rico, with Italy taking on the Dominican Republic in the other half of the bracket. Gio Gonzalez will go in the first game, and R.A. Dickey will look to redeem himself by going whenever the second game may be.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Wright's granny leads USA's surge over Italy
In a must-win situation, the US turned to their team leader to get things going.
David Wright turned a 2-2 game into a four-run lead with a grand slam in the fifth, and the US never looked back in beating Italy, 6-2. After being down 2-0, it sure looked as if the US would be two and out, but alas, that was not the case.
Ryan Vogelsong of the world champion Giants (that's tough for me to type as a Dodger fan, but hey, I'm trying to be objective here, so go with it!) got he start. Like R.A. Dickey the night before, he immediately found himself in trouble. Nick Punto (Dodger property!) singled leading off, and after advancing to third with two outs, scored on a wild pitch.
Unlike the US has done for much of this tournament, Italy was able to make some noise with two outs. In the second, Tyler LaTorre singled and scored on Anthony Granato's RBI double over Adam Jones's head in center, making it 2-0.
That would be all the scoring Italy would do on this night, and it took until the fourth for the US to finally push a run across. Ryan Braun singled leading off, and cleanup hitter Joe Mauer's RBI double cut the deficit to 2-1.
Vogelsong struck out the side to end the fourth, and that set up a big fifth for the US. It all started on a walk, as Pac Man started the surge. Jonathan Lucroy, the #9 hitter, singled to put two on, and chasing Italy starter Marco Grifantini in the process.
After Jimmy Rollins popped up on a bad swing, Brandon Phillips lined an RBI single to tie the game at 2. With two outs, a walk to Mauer loaded 'em up for Wright, who deposited a 410 foot shot into left center to make it 6-2.
From there, Joe Torre turned the ball over to his bullpen, as the combination of Jeremy Affeldt (scoreless inning) and Ross Detwiler (four scoreless innings) allowed only two baserunners the rest of the way, striking out four. Detwiler picked up the save.
Needless to say, Wright's mighty swing relaxed everybody associated with the US, and allowed them to finally exhale as well. It's hard to accurately point out who the clear star on this team is (ala Joey Votto and Justin Morneau of Canada), but Wright seems to embrace that role. It's no surprise he does, as he's the clear leader of a Mets roster full of questionable talent to say the least.
This is the type of win that allowed the US to show how dominant they can be, from getting the big home run to shutting the game down in the final innings. Detwiler is a starter with the Nationals, so to be able to turn the ball over to him for multiple innings of relief is huge. Plus, only three pitchers were used, giving Torre plenty of arms for the finale against Canada on Sunday.
Speaking of Canada, they have to consider themselves very lucky that nobody is suspended for today's winner-take-all game. That was a pretty ugly brawl against Italy, with about the only positive that nobody got hurt (that we know of anyway). Hey, I love Luis Cruz, but that was just plain wrong of him to tell his pitcher to bean somebody. He's got to be smarter than that.
Anyway, Derek Holland will get the ball for the US today. He'll be opposed by young Jamison Taillon of the Pirates' organization, aka the guy drafted after Bryce Harper. With high stakes for both teams, it should be a fun one to watch.
David Wright turned a 2-2 game into a four-run lead with a grand slam in the fifth, and the US never looked back in beating Italy, 6-2. After being down 2-0, it sure looked as if the US would be two and out, but alas, that was not the case.
Ryan Vogelsong of the world champion Giants (that's tough for me to type as a Dodger fan, but hey, I'm trying to be objective here, so go with it!) got he start. Like R.A. Dickey the night before, he immediately found himself in trouble. Nick Punto (Dodger property!) singled leading off, and after advancing to third with two outs, scored on a wild pitch.
Unlike the US has done for much of this tournament, Italy was able to make some noise with two outs. In the second, Tyler LaTorre singled and scored on Anthony Granato's RBI double over Adam Jones's head in center, making it 2-0.
That would be all the scoring Italy would do on this night, and it took until the fourth for the US to finally push a run across. Ryan Braun singled leading off, and cleanup hitter Joe Mauer's RBI double cut the deficit to 2-1.
Vogelsong struck out the side to end the fourth, and that set up a big fifth for the US. It all started on a walk, as Pac Man started the surge. Jonathan Lucroy, the #9 hitter, singled to put two on, and chasing Italy starter Marco Grifantini in the process.
After Jimmy Rollins popped up on a bad swing, Brandon Phillips lined an RBI single to tie the game at 2. With two outs, a walk to Mauer loaded 'em up for Wright, who deposited a 410 foot shot into left center to make it 6-2.
From there, Joe Torre turned the ball over to his bullpen, as the combination of Jeremy Affeldt (scoreless inning) and Ross Detwiler (four scoreless innings) allowed only two baserunners the rest of the way, striking out four. Detwiler picked up the save.
Needless to say, Wright's mighty swing relaxed everybody associated with the US, and allowed them to finally exhale as well. It's hard to accurately point out who the clear star on this team is (ala Joey Votto and Justin Morneau of Canada), but Wright seems to embrace that role. It's no surprise he does, as he's the clear leader of a Mets roster full of questionable talent to say the least.
This is the type of win that allowed the US to show how dominant they can be, from getting the big home run to shutting the game down in the final innings. Detwiler is a starter with the Nationals, so to be able to turn the ball over to him for multiple innings of relief is huge. Plus, only three pitchers were used, giving Torre plenty of arms for the finale against Canada on Sunday.
Speaking of Canada, they have to consider themselves very lucky that nobody is suspended for today's winner-take-all game. That was a pretty ugly brawl against Italy, with about the only positive that nobody got hurt (that we know of anyway). Hey, I love Luis Cruz, but that was just plain wrong of him to tell his pitcher to bean somebody. He's got to be smarter than that.
Anyway, Derek Holland will get the ball for the US today. He'll be opposed by young Jamison Taillon of the Pirates' organization, aka the guy drafted after Bryce Harper. With high stakes for both teams, it should be a fun one to watch.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
For USA, the heat is on
If you're a big follower of the World Baseball Classic, you can't help but have that "Here we go again" feeling after Friday night's game.
Even without big names like Justin Verlander and Matt Kemp, the US is still considered one of the strong favorites to take home the WBC title. And just like the previous couple of tournaments, they find themselves searching for answers after another disappointing performance.
This time it was to Mexico, as the Dodgers' duo of Adrian Gonzalez and Luis Cruz drove in all five runs, and R.A. Dickey never was able to get on track in the 5-2 loss. Mexico evens up their record at 1-1 after suffering their own letdown against Italy the day before. As for the US, they find themselves in a must-win situation against Italy on Saturday with an 0-1 mark.
Manager Joe Torre had to like his chances coming into Friday's game, as the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Dickey took the mound. Mexico countered with the Brewers' Yovanni Gallardo, who came into this one with a sore groin. Even at full health, it would still be an advantage for the US.
On the very first pitch of the game, Eduardo Arredondo singled into center as a sign of things to come. Romiro Pena followed with a double, and runners were in scoring position. Cruz and Gonzalez had productive outs by getting both runners in, and the US was already in a hole at 2-0.
Things didn't get much better from there, as the US went down in order in the first, and then David Wright grounded into a double play the next inning. After Arredondo against singled leading off the third, Gonzalez cranked a two-run shot to dead center that held up on replay to make it 4-0.
It's not that the US didn't have chances to score, they just did jack squat with them. They managed to get one back in the fourth, as Jimmy Rollins singled leading off, and Wright hit a two-out RBI single to make it 4-1. Mexico got that right back in the fifth on another sac-fly RBI from Cruz.
In both the fifth and sixth, the US wasted more opportunities to score by putting two runners on with less than two outs. They did cut the deficit to 5-2 in the eighth, as Ryan Braun's bloop double leading off led to a bloop RBI single by Eric Hosmer.
The question of the night seemed to be whether the Giants' Sergio Romo would be used after blowing a save on 26 pitches against Italy the night before. It looked doubtful, but with their backs against the wall, there he was in the ninth. There was no drama, as Adam Jones, Jonathan Lucroy, and Rollins went down quietly.
As was pointed out in the game by announcers Matt Vasgersian and Jim Kaat, the US is in a bit of no-win situation. If they win, they're supposed to. If they lose, it's a big disappointment. After watching them leave eight on base, six of them with two outs in scoring position, and have their ace get roughed up in only four innings of work, it's definitely a disappointment no matter how you slice it.
So now the pressure is on. If the US can beat a hot Italy team and take care of an inferior Canadian team on Sunday, then this game is forgotten. If they fail to even advance to the second round, that would not be pretty. It's hard to say how ugly it would get considering how this tournament isn't held in the same regard as the Olympics, but since there is no Olympic baseball anymore, maybe it is a big deal. Who knows.
All the US can do is relax and play. I can't imagine a lineup featuring studs like Braun, Wright, Joe Mauer, Brandon Phillips, and Jones will be shut down like this again. Italy and Canada don't have nearly the pitching to throw at them like Mexico can. As long as these guys don't try to hit a home run every at-bat and do the little things, they'll be fine.
If they do fold under the pressure of a must-win game, it's another bad chapter in the WBC history for the United States.
Even without big names like Justin Verlander and Matt Kemp, the US is still considered one of the strong favorites to take home the WBC title. And just like the previous couple of tournaments, they find themselves searching for answers after another disappointing performance.
This time it was to Mexico, as the Dodgers' duo of Adrian Gonzalez and Luis Cruz drove in all five runs, and R.A. Dickey never was able to get on track in the 5-2 loss. Mexico evens up their record at 1-1 after suffering their own letdown against Italy the day before. As for the US, they find themselves in a must-win situation against Italy on Saturday with an 0-1 mark.
Manager Joe Torre had to like his chances coming into Friday's game, as the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Dickey took the mound. Mexico countered with the Brewers' Yovanni Gallardo, who came into this one with a sore groin. Even at full health, it would still be an advantage for the US.
On the very first pitch of the game, Eduardo Arredondo singled into center as a sign of things to come. Romiro Pena followed with a double, and runners were in scoring position. Cruz and Gonzalez had productive outs by getting both runners in, and the US was already in a hole at 2-0.
Things didn't get much better from there, as the US went down in order in the first, and then David Wright grounded into a double play the next inning. After Arredondo against singled leading off the third, Gonzalez cranked a two-run shot to dead center that held up on replay to make it 4-0.
It's not that the US didn't have chances to score, they just did jack squat with them. They managed to get one back in the fourth, as Jimmy Rollins singled leading off, and Wright hit a two-out RBI single to make it 4-1. Mexico got that right back in the fifth on another sac-fly RBI from Cruz.
In both the fifth and sixth, the US wasted more opportunities to score by putting two runners on with less than two outs. They did cut the deficit to 5-2 in the eighth, as Ryan Braun's bloop double leading off led to a bloop RBI single by Eric Hosmer.
The question of the night seemed to be whether the Giants' Sergio Romo would be used after blowing a save on 26 pitches against Italy the night before. It looked doubtful, but with their backs against the wall, there he was in the ninth. There was no drama, as Adam Jones, Jonathan Lucroy, and Rollins went down quietly.
As was pointed out in the game by announcers Matt Vasgersian and Jim Kaat, the US is in a bit of no-win situation. If they win, they're supposed to. If they lose, it's a big disappointment. After watching them leave eight on base, six of them with two outs in scoring position, and have their ace get roughed up in only four innings of work, it's definitely a disappointment no matter how you slice it.
So now the pressure is on. If the US can beat a hot Italy team and take care of an inferior Canadian team on Sunday, then this game is forgotten. If they fail to even advance to the second round, that would not be pretty. It's hard to say how ugly it would get considering how this tournament isn't held in the same regard as the Olympics, but since there is no Olympic baseball anymore, maybe it is a big deal. Who knows.
All the US can do is relax and play. I can't imagine a lineup featuring studs like Braun, Wright, Joe Mauer, Brandon Phillips, and Jones will be shut down like this again. Italy and Canada don't have nearly the pitching to throw at them like Mexico can. As long as these guys don't try to hit a home run every at-bat and do the little things, they'll be fine.
If they do fold under the pressure of a must-win game, it's another bad chapter in the WBC history for the United States.
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