Final task awaits Dominicans before semis

The Dominicans will play either the U.S. or Puerto Rico on Saturday to decide seedings for the semifinals

MIAMI --

All of the commitment has paid off for the Dominican Republic.

The energized and emotional squad clinched a spot in the semifinals and stamped its ticket to San Francisco by beating Team USA, 3-1, on Thursday night in Round 2 of the World Baseball Classic at Marlins Park.

Eliminated in the first round of the 2009 Classic, a more focused and determined Dominican Republic squad improved to 5-0 in this year's tournament.

Before heading to San Francisco, however, the team managed by Tony Pena will play one more time in Miami. At 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, it will take on the winner of Friday night's Team USA-Puerto Rico matchup.

Saturday's events will determine the seeding of the final four, which will consist of the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Japan, and either Puerto Rico or the U.S.

"I feel so emotional, because when we were putting together this team, these young men who are here, they stayed present from the first day," Pena said. "I don't think I'll have a group of young men with the dedication, with the dignity with which they have represented our country."

The Classic remains a relatively new concept. The international event started in 2006; this is the third edition.

Thursday night's game was particularly intriguing, because 21 Major League All-Stars were on the two rosters.

With national pride and the chance to advance on the line, the game was played with great intensity, and there was tremendous energy among the 34,366 at Marlins Park.

Nelson Cruz, who doubled off Craig Kimbrel to open the ninth inning, scored the go-ahead run on Erick Aybar's RBI single.

Cruz, who has been to the World Series with the Rangers, noted that the emotions are so high because players are competing for their countries.

"The World Series is the World Series," Cruz said. "Here I play for my country. I never had a chance to play for my country, and in these situations you always want to give your best. There's no doubt [the emotions] are the best I ever [had] because of the way the fans responded.

"As a player, I cannot ask for anything else for my fans. They give everything they have, every inning, every day. As a baseball player, I appreciate it."

The Dominican Republic and Team USA are two of the game's international powers. But to Cruz, facing the U.S. wasn't the sole reason for the amount of emotion displayed during the win.

"If you watched all the games, we always play with the same intensity," Cruz said."The atmosphere and the fans gave an extra touch of emotion to the game. Definitely, thanks to them. We had that push to play the way we did."

Similar intensity is expected on Saturday, when the Dominican Republic will face either Team USA again, or Puerto Rico.

"It's giving a group of men that are representing the 10 million inhabitants of the Dominican Republic [something to cheer about]," Pena said. "Where there is a will, there is a way with a great victory."

Jurickson Profar

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Dutch add Profar and Jansen to bolster roster

By Doug Miller / MLB.com | 03/14/2013 12:00 AM ET

PEORIA, Ariz. --

The team from the Netherlands that's been taking names in the World Baseball Classic added a few more big ones Thursday.

Top Texas Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar was officially added to the roster and will play second base, and Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will join the team after his game for Los Angeles against Kansas City on Friday.

"We got better," manager Hensley Meulens said. "We got two big-league players."

Jansen, who has come along slowly this spring after undergoing surgery last October to correct an irregular heartbeat, said he was looking forward to getting into a game after watching as many highlights as he could of his team as it knocked out Cuba to advance from the second round in Tokyo to the semifinal round in San Francisco's AT&T Park.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands will play in the second semifinal game, which will be Monday at 6 p.m. PT. The Dutch will face the Pool 2 winner, which is still being contested at Marlins Park in Miami. The championship game will be Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT. All World Baseball Classic games can be seen on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

"I'm definitely excited," Jansen said after greeting his Dutch teammates, many of whom are from his native island country of Curacao. "I'm finally back in rhythm and back on track, and this is going to be exciting to help these guys win.

"Now I'm feeling fine and I'm ready. It's going to be exciting playing the final four. It's going to be great."

Jansen, who played for the Dutch team in the 2009 Classic as a catcher before converting to a reliever, also expressed gratitude that the Dodgers were willing to let him participate.

"They think it will be pretty good for me, especially if I'm ready for Opening Day, because it will be more competition for me," Jansen said. "It's going to be good."

Profar, meanwhile, was finally added to the mix, as expected, and Meulens penciled him in at second. Profar is a shortstop prospect, but played five games for the Rangers at second last year after a brief call-up. Meulens didn't want to move his starter at shortstop, Andrelton Simmons of the Braves, who has been brilliant in this tournament. Orioles farmhand Jonathan Schoop was at second but moved to third base, where he has played before. That relegated Red Sox prospect Xander Bogaerts to the bench.

Profar showed up on Thursday, took batting practice with his Dutch teammates, signed autographs and said that he's watched every game so far and is thrilled to be here. He was asked if he hopes the intensity of the tournament will help him prepare the season and he said, "I don't hope … I know it's going to help."

Meulens said he's been in touch with Profar all along and that it was only a matter of time before he would join Team Nederland.

"This guy has supported us this whole tournament," Meulens said. "We've talked to guys on the BlackBerry messenger and Twitter. It's not like he's just walking in and we haven't seen him or talked to him."

"And this guy has the chance to have the best of both worlds. He had a good Spring Training to show what he can do. They're saying he's ready to play in the big leagues. And now he's got a chance to represent his country in the final of the biggest tournament he's ever played. So it's a big deal for us. He's a great player and he made us better today."

Meulens on returning to San Francisco with Dutch team

PEORIA, Ariz. --

Team Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens, who also happens to be the hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants, said he'd love to be a Major League manager someday.

"Yeah, why not?" he said.

The way he has his team playing in this World Baseball Classic, he might get noticed sooner than later, and the same goes for some of the players on his team.

Meulens was pleased to report that his first baseman, Curt Smith, signed a Minor League deal with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, and his catcher, Dashenko Ricardo was close to a similar deal with the Dodgers. Pitcher Sidney Ponson was signed by the Kansas City Royals after pitching well against the Dominican Republic in the 2009 Classic.

"People notice when you have success and when you're doing the right things on the field," Meulens said. "That's when you get opportunities."

Jones relishing leadership role with Dutch

PEORIA, Ariz. --

It's easy to remember Andruw Jones as a 19-year-old hitting two home runs in a World Series game in 1996, kicking off an excellent Major League career. And more than 16 years later, it's easy to watch Jones as the sage veteran of Team Netherlands.

Jones, who now plays in Japan, was instrumental in recruiting the Dutch team for manager Hensley Meulens and has had an open-door policy in his hotel room throughout this World Baseball Classic run. He's also seen his brand of leadership evolve.

"I led by example when I played with the Braves," Jones said. "I never was outspoken. I went out there and played every day. And that's how I performed as a leader. The young guys come up, see you out there hurt or not feeling good, those are things that leadership is about.

"But now it's young guys who probably grew up watching you play and idolizing you and stuff, and now it's good to get in their ears and try to teach them the things you know so they can go out and perform at a high level."

One of those players is Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, who will join the Netherlands for the semifinals.

"It means a lot [to have him here]," Jansen said. "Especially when I grew up watching him. I used to be a big fan of him growing up. It's awesome to see him play in the days I was growing up and now here he is."

Worth noting

• The team's technical director, former big league utility man Robert Eenhoorn, said expectations have changed regarding the Dutch team in the World Baseball Classic after two victories over the Dominican Republic in 2009 and the club's semifinal run this year. "It's just been a process where in the first one, you're just happy to be there. In the second one, you're very, very happy to make it to the second round. And now, the goal is winning it. And it sounded weird for many people at the beginning, but it was a goal that we set. We've had success, and winning the World Cup in 2011 was kind of big, too. And we've beaten Cuba five times in a row, and a lot of people don't know."

• Meulens said he's been impressed with how aggressive his team has been. "They go first to third, they advance on balls in the dirt … that's how they play," Meulens said. "They play kind of reckless, but it's fun to watch."

• Eenhoorn was pleased to learn that 18-year-old Dutch catcher Rodney Daal, a San Diego Padres Minor Leaguer, was moved up from Minor League camp to be with the Padres for Thursday night's exhibition between the two clubs. Daal, whose father, Richie, played against Eenhoorn, was in camp for the Dutch team prior the start of Spring Training. "I think it's great," Eenhoorn said. "It's a great experience for him."

• Padres Triple-A manager Pat Murphy, who managed the Dutch Olympic baseball team in the 2000 Sydney Games, was a San Diego coach during Thursday night's game.

Profar 'looking forward' to WBC shot

Shortstop reverses course, will play for Netherlands squad

By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com03/14/2013 6:58 PM ET

After showcasing his talent for the Rangers this spring, Jurickson Profar will try to do the same on the world stage.

Texas announced Wednesday that MLB.com's No. 1 prospect will replace injured infielder Yurendell De Caster when the Kingdom of the Netherlands meet the winner of Pool 2 at San Francisco's AT&T Park in the World Baseball Classic Championship Round next week.

Profar originally declined the chance to represent the squad last month, choosing instead to spend time with the Rangers at their Spring Training camp in Surprise, Ariz. Had he committed to playing in the WBC in Tokyo, he would have missed three weeks of spring camp.

But the 20-year-old Curacao native, who is batting .222 with five RBIs in the Cactus League, will join the national team Thursday ahead of Monday's semifinal against either the USA, Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico.

"It's going to be fun," Profar told MLB.com. "I'm going to play on the big stage. I'm excited and looking forward to it."

Profar, who led Curacao to the 2004 and 2005 Little League World Series, batted .281 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs in 126 Texas League games with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders before earning a September callup. In nine big league games, he hit .176 with a homer and two RBIs.


"It should be quite an experience for him playing in that spotlight and a high level of baseball," Rangers manager Ron Washington told MLB.com. "He's already shown us he can play. It's quite an opportunity for him."

With regular shortstop Elvis Andrus and Minor League infielder Leury Garcia both already competing in the WBC, Texas' coaching staff have had a chance to see a lot of Profar, signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2009.

Only center fielders Jim Adduci and Julio Borbon had played in more spring games (17) than Profar, who has a team-high 36 at-bats in 16 contests. Although the team has seen enough of the shortstop to allow him to compete in the WBC, Washington would not guarantee his spot on the Opening Day roster just yet.

"Jurickson Profar hasn't made this team, so I'm not speculating on it," Washington said. "Our decision will be based on what's best for him and the organization. We haven't come to any conclusions."

One picture is truly worth a thousand of this author’s words. Cuban ballplayers tote the weight of an island nation on their backs

News: Cuba Falls Just Short of Classic Finals Yet Again

Date: March 13, 2013 from Tokyo, Japan

By Peter C. Bjarkman

For many it was the most devastating among a slew of painful eleventh-hour losses for recent editions of the once dominant but now somewhat tarnished Cuban national team. There have been many such defeats in recent years – the 2008 Olympic finals (versus Korea) in Beijing; the 2009 World Cup finale (USA) in Nettuno; the 2010 Pre-Mundial championship setback (with the Dominicans) in San Juan; and the final-edition 2011 World Cup gold medal loss (Netherlands) in Panama.

These defeats reflect little more than the new world order of international baseball where talented but no longer untouchable Cuban teams are now forced play against some of the best young stars (and even seasoned veterans) drawn from North American professional ball clubs; the near misses do not (despite all the ceaseless wailings in the Cuban press) signal any major failings of the Cuban baseball system itself, or any catastrophic drop-off in the level of Cuban talent. This year’s Cuban Classic team showcased more top-level young prospects than any island squad of the past decade. True there was a visible shortage of normally strong Cuban pitching in the end, but the final reality is that we no longer live in 1970s or ‘80s world in which each opponent quakes and crumbles in the presence of the once unrivaled Cuban arsenal.

Both the positive and the negative here is the fact that Cuba is now the only country still playing in the Classic with only its home-grown and home-trained national talent. It is the single country to annually field an all-star squad from its domestic league that is a legitimate representative of its own special brand of national baseball.

The biggest plus side in Tokyo and Fukuoka was the fact that this particular team displayed more exciting young talent and fresh blood than any other Cuban squad of the past half-dozen years. José Fernandez, Yasmani Tomas, and Guillermo Heredia are as good as any young island-bred prospects to come on the scene in years.

Friends of mine in the MLB scouting community raved about all three as the best all-around Cuban athletes in perhaps more than a decade (a recent decade, remember, that produced Céspedes, Chapman, Alexei Ramírez, Leonys Martin and several other marginal big leaguers).

Andy Ibáñez played little here but impressed the pro scouts with his speed and his glue-fingered glove. Tomás (with clutch homers against Japan and Taiwan and the potential game-winning hit had the Cubans held on against the Dutch) already seems destined to be the next Alfredo Despaigne.

And Bárbaro Arruebarruena would be a true budding big league defensive star were he now wearing any other country’s uniform. Only top young pitchers seem to be in short supply, although Racial Iglesias (a potential future closer for Team Cuba) and Diosdani Castillo showcased strong performances on several limited occasions.

Cuban ball clubs are obviously now playing in this special event and all other top international tournaments with the cards horribly stacked against them. Not only are they without big-league trained reinforcements, but a perceptible (hopefully temporary) dip in the level of Cuban League pitching has put talented young Cuban batters behind the “eight ball” once they have to make overnight adjustments when facing so many proficient big league and Japanese League hurlers.

My Facebook page has been filled in the last twenty-four hours with many suggestions that the solution for the Cuba baseball establishment is now to abandon its long-standing approach and begin fielding squads filled with the big leaguers and minor leaguers who have lately abandoned the country.

For me personally this would be a poor solution to the current status of the Cuban national sport – even if it were in fact a realistic possibility any time in the near future. First and foremost, this would not be a move that was fair to so many talented island players who dream of wearing the uniform of Team Cuba. What will be the spirit and the future of Cuban baseball if Ismel Jiménez and José Fernández and Yasmani Tomás are left back at home so that Chapman and Ramirez and Céspedes can represent the league they once abandoned in order to cast their lot with the fortunes to be reaped in organized baseball?

Just how many young players would remain at home to staff the Cuban League once that began happening? Is it worth one or two more wins abroad to have the Cuban “national” squad transformed into the Cuban-American All-Stars and thus to become no different in flavor from the Dutch (read Dutch Antilles here) or Dominican or Venezuela big league enterprises.

For me any such move would rob Cuban baseball of the special status that attracts me and so many others to Cuba’s alternative baseball universe. For me the excitement lies in seeing Cuba’s special brand of baseball challenge the big leaguers and do so well, even if they don’t win total victory in each and every outing. Do we really want to transform the Cuban WBC team from one whose main fan base is found in Havana and Santiago and Pinar del Río and Camagüey into one whose new epicenter of fan interest lies in Miami?
Yasmani Tomás was one of a handful of young emerging stars who trumpeted the current richness of Cuban baseball.


It might be some consolation for fans back in Cuba – and those in other corners of the globe supporting the Cuban team – that most of the MLB-connected people I interacted with here in Tokyo and Fukuoka were genuinely pulling for the Cubans to make it on to San Francisco. And the support that drove this odd Cuban fandom in MLB circles was certainly not tied any hope by pro talent scouts that there might be player defections in the States to enrich MLB coffers. The reigning belief was rather that the Cubans play a more exciting and entertaining brand of baseball, that they showcased here some of the very best players on the Classic stage, and finally that they would likely have put on the best show in San Francisco against the Dominicans, Americans or Puerto Ricans.

The disappointment in not getting to San Francisco will now linger and it will take some time for many to escape their present disillusionment. Since Cubans in great numbers largely live for their baseball and for the successes of the team that carries their banner, this is a most difficult pill to swallow.

Many on the island were skeptical in the beginning that there would be much success this time around on Asian territory – entering the Third Classic the Japanese and Koreans seemed invincible and many were already fearful of the Dutch. But expectations soared after the early win over Japan in Fukuoka, only then to quickly crash once again here in Tokyo. For many on the island, Cuban pride and self-image is intimately tied to the national team – if it does not win then the nation and the business of being Cuban has somehow failed. It is an understandable passion, but at the same time it is a not very realistic one.

There are many of us on the outside of Cuba looking in whose love of Cuban baseball is not tied solely to winning – as much as we may take pride in the victories. We love these players and the league they represent because they are the last vestige of a pure baseball – a sport that is still sport and not big business or staged television entertainment, a game played for passion and not merely for dollars.

Cuban baseball is still staged for the fans and not for the commercial profit of itinerant athletes, tycoon club owners, exploitive player agents, or numerous other hangers-on who feed off the financial bonanzas the organized game now brings them.

For those of us holding that sentiment a few more wins earned by a handful of “re-imported” players – big leaguers who now represent the business enterprises of the Reds or Dodgers or Yankees and return to the Cuban jersey for only two weeks every four years – would hardly be a welcomed trade-off.

In the final analysis, the saddest aspect of the Cuban loss was perhaps the realization that 11 million or so passionate Cuban fans (to say nothing of 11 million self-appointed “managers”) suffered through each pitch and each base hit and each managerial ploy.

Team USA out.

Pestano hammered.

That was a very bad team that USA fielded. For a place where the game was first initiated and made popular, these guys have to be embarrassed. Losing three games and not even making the semi-finals is not acceptable.

Puerto Rico holds off US rally to reach Classic semis

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | 3/16/2013 12:22 A.M. ET

MIAMI --

Puerto Rico is going to San Francisco.

Behind the two-hit pitching of journeyman right-hander Nelson Figueroa, Puerto Rico defeated Team USA, 4-3, on Friday night at Marlins Park, knocking the Americans -- the only team replete with Major Leaguers -- out of the World Baseball Classic.

The championship round in San Francisco is now complete. Puerto Rico will play the Dominican Republic on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at Marlins Park to determine matchups for the semifinals at AT&T Park. The winner will play the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Monday, and the loser faces Japan on Sunday.

The final game is slated for Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The semifinals are at 9 p.m. and will be broadcast in the U.S. live on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

"If this was to be the last game in my career, that would have been something," said Figueroa. "But I keep trying for the World Series ring. And thank God, it wasn't only for Nelson Figueroa, but rather for the Puerto Rican team. And we played very hard and we won."

P.R. had a 4-0 lead and overcame feverish U.S. rallies in the seventh and eighth to advance to the semis for the first time in the third edition of the tournament. The Japanese won the first two.

The U.S. now has failed to make it out of the second round twice, the first time in 2006. The Americans lost in the semifinals to Japan at Dodger Stadium four years ago.

On Friday night, the U.S. had the bases loaded in the eighth inning with two out and a chance to pull out the game with a base hit. But Eric Hosmer, a late add for injured Mark Teixeira, grounded to second. Team USA manager Joe Torre said afterward that intensity of play from all sides illustrates just how hard it is to survive in this kind of tournament.

"Well, I've been on both sides of the short series, and that's what it is. It doesn't mean you don't have a good team," said Torre, who won the World Series four times with the Yankees, but fell short the eight other times when his club made the playoffs during his 12-year tenure in New York. "The only thing I can say is this has been one of the most memorable experiences of my career.

"I'm a little emotional, but this has been much more than I expected. I knew it was going to be fun, but the commitment from every one of these guys made this a great experience for me."

Davey Johnson was the manager in 2009 when the U.S. defeated Puerto Rico, 6-5, to move out of the second round on a walk-off single by David Wright. The Mets' third baseman was scratched from the starting lineup on Thursday just prior to the U.S. losing, 3-1, to the Dominicans with what has been diagnosed as an intercostal strain in his right rib cage.

The U.S. didn't hit much after Wright went out with the injury. In the last two games, the Americans had only eight hits, all of them singles, before Joe Mauer tripled with one out in the seventh inning against Puerto Rico and scored on Giancarlo Stanton's single for his only RBI of the tournament. Ryan Braun had his first RBI hit, a double, during the two-run, eighth-inning rally.

Wright led the Classic with 10 RBIs and hit the only homer for the Americans in their six games -- a grand slam this past Saturday night in a 6-2 win over Italy. The other 12 U.S. position players totaled 17 RBIs.

"Clearly I think it was a combination of a lot of things, but we didn't swing the bats very well collectively," Braun said. "We had plenty of opportunities. There are no excuses. There's not necessarily any rhyme or reason for it. I think when you're not swinging the bats well collectively, everybody tries a little bit harder to pick each other up. It's just human nature. I think it's a part of what we do and what we experience as baseball players."

The U.S. was 3-3 in the tournament and 1-2 in the second round, defeating Puerto Rico on Tuesday night, 7-1, for its only win in Pool D. The Americans' other wins in the opening round came against Italy and Canada, the latter in an elimination game this past Sunday at Chase Field. The U.S. lost to all three Latin teams it faced: Mexico, the Dominicans and Puerto Rico.

P.R. is 4-2 in the tournament going into Saturday's seeding game against 5-0 D.R. Its big win came on Wednesday night in a do-or-die game against Italy. Puerto Rico came back from a 3-0 deficit and scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to win, 4-3.

Puerto Rico opened up a big lead in Friday night's sixth inning, scoring three times after Torre took starter Ryan Vogelsong out at 73 pitches, seven short of the 80-pitch second round limit. By Classic rules, any starter is allowed to finish a batter when he reaches the 80-pitch threshold.

There were two out at the time and a runner on first when Torre went to the bullpen for reliever Vinnie Pestano.

"I had told you the last couple of days that even though there's a pitch limit, it didn't mean we were going to get there," Torre said, explaining why he decided not to let Vogelsong pitch to one more batter. "When you get pitchers going from 70 to 80 or 65 to 80, in that regard, it's still Spring Training and they're still getting there, and we weren't going to push anybody."

Pestano never recorded an out. Mike Aviles singled and Alex Rios walked to load the bases. Pestano followed that by walking Carlos Rivera to force in a run. Andy Gonzalez doubled to left to knock in two more runs, giving P.R. a 4-0 lead.

At that point, Torre went to Jeremy Affeldt, who induced Irving Falu to ground out, ending the inning.

"He had good stuff; he was just trying to overthrow," Torre said about Pestano. "[Pitching coach] Greg [Maddux] went out and talked to him. He got a little smoother. I know he walked in a run, but the thing that hurt us was the [double] on the slider."

For his part, Figueroa held the U.S. offense silent. He earned the win, walking only one and striking out two. He kept the hitters off balance with an array of breaking pitches, reaching as high as 87 mph only once, leaving after six innings, having thrown 82 pitches.

"I think the fact of the matter is that we were supreme underdogs against that USA lineup," Figueroa said. "Myself, I sat up watching MLB Network and hearing all the things that I couldn't do and could do, so it was motivation to show them what kind of a pitcher I am."

That he did, and now for Puerto Rico it's on to San Francisco, while the U.S. players are going back to their individual teams.

"We played to win, but also to represent and to be aware of what a good performance would mean here," Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "Of course having the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico going to San Francisco fills me with pride, not only as a Puerto Rican, but also as a Latin American."

Versatile Aviles clutch in Classic vs. Team USA

By Zack Meisel / MLB.com | 3/15/2013 9:25 P.M. ET

Vinnie Pestano might want to avoid Mike Aviles in the Indians' clubhouse for a while. With a pair of timely hits against the right-hander this week, Aviles earned bragging rights for the foreseeable future.

Hopeful that they will be playing meaningful baseball when the fall months arrive, the Indians added a handful of veterans over the winter. One of them, Aviles, demonstrated on Friday that he isn't afraid of the spotlight in a pressure-packed situation.

Aviles delivered a two-out RBI single to provide his Puerto Rico squad a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Friday's elimination game against the United States. The poke to right field plated Giants outfielder Angel Pagan. It was the eighth RBI of the tournament for Aviles.

In the sixth, Aviles contributed to a Puerto Rico rally with a single to right field off Pestano. Aviles later scored on a two-run double by Andy Gonzalez.

In the United States' 7-1 victory against Puerto Rico on Tuesday, Aviles stroked a single to right field off Pestano.

The Indians acquired Aviles and catcher/utility man Yan Gomes from the Blue Jays in November for reliever Esmil Rogers. Aviles played 38 games in 2011 for the Red Sox under skipper Terry Francona, who now captains the Tribe. Last season with Boston, Aviles batted .250 with 13 homers and 60 RBIs.

Cleveland expects to employ Aviles around the infield and even in the outfield, if necessary. The versatile 32-year-old has played second, short, third, left and right field in his five-year big league career.

Pestano's outing on Friday marred what had been a solid showing for the 28-year-old during the Classic. Prior to Friday's appearance -- in which he surrendered two hits and two walks to the four batters he faced and was charged with two earned runs -- he had tossed a pair of scoreless innings and tallied two strikeouts.

The winner of Friday's tilt between Puerto Rico and the U.S. advances to play the Dominican Republic on Saturday and into the semifinals at AT&T Park in San Francisco on either Sunday or Monday.

Figueroa silences doubters with superb start

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com | 3/16/2013 12:45 A.M. ET

MIAMI --

Hearing what he couldn't do helped inspire Nelson Figueroa to show what he actually still can do.

At 38, and out of Major League Baseball since 2011, Figueroa entered Friday night feeling he had plenty to prove.

The right-hander indeed stepped up, dissecting Team USA over six scoreless innings in Puerto Rico's 4-3 upset victory in Round 2 of the World Baseball Classic.

To the surprise of many, Puerto Rico has stamped its ticket to the semifinals in San Francisco, while the United States has been eliminated.

Just three nights earlier, Team USA beat Puerto Rico, 7-1. The win put the USA in what was an enviable position of having to win one of two games. But it lost both, including a 3-1 contest to the Dominican Republic on Thursday.

Now, behind Figueroa's crafty pitching and Andy Gonzalez's two-run double in the sixth inning, Puerto Rico is joining the Dominican squad in San Francisco.

Even though the formality of who is advancing out west has been decided, Round 2 at Marlins Park has one game to go. At 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic will square off to determine seeding in the semifinals.

To Figueroa, who appeared in 145 big league games over nine seasons, Friday's performance is one of the most gratifying of his career.

"The fact of the matter is we were the supreme underdogs against that USA lineup," Figueroa said. "I sat up watching MLB Network, and I heard all the things that I couldn't do and I could do. So it was motivation to show what kind of pitcher I was."

A journeyman in the big leagues, Figueroa broke in with the D-backs in 2000. He also played for the Phillies, Mets, Pirates, Brewers and Astros. Now he has the distinction of leading Puerto Rico to the semifinals.

"He kept us off-balance," USA's Brandon Phillips said. "He was hitting his spots."

There was nothing fancy about how the right-hander held the United States hitless through three innings. He threw strikes, mixed speeds and completely had the United States searching for answers.

Phillips had USA's first hit, a single to open the fourth. And in the sixth, Jimmy Rollins added a single. That was it off Figueroa.

Team USA struggled to make solid contact on the right-hander, who kept them off-stride with a fastball that rarely reached 88 mph.

"I go against the book sometimes," Figueroa said. "I don't throw very hard, but I'll pitch inside. A lot of times they'll sit outside, waiting for that breaking ball, and they won't get it."

Working with All-Star catcher Yadier Molina made it easy for Figueroa to execute his game plan.

"It was a great exhibition of what can be done without having a plus fastball," Figueroa said. "Yadier had a great plan. I didn't really have to shake him off, if at all. It was an opportunity to show that good pitching beats good hitting."

The United States roster featured all current big leaguers, while Puerto Rico certainly had stars like Molina, Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan. But it also had players who were ex-big leaguers, and some former Minor Leaguers.

Gonzalez, a 31-year-old third baseman, played in 91 big league games in parts of three seasons. His last big league chance came in 2009 with the Marlins.

Yet, in the sixth inning, with the bases full, it was Gonzalez who swatted a two-run double to left field, making it 4-0.

"I'm a guy who hasn't had much time in the big leagues," Gonzalez said. "I can say it was the biggest at-bat for me. It was great. This is what every baseball player dreams about, having a big AB like this. I'm grateful we came out on top."

In the late innings, Team USA rallied, but J.C. Romero, a 14-year MLB lefty reliever, slammed the door with a four-out save.

"We've been against the wall," Romero said. "Nobody gave us a chance. But you know what? That room in there, they believe in themselves. They believe that on paper, you don't win the World Series, and you don't win the WBC. You've got to execute. You've got to play the game between those lines. That's what we did tonight.

"For me, that was very special. I know for my teammates, it's been very special as well. I've been through a lot the last few years. This save was very rewarding for me. I hope I can build something very positive from this."

Come out to Marlins Park to watch PR vs. DR in Classic

Head to Marlins Park today as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic meet at 1 p.m. ET to determine seeding for the World Baseball Classic semis

Team USA faces harsh reality in face of high hopes

By Tracy Ringolsby / MLB.com | 3/16/2013 1:06 A.M. ET

MIAMI --

Brandon Phillips called his experience with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic "a dream come true."

It, however, was not one of those live happily ever after moments.

Good as the experience may have been, there was a rude awakening for Team USA in the international competition -- again.

After opening the second round of the Classic with a 7-1 victory against Puerto Rico on Tuesday, Team USA got knocked off by the Dominican Republic, 3-1, at Marlins Park on Thursday night, and was eliminated by Puerto Rico, 4-3, on Friday night.

Not much charming about this third time around for the Classic, at least not for Team USA.

Japan will be seeking its third Classic title in San Francisco starting Sunday. Team USA didn't advance to the final four for the second time.

It was knocked out by Korea and Mexico in 2006, and by the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico this time. In 2009, Team USA advanced to the semifinals, but lost to Japan.

Bottom line is Team USA is 7-7 all-time in Classic play.

It's far from expectations that are placed on a team from a nation that considers baseball its national pastime. It is, however, reality.

"I guess John Elway had to win a Super Bowl for everybody consider him a great player," said Team USA manager Joe Torre. "It doesn't always happen. Ernie Banks never was in a World Series. It doesn't mean he wasn't a great player. ... It's one thing I've always talked to my players about. You want to make people happy. You want to have people to respect you, but it's more important to respect each other. They are the only ones that know how tough it is do what they do, and it's not easy to accept defeat."

The question is whether those teams from other countries might have more motivation because of the high regard in which baseball is held in the United States.

"We were supreme underdogs against that USA lineup," said right-hander Nelson Figueroa, who with a fastball that hit 88 mph only once was able to weave his way through six scoreless innings to claim the elimination victory. "That's an example that in baseball you cannot play the game on paper."

It is also an example of just how intent Puerto Rico was to advance in the Classic.

With Team USA rallying in the bottom of the eighth, Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez hailed Fernando Cabrera out of the bullpen. Same Cabrera who was supposed to be the starting pitcher on Saturday. But with the win on the line, Rodriguez shuffled the deck, used Cabrera out of the bullpen and after the game announced Orlando Roman will start on Saturday instead.

And it's an example that from a Team USA perspective, the timing of the Classic, in the midst of Spring Training, is a challenge. While most of the Latin players are coming off playing winter ball in their native countries, and the Japanese players take part in year-round conditioning, established American big leaguers have just begun to tune up their baseball playing skills. It adds to the pressures on Torre to be careful with how he uses players, particularly pitchers, or risk the ire of a general manager.

It, however, doesn't make failure acceptable.

"Is it a disappointment?" asked Phillips. "Yes, it is. I knew we were going to make it to San Francisco. Everybody dreams of being a winner. And for us not to get there, it stinks a little bit. ... It's tough. You come to play in the WBC, you're not really ready, you're still in Spring Training mode, but you've got to click it on [to] try to win and represent the country."

Better luck next time.

And Phillips is hoping he gets to be a part of Team USA in the Classic the next time.

"This is a dream come true, being a bat boy [as a child] and then playing in this," said Phillips. "It's a goal I can check off on my list. This was so much fun. I mean, it stinks losing, but somebody has got to lose."

Team USA was that somebody on Friday.

The players can only wonder what could have been.

Team USA lost starting first baseman Mark Teixeira when he suffered a strained tendon in his right wrist before the first Classic game was played. Teixeira was replaced by Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer, who went 5-for-25, including grounding out to leave the bases loaded after Team USA scored twice to cut the deficit to 4-3 in the eighth inning Friday.

And prior to Thursday's game, David Wright, who had the Americans' only Classic home run and drove in 10 of the 28 runs they scored, was pulled out of the lineup at the request of the New York Mets because of a strain on the left side of his rib cage.

Team USA scored only four runs and managed only 14 hits -- 12 of which were singles -- in the final two games.

"There's no excuses," said Ryan Braun. "There's no rhyme nor reason for it. The expectation for all of us was to get to San Francisco [for the semifinals and championship game] and ultimately to win in San Francisco. ... At the same time we recognized that it was going to be a challenge, and clearly it was."

It was more of a challenge than Team USA could handle.

Puerto Rico to take on Dominicans to determine pool's top seed

Mike Aviles will take on teammate Carlos Santana and the Dominican Republic at 1:05 p.m. ET today.

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com | 3/16/2013 12:45 A.M. ET

MIAMI --

Caught up in the moment after Puerto Rico upset Team USA, 4-3, on Friday night, reliever J.C. Romero blurted out his team's goal.

"We want to win!" the lefty said after recording the save. "We want to win it all."

Puerto Rico certainly has a shot, earning a place in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic by bumping off the United States.

Friday's dramatic win at Marlins Park secured a ticket to San Francisco for Puerto Rico. On Saturday, the underdog squad will look to solidify a favorable seed.

Even though the participants in the final four of the tournament have been set, there is still some unfinished business in Miami.

On Saturday, Puerto Rico will face the Dominican Republic at 1 p.m. ET at Marlins Park to determine how the semifinals will be set up. Saturday's winner will face the Netherlands on Monday, while the loser doesn't get a day to rest. The loser will have to make the cross-country flight and then get ready to face Japan on Sunday at AT&T Park.

"This was my last rodeo here in the World Baseball," Romero said. "That room in there, they believe in themselves. They know on paper you don't win World Series, and you don't win World Baseball Classics."

Like on Friday, few are expecting Puerto Rico to knock off a star-filled Dominican club on Saturday.

The pitching matchup also favors the Dominican Republic, who will go with Wandy Rodriguez. Puerto Rico counters with Orlando Roman. Initially, manager Edwin Rodriguez was going to start Fernando Cabrera. But facing elimination on Friday, Cabrera was used in relief to defeat the United States.

These two teams have already met. In the final game of Round 1 in San Juan, P.R., the Dominican Republic beat Puerto Rico, 4-2.

"The game is very important because that one gives you the seed," Dominican manager Tony Pena said. "I know that my players, they'll be tired. I have played almost the same nine guys every single day."

Even with the seeding stakes, Pena is leaning towards giving some regulars a rest.

"You will see a little bit of a change in the lineup where I might play two [new] guys, and give two other guys some time off because they need time off."

After beating the United States, Puerto Rico is on an emotional high.

"Facing up to a team that is as powerful as the United States, that gives us a lot of confidence," Rodriguez said.

The Dominican Republic has the benefit of a day off.

In the most intense game of Round 2 in Miami, the Dominican club defeated Team USA, 3-1, on Thursday.

Eliminated in the first round of the 2009 Classic, a more focused and determined Dominican squad improved to 5-0 in the tournament.

"I feel so emotional because when we were putting together this team, these young men who are here, they stayed present from the first day," Pena said. "I don't think I'll have a group of young men with the dedication, with the dignity with which they have represented our country."

The Classic remains a relatively new concept. It started in 2006, and this is the third edition of the international event.

In Thursday's win, Erick Aybar's RBI single off Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning scored Nelson Cruz with the go-ahead run.

Cruz, who has been to the World Series with the Rangers, noted the emotions were so high because players are competing for their countries.

"The World Series is the World Series," Cruz said. "Here, I play for my country. I never had a chance to play for my country, and in these situations you always want to give your best. There's no doubt [the emotions] are the best I ever played because of the way the fans responded.

"As a player, I cannot ask for anything else for my fans. They give everything they have, every inning, every day. As a baseball player, I appreciate it."

Deduno's Classic performance resonates

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | 03/15/2013 10:35 PM ET

FORT MYERS, Fla. --

The Dominican Republic is headed to the World Baseball Classic semifinals and Twins right-hander Samuel Deduno is a big reason why.

Deduno kept the United States' lineup at bay on Thursday night in Round 2 action, allowing just one run over four innings in a game the Dominicans eventually won, 3-1, to earn a trip to San Francisco. It was a solid follow-up to his start against Spain in the first round, when he blanked his opponent for four frames, allowing the Dominican Republic to go to 2-0. The team would beat Puerto Rico the next day to bring a perfect 3-0 record into the next round.

"He's done that for us," general manager Terry Ryan said. "That's exactly what we've seen out of him. When he's throwing it over the plate, he isn't going to get hit, because the ball moves so much."

It's the throwing it over the plate part that has caused Deduno trouble over the years. The right-hander has walked 5.1 per nine innings over the course of his Minor League career. In his 15 starts with the Twins in 2012, he walked six per nine. That, in turn, allowed him to average only a bit over five innings per start.

"Unfortunately, you get into the pitch counts and you get into the bullpen," Ryan said. "He had stretches for us last year that were darn good. When he throws it over, there isn't anybody who ever hits him. Unfortunately, he has to throw it over more so he doesn't tax your bullpen."

As effective as Deduno was against the United States, he was far from efficient. Against Spain, he was able to get through four innings by throwing more strikes than usual, with 45 of his 64 pitches coming in the zone. On Thursday, he had hit 80 pitches through four, only 46 for strikes. With a Round 2 pitch limit of 85, his evening was done as a result.

"That's nice in a short stretch like in that championship series," Ryan said. "That doesn't work over the long haul if you expect to give the ball to him 35 times. He needs to throw the ball over the plate. But you could see the look in his eye. He was pretty intense."

That intensity might not be quite so welcome when he's back in a Twins uniform. That's not to say the powers that be don't want him to be competitive. But the histrionics Deduno, and others, have displayed during the World Baseball Classic probably wouldn't fly in Minnesota.

"That's a different environment," Ryan said. "I think it's legal over there. I'm not sure that would be legal in a normal, regular-season game against the Kansas City Royals, you probably wouldn't see that out of Samuel. The next guy that comes up to lead off our inning is probably going to get one. But in that venue, I think that is fine."

Santana makes groovy home run music with his bat

D.R.'s Carlos Santana homered for the first run of today's seeding matchup against Puerto Rico

Santana drills solo homer to lift Puerto Rico

By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com | 3/16/2013 4:09 P.M. ET

MIAMI --


Carlos Santana struck when his country needed him most.

Santana broke open a scoreless game at the World Baseball Classic on Saturday with a long, solo home run, propelling the Dominican Republic to what became a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico. Santana's home run helped the D.R to top seed from their bracket in the semifinals. Puerto Rico is the second seed out of Pool 2.

Santana, 26, is a native of Santo Domingo and was originally signed by the Dodgers in 2004. He was traded to Cleveland with Jon Meloan in exchange for Casey Blake in 2008, and he's been solidly entrenched as the Indians' catcher for the last two seasons.

Wandy Rodriguez and Orlando Roman had each thrown four shutout innings on Saturday, and Santana homered deep to right field to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. The game remained tight through the sixth inning, and Rodriguez allowed just two hits in keeping Puerto Rico scoreless.

Santana, a switch-hitter, is a .233 hitter with 39 home runs in 811 at-bats against righties in the big leagues and a .278 hitter with 12 homers in 396 at-bats against lefties. His home run Saturday came against Roman, a right-hander who spent last year with Yakult in Japan's Central League.

The D.R will face The Kingdom of the Netherlands on Monday. Puerto Rico will make the cross-country flight to face Japan on Sunday at AT&T Park.