Francisco Lindor ranges into shallow left field and makes a smooth over-the-shoulder grab to retire Daniel Descalso in the top of the 4th

Eyes on Classic prize, PR prepares for DR
All-around performance spurs confident Puerto Rico to Pool D sweep

GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Team Puerto Rico strutted into the city with lots of swagger and a World Baseball Classic championship on its mind.

Boasting an infield with Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez and a roster full of proven veterans like Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina, it was easy to see why the island team liked its chances against Venezuela, Italy and Mexico at Estadio de Beisbol Charros de Jalisco this week.

The goal remains the same. It's time for a new city.

On Sunday, Puerto Rico defeated Italy, 9-3, to complete Pool D play with a 3-0 record to advance to the next round -- Pool F -- in San Diego. Puerto Rico will face the undefeated Dominican Republic, the winner of Pool C, on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET at Petco Park in the first game of Pool F.

In 2013, the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico, 3-0, in the Classic championship game in San Francisco.

"We have to face the best teams, and definitely Dominican is one of them," Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "We're ready for them, and I'm sure they also have been watching us, too, in the same way we've been watching them. It's going to be a great game."
Carlos Correa launches a three-run home run to left field, extending Puerto Rico's lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the 4th inning

Puerto Rico's numbers speak for themselves. Correa hit two home runs and drove in five, while Lindor went deep twice and drove in four. Baez hit a home run and drove in five. The veterans also got into the action. Beltran had five hits and four RBIs. Molina hit a homer, scored three times and drove in three runs in two games. The bottom of the lineup -- a group that included Mike Aviles, Enrique Hernandez, Roberto Perez, Edwin Rosario, Reymond Fuentes and T.J. Rivera -- also pitched in.

"From the beginning, from before we started practicing, once we started getting together and knew who the guys on the roster were, there wasn't a doubt that we could get past this first round because our goal is to get to the finals, get to L.A. and win it all," Hernandez said. "This is WBC, so every game means the same to us. There's no small opponent to us, and we take every game as if it's the same."
Carlos Beltran lines a double down the left-field line, bringing home Carlos Correa to give Puerto Rico a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 3rd

It was Seth Lugo, who was born and raised in Louisiana and visited Puerto Rico for the first time last month, who set the pace for the Puerto Rican team in their first game of the round. Guided by Molina, Lugo shut down Venezuela for 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the 11-0 mercy-rule victory after seven innings. Along the way, he showed the critics that Puerto Rico's pitching staff could match up and that the team's perceived weakness was really not a weakness at all.

Puerto Rico used five pitchers in the 9-4 victory against Mexico on Saturday and starter Jose Berrios gave up three runs on two hits in five solid innings Sunday.
Jose Berrios strikes out six batters over five solid innings, giving up three runs on only two hits in Puerto Rico's 9-3 win over Italy

"Every game, the offense was there, and the pitching was there, the defense was there," Rodriguez said. "They are very committed to what we're trying to do here, and they showed that on the field. So we are very confident moving forward."

Jorge Alfaro connects for a solo home run to left-center field, tying the game at 3 in the bottom of the 8th

Viva Colombia, for nearly shocking the World
Classic first-timers battle star-studded DR into 11th inning

MIAMI -- Manny Machado didn't mince words. Until the quirky start-an-inning-with-runners-on-base rule kicked in, the powerful Dominican Republic was on the brink of the biggest upset in World Baseball Classic history.

Colombia doesn't have a regular who will be on a Major League roster on Opening Day yet was in position to beat the Dominicans, which would have sent it to San Diego as the first-place team in Pool C. If that happened, the Dominican Republic team, with its fanatical fan base, was looking at the possibility of a tiebreaker game Monday against Team USA for the second spot.

He's right. The Dominican Republic was rescued by Jose Bautista's throw and Welington Castillo's superb tag to cut down Colombia pinch-runner Oscar Mercado at home plate in the ninth inning.

That's what allowed the Dominicans to extend the game to the 11th inning, where the stunningly solid Colombians cracked after playing 38 innings of high-level baseball. The defending champ Dominican Republic has won 11 consecutive games in the Classic.

"We were 90 feet from surprising the world, from shocking the Dominicans," Colombia manager Luis Urueta said after seven-run 11th ended the Dominicans' 10-3 victory. "But it is a satisfaction ... there are no words to describe it. We did not win, but we won a lot inside. We won a lot of people's respect, and we'll go on."
Jose Bautista's throw nails Oscar Mercado at the plate, keeping the Dominican Republic alive in an eventual 11-inning win

Colombia, which reached the Classic by going 3-0 in a round-robin qualifier last year in Panama, was one timely hit away from beating the United States in its first game, beat Canada in its second game and would have been 3-0 and on its way to Petco Park if Bautista's throw had been off target.

It's no wonder two Colombian players were ejected after umpire Tripp Gibson III's out call at the plate, which replays confirmed. The disappointment of this near-miss won't go away any time soon.

Nor will the pride of having represented their country so well.

Jose Quintana and Julio Teheran will carry that back to the White Sox and Braves, respectively, and everyone on the team -- including brothers Donovan Solano and Jhonatan Solano -- will have a lifetime of stories about the big one that got away.
With the bases loaded, Ernesto Frieri gets Robinson Cano to ground into a 6-3 double play to end the top of the 7th

"The leadership among the guys, the Solano brothers, Teheran, Quintana, all the words that were said a few minutes ago, I had tears," said Urueta, a former Minor League infielder who has been with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization since 2007. "I got a little emotional, because after the game, life goes on and your family goes on. What's coming for them is satisfaction and happiness for what happened here."

A line-drive homer by Phillies prospect Jorge Alfaro off Fernando Rodney tied the score 3-3 in the eighth inning, and the Colombians threatened against Mets setup man Hansel Robles in the ninth.

With men on first and third after Jonathan Villar threw high to first on what should have been a double play, Colombia had a great chance with one out. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit a fly to medium left field, and there was no doubt third-base coach Neder Horta was going to send Mercado, a second-round pick of the Cardinals in 2013 who stole 50 bases in the Midwest League in 2015.

Mercado mistakenly took a few steps down the line and had to hurry back to touch the base before heading home. That may have made a difference as the ball beat him to Castillo by a whisker. The veteran catcher, now with the Orioles, made the play of his career to handle the one-hop throw and block Mercado off the plate.

"Oh, the poise of that young man," said Tony Pena, the longtime catcher who manages the Dominican Republic. "When the ball got to home, it went over the runner, and Welington struggled and held onto the ball. That was the play of the game."

• Tag team: Castillo, Segura cut down runner

As in the Sunday morning game in Tokyo between Japan and the Netherlands, the game was decided in the 11th using the international rule that allows innings to start with runners on base -- sort of like a college football overtime.

After the Dominicans pounded three Colombia pitchers for seven runs on seven hits (the biggest of which was Jean Segura's three-run double), Pena called in his closer, Jeurys Familia to get the last three outs.

Lots of people grumbled about the rule, which is being used in a Major League-sanctioned event for the first time at the Classic, but not the Dominicans.

"It worked for us today," Robinson Cano said. "I don't mind it. It's the same for both teams."

The talent level sure wasn't the same, but you couldn't tell for 10 innings. Viva, Colombia.

Nolan Arenado launches a three-run home run to left-center field, extending Team USA's lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the 2nd inning

US starts fast vs. Canada to book Round 2 ticket
Americans advance to Pool F in San Diego with help of 7 runs over 1st 2 innings

Throw out all the tiebreaker scenarios. Team USA is moving on.

The Americans' mission was clear after the Dominican Republic outlasted Colombia, 9-3, in extra innings: Win and get in to Round 2 of the World Baseball Classic. A focused Team USA squad did just that by defeating Team Canada, 8-0, on Sunday at Marlins Park in Miami to punch its ticket to the second round in San Diego. The victory left the Americans with a 2-1 record in Pool C, good enough to claim a Pool F matchup against the Pool D runner-up Wednesday at 9 pm. ET (6 PT) at Petco Park.

The U.S. got to business straight away, scoring three runs in the first and tacking on four more in the second to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Nolan Arenado delivered the big blow with a three-run homer in the second, and Buster Posey also homered as part of a three-RBI day.

That was more than enough offense for U.S. starter Danny Duffy, who struck out seven over four dominant, scoreless innings. U.S. pitchers dominated overall from the first pitch to the last Sunday, striking out 15 batters to tie the single-game tournament record. That total had only been accomplished twice before, by Mexico in 2006 and Japan in 2013.

he loss left Canada winless in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, meaning it will need to qualify the next time the tournament is held. The Canadians have yet to advance to the second round of the Classic in four attempts.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Duffy dominates: Featuring one of the biggest fastballs of any left-handed starter in baseball, Duffy simply overwhelmed a lethargic Canadian lineup. The Royals ace threw first-pitch strikes to nine of the 14 batters he faced, while generating 11 swinging strikes and allowing just one fly ball in fair territory. Duffy left the game with 63 pitches on his ledger, two below the first-round minimum, and he will remain with Team USA to potentially start again in Round 2.
Danny Duffy holds Team Canada scoreless over four masterful innings, allowing just two hits with seven strikeouts

Arenado breaks out: Arenado proved Sunday that he could only be held down for so long. His second-inning homer broke an 0-for-9 streak to begin the 2017 Classic, though he did make a major contribution by beating out a dropped strike three against Colombia on Friday. Facing reliever Andrew Albers with two on and one out, Arenado jumped on a first-pitch slider and elevated it to deep left-center for a slump-busting three-run blast.

Arenado's homer was a no-doubt barrel according to Statcast™, leaving the bat with a 104 mph exit velocity at a launch angle of 23 degrees and traveling a projected 404 feet. That was a more familiar feeling for Arenado, who led the Rockies with 43 barrels in 2016 en route to pacing the National League in home runs and RBIs for the second consecutive season. Arenado's blast gave the U.S. an early 6-0 advantage that it would not relinquish.

Posey tacks on: The U.S. still held a comfortable 7-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh when Posey added a powerful dose of insurance. With one out and the bases empty, Posey lifted a 1-2 fastball from Canada reliever Jim Henderson up and over the center-field fence.
Buster Posey extends Team USA's lead to 8-0 with a solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the 7th inning

It takes serious power to homer to that part of cavernous Marlins Park, but Posey's bop fit the bill. The ball left his bat with a 105.2 mph exit velocity and 27 degree launch angle, a barrel according to Statcast™, and traveled a projected 425 feet. That would have qualified as Posey's longest homer last season, and the second-longest for the Giants catcher dating back to the beginning of the Statcast™ era in 2015.

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/canada-vs-unit ... 486916#Box

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I found Indians' minor leaguer Luis Lugo, a Venezuelan, pitching for Italy. Must have a relative back their somewhere. This whole thing seems kind of silly to me for the North American descendants of European immigrants. If Italy has a team why not Germany, Nigeria, Ireland?

Italy has a baseball league in Italy and a few of the players are actually on the WBC team.

I think Netherlands are the same. Not so sure about Israel. I know there's an Israeli basketball league.

These are most of the countries that have their own "Major" Leagues. I'm sure I missed a few along the line. More than half the teams have there own takeoff of a "Minor" League system.

Asia
China Baseball League (CBL), China (Peoples' Republic of China)
Japan Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB)
South Korea KBO League, South Korea (major)
Taiwan Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL, major)

Caribbean
Colombian Professional Baseball League, Colombia
Dominican Professional Baseball League (LDBP), Dominican Republic
Mexican Pacific League (winter league)
Mexican League (Triple-A)
Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League
Panamanian Professional Baseball League
Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League (LBPPR), Puerto Rico
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), Venezuela

Europe
Austrian Baseball League, Austria
Baseball Bundesliga, Austria
Croatian Baseball League (in Croatian)
Division Élite, France
Bundesliga, Germany
Greek Baseball
Irish Baseball League
Italian Baseball League, Italy
Honkbal Hoofdklasse, Netherlands
Hungarian National Baseball League, Hungary
Liga Atlântica de Basebol, Portugal
División de Honor de Béisbol, Spain
Elitserien, Sweden
British Baseball Federation, United Kingdom
National League, United Kingdom
Baseballin SM-sarja, Finland
Latvian Baseball Federation, Latvia
Interlyga, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus
Nationalliga A , Switzerland

Oceania
Australian Baseball League
Brazilian national team
Greater Brisbane League, Australia
New South Wales Major League, Australia
New Zealand Baseball
Palau Major League
Budweiser Baseball League (formerly Guam Major League), Guam

Brandon Laird breaks Mexico's lead open with a three-run homer into left-center field, putting Mexico up 8-1 in the 5th inning

Mexico edges Venezuela but out of Classic
Pool D tiebreaker to pit Italy vs. Venezuela

n a wild game with huge implications for Pool D of the World Baseball Classic, Mexico held off Venezuela in an 11-9 victory on Sunday night at Estadio de Beisbol Charros de Jalisco.

As a result, Mexico, Venezuela and Italy all finished with records of 1-2 in pool play. Under Classic tiebreaker rules, the two teams with the fewest runs allowed per defensive inning among the teams tied during the tournament play a tiebreaker, and the other is eliminated.

Major League Baseball announced that Venezuela (1.11 runs allowed per defensive inning) and Italy (1.05 runs allowed) will play tonight at 9 p.m. ET to determine which team from Pool D joins Puerto Rico in the second round. Mexico filed a protest after the game.

The razor-thin margin that decided the tiebreaker is reflective of how three evenly matched these 1-2 teams are. And given the fact that they all lost to Puerto Rico and allowed at least a run per inning in the games against the other two, no team had an obvious case for advancement.

Mexico protested that ruling based on how those figures were calculated. The general manager of Team Mexico, Kundy Gutierrez, told reporters after the game that discussions regarding the ruling were taking place between MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre and senior vice president of baseball operations Kim Ng. The ruling was later confirmed, and Venezuela will play Italy for the Pool D tiebreaker.
Venezuelan manager Omar Vizquel talks about the tiebreaker decision siding in his team's favor after the squad's 11-9 defeat to Mexico

Mexico finished with 1.12 runs allowed per defensive inning, edged out by the slimmest of margins by Venezuela with Sunday's head-to-head outcome. Even though Mexico gave up five runs in the ninth inning of a loss to Italy on Thursday, only eight defensive innings were counted from that game toward the calculation because an out was never recorded in the ninth.

Mexico jumped out to an early 8-1 lead, thanks in large part to a pair of three-run homers from Esteban Quiroz and Brandon Laird. But Venezuela refused to go quietly, scoring eight times between the fifth and seventh innings.

Martin Prado continued to swing a hot bat for Venezuela, driving in two runs with a single and a double. Robinson Chirinos and Victor Martinez each drove in two, with Martinez homering in the seventh.

Roberto Osuna, who was unable to close out Italy despite a four-run lead in the ninth inning of Mexico's Classic opener, got the final two outs after the tying runs reached base.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Pouncing on Petit: For the second time in four Classic at-bats, Quiroz launched a home run, this one a three-run shot with two outs in the second inning off Venezuela starter Yusmeiro Petit to give Mexico a 5-0 lead. Quiroz battled back from an 0-2 count and capped a nine-pitch at-bat with the blast over the right-field wall.
Esteban Quiroz crushes a three-run homer beyond the right-center-field wall, extending Mexico's lead to 5-0 in the 2nd inning

Primetime Prado: On the heels of a 5-for-5 performance in Venezuela's 11-10 victory over Italy on Saturday, Prado stroked an RBI single to right-center field against Mexico starter Luis Mendoza in the third. Prado drove in another run with a fifth-inning double.
Martin Prado slaps a line-drive single up the middle, scoring Robinson Chirinos to put Venezuela on the board in the 4th inning

Laird leaves the yard: Laird gave Mexico additional breathing room with a three-run homer to left off Venezuela's Wil Ledezma in the fifth inning, extending the lead to 8-1. Laird, an infielder for the Yankees and Astros from 2011-13, has spent the last two seasons playing in the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball organization, hitting 73 homers in that span for the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Roberson to the rescue: With Mexico's advantage cut from seven runs to three by the seventh inning, pinch-hitter Chris Roberson delivered a two-run infield single. Second baseman Jose Altuve dove to his left and nearly corralled the sharp grounder, but he could only knock it down in short right field.

'V' is for Venezuela -- and V-Mart: Venezuela responded yet again in the seventh, with Martinez belting a two-run homer just inside the right-field foul pole off Venezuela reliever Sergio Romo. The blast pulled Venezuela to within three runs, at 11-8.
Victor Martinez skies a two-run moonshot into the right-field seats, bringing Venezuela to within three runs of Mexico in the 7th inning

Osuna's redemption: Three days after he was unable to close out Italy despite a four-run lead in the ninth inning, Osuna got the final two outs against Venezuela. The right-hander yielded a single to Alcides Escobar and walked Ender Inciarte, but then struck out Chirinos and got Altuve to fly out.
Roberto Osuna coaxes a flyout off the bat of Jose Altuve to seal Mexico's win and give them a chance to advance in a tiebreaker for Pool D

QUOTABLE

"The offense had a difficult time coming from behind in all the games. We received runs early, and we have been against a wall all the time. We have done a lot in order to score some runs and come back in games, and that wasn't the mentality that we had or we thought we were going to play with. With the players we have, I thought we were going to play better ball, but it has cost us because we have been coming from behind all the time." -- Venezuela manager Omar Vizquel

WHAT'S NEXT

Venezuela: A tiebreaker with Italy on Monday at 9 p.m. ET awaits Venezuela, with the winner moving on to Round 2 of the Classic, and the loser eliminated.

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/mexico-vs-vene ... 486923#Box

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Trio of Brewers pitchers thriving at Classic
Lopez, Peralta and Burgos play key roles in victories

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- From Jorge Lopez to Wily Peralta to Hiram Burgos, it was an excellent 24 hours for Brewers pitchers in the World Baseball Classic. After Lopez pitched into the fifth inning of Puerto Rico's win over Mexico on Saturday, Peralta pitched four solid innings of the Dominican Republic's extra-inning thriller over Colombia, and Burgos delivered three innings of hitless relief for Puerto Rico in its win over Italy on Sunday.

Fun in the sun: Pool F loaded with talent
San Diego's Petco Park to play host to deep field

The dust is settling on Pools C and D of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. And while the second-round field is not yet complete -- Venezuela and Italy still need to decide that Monday night -- one thing is for certain: Pool F will be loaded with star power.

The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Team USA -- three of the heavy favorites in the tournament -- have already punched their tickets to San Diego's Petco Park, which is set to host the Classic for a third time.

It will be another pitcher-friendly locale after the Dominicans and Americans emerged from Pool C, but good luck finding any ballpark that can contain these three offenses, who combined for 14 home runs in Round 1.

It all begins Tuesday with a rematch of the 2013 Classic final between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico (9 p.m. ET, MLB Network and MLB.TV). These proud baseball nations are arguably the two hottest teams in the tournament, and there's little doubt they've been keeping an eye on each other from opposite sides of the bracket.

"We have to face the best teams, and definitely Dominican is one of them," said Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez. "We're ready for them, and I'm sure they also have been watching us, too, in the same way we've been watching them. It's going to be a great game."

The Dominicans had their way with Puerto Rico four years ago, gaining the upper hand in three separate matchups en route to their first Classic crown. But after outscoring its opponents 29-7 in Pool D, Puerto Rico's confidence remains at peak capacity.

"We know that the Dominican could be the team to beat because they won it last time, but I would think we can play anybody right now," said Puerto Rico outfielder Kiké Hernandez. "We're ready for any rival that comes along."

Meanwhile, Team USA took care of business by shutting out Canada, 8-0, on Sunday. Now it can take a breath and move forward in its quest for a first-ever Classic title, knowing it will have to erase some demons from 2013 to do so. It was the tag team of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, after all, who beat the U.S. on back-to-back days to bounce America from the second round four years ago.

Oh, and there are more recent memories to erase; memories of Manny Machado and Nelson Cruz helping the Dominicans erase a 5-0 deficit in a hurry against Team USA on Saturday.

"I think they know the Dominican Republic is a top-to-bottom fearsome lineup," Team USA manager Jim Leyland said of his players. "We're going to play them. We did have a 5-0 lead on them, so it wasn't like we were intimidated or embarrassed by anything. We had our shot and we just didn't quite get it done."

One day later, the U.S. will step into the second round against the winner of Monday's tiebreaker matchup between Venezuela and Italy. Leyland indicated Sunday night that Mariners southpaw Drew Smyly, who was added to Team USA's designated pitcher pool last week, will likely start the second-round opener (Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, MLB Network and MLB.TV).

"We know from this point on the tournament gets tougher and tougher," said first baseman Eric Hosmer, "But we came here, took care of business, and did what we had to do. We're going to be ready for San Diego."

Didi Gregorius connects for a three-run homer to right field in the 4th, giving him four RBIs for the game

Yes in-Didi: Gregorius powers Dutch past Israel

TOKYO -- Four years ago, the Netherlands was the World Baseball Classic's surprise team. Now, the Dutch are an offensive powerhouse, and on Monday, they made life miserable for the surprise team of WBC 2017.

Striking early in a game they had to win, the Netherlands' hitters didn't let up in a 12-2 win over Israel on Monday that was shortened to eight innings by the tournament's early-termination rule. Didi Gregorius of the Yankees doubled, homered and drove in five runs as the Dutch evened their second-round record at 1-1, keeping alive their hopes of advancing to the semifinals for a second straight tournament.

"We wanted to play like it was Game 7 of the World Series," said Netherlands cleanup hitter Wladimir Balentien, who had three hits and drove in three runs. "We had to win."

The Netherlands will need to win again when it faces Cuba at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday (on MLB.TV and MLB Network), in its final scheduled second-round game. Israel plays Japan in the game that follows, at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, with the Israelis likely needing a win for a chance to advance to the semifinals.

The Netherlands was disappointed by Sunday's 11-inning loss to Japan, but that game of missed opportunities left the Dutch more determined to start strong against Israel.
"We are a great hitting team," Balentien said, "so we believe in ourselves."
Jair Jurrjens allows only one run on five hits over six innings and strikes out five batters in the Netherlands' win over Team Israel

Netherlands starter Jair Jurrjens -- who pitched in the Major Leagues for eight seasons with the Tigers, Braves, Orioles and Rockies -- held Israel to one run in six impressive innings. Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons, Balentien and Yurendell de Caster each had three hits for the Netherlands.

• Jurrjens shows off All-Star form vs. Israel

"We didn't execute pitches," said Israel manager Jerry Weinstein, whose team beat the Netherlands in a first-round game last week in Seoul. "We fell behind and threw too many non-competitive pitches."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Coco, Coco: Balentien is a local star, having played the past six seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and he set a Japanese single-season record with 60 home runs in 2013. So Japanese fans came to Monday's game with signs showing his nickname, "Coco." They also serenaded him with "Coco, Coco Balentien" when he came to the plate. In two games at Tokyo Dome the past two days, Balentien has a home run, three singles and five RBIs.
Wladimir Balentien sharply grounds a single up the middle, scoring two runs to push the Netherlands' advantage to 4-0 in the 3rd inning

"I feel like I'm playing at home, even though I'm not playing for my Japanese team," Balentien said. "That gave me more confidence to give the fans what they want to see."

Rough night for Baker: Israel has a strong bullpen, but the Israelis need to get to it with a chance to win. That happened Sunday when Jason Marquis went into the sixth inning against Cuba, but Cardinals right-hander Corey Baker didn't get an out in the third inning against the Netherlands.

Bunting for runs: Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens opted against having Jurickson Profar bunt when the 11th inning began with runners at first and second Sunday against Japan. Profar did bunt with first and second, none out in the third inning Monday. A big difference: Balentien had been removed for a pinch-runner Sunday. He came up behind Profar on Monday and delivered a two-run single.
Didi Gregorius drills a double into the opposite-field gap, scoring Wladimir Balentien and advancing to third base on the throw

Didi the DH: There's nothing wrong with the way Gregorius plays shortstop, but Simmons is one of the best defenders in the world at the position. So Gregorius has been the Netherlands' designated hitter for four of the first five games in the tournament. He was 6-for-16 (.412) in the first four games, and he added a run-scoring double and a three-run home run in the first four innings against Israel.
Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens talks about his team putting up 12 runs vs. Team Israel in their win in the World Baseball Classic

QUOTABLE

"I know right now the guys need some rest, but we're not going to relax. We have to have our A game [against Cuba] so we can beat them and advance to the final round." -- Meulens, on why he would give his team a day off before returning to action

WHAT'S NEXT

Netherlands: The Dutch team plays its final scheduled second-round game Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET against Cuba.
Israel: Israel will be back in action Wednesday at 6 a.m. ET against Japan.

BOX SCORES

http://m.mlb.com/gameday/netherlands-vs ... 486927#Box

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THE DUST HAS SETTLED OVER THE FIRST ROUND OF GAMES----ALMOST
MEXICO DEFEATED VENEZUELA AND FORCED A TIE BREAKER GAME
BETWEEN VENEZUELA AND ITALY THIS EVENING 9PM ET; WINNER MOVES ON TO POOL "F"

THE SECOND ROUND OF GAMES HAVE STARTED IN TOKYO

CLICK ON THE LINK FOR THE BRACKETS !!

https://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/bracket

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The announcers are still commenting on Lindor's homerun

Third baseman Manny Machado reacts to Team Dominican Republic's extra-inning win over Team Colombia

Round 1 of WBC 2017 delivered on every level

Just when it would be reasonable to wonder if this World Baseball Classic could deliver anything more in terms of wildly entertaining games and raucous crowds, we have this matchup in star-studded Group F in San Diego: the Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico.

Remember the last time these teams played? It was one of the sweetest World Baseball Classic moments ever, as the Dominicans completed a clean sweep of the 2013 tournament by beating the Puerto Ricans, 3-0, in the championship game.

What really made it special were the 35,703 screaming fans at AT&T Park and another 50,000 or so watching at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In Puerto Rico, almost three-fourths of all households tuned in.

That enthusiasm is why the best players from these two countries have been so passionate about participating in the Classic. As Dominican second baseman Robinson Cano said, "When you're asked to represent your home country, it's an honor."

Both teams are 3-0 in WBC 2017. Puerto Rico has outscored three opponents, 29-7, with young Cubs second baseman Javier Baez seemingly emerging as a spiritual leader with his playful swagger and .357 batting average.

The Dominicans are 3-0 as well, running their winning streak going back to the 2013 tournament to 11 games, but it has not been easy. They trailed Team USA, 5-0, before rallying to win, 7-5, on Saturday. On Sunday they needed seven runs in the 10th inning to beat the feisty Colombian squad, 10-3.

Those opening-round games have delivered on almost every level. The crowds have been intense, the games close. After just 26 games, we have had:

• Ten games in which the deciding run was scored in the seventh inning or later

• Five games that went extra innings

• Six games decided by one run, three more by two runs

Beyond that has been the emotion from both players and fans. Players have performed with a certain joy, especially those feeding off the cheers of their country's fans.

This is one of the striking things about the World Baseball Classic: Virtually every player who has participated has called it one of the best things they'd done in baseball.

That was true of Roger Clemens when the event began in 2006 and has extended to the young stars of today -- Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, both on the Puerto Rican team, and others.
Carlos Correa launches a three-run home run to left field, extending Puerto Rico's lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the 4th inning

We've had Italy opening the tournament with five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Mexico, 10-9. We've had the Italians and Venezuelans playing a game that featured 21 runs, 29 hits and 17 pitchers.

Venezuela won that one, 11-10, in 10 innings when Martin Prado doubled in Jose Altuve with the winning run. Japan and the Netherlands played a similar game. Japan won, 8-6, in 11 innings in a game that had 27 hits and 16 pitchers.
Martin Prado belts an RBI double to center field that puts Venezuela ahead, 11-10, in the top of the 10th inning

This Classic has seen Jason Marquis make an impressive comeback at the age of 38. In three starts he has allowed one earned run in 9 2/3 innings for Israel, one of the surprise teams of WBC '17.

First baseman Ike Davis, trying to make the Dodgers as a non-roster player, surely has opened some eyes with a .647 batting average for Israel. Meanwhile, such players as Didi Gregorius of the Yankees and Andrelton Simmons of the Angels have used the event to get their 2017 seasons off to the right start.
Ike Davis lines a two-run single to right field to open the scoring for Israel in the top of the 1st inning

When Mariners manager Scott Servais sent his three biggest stars -- Cano, Nelson Cruz and Felix Hernandez -- off to the Classic, he said the time away might benefit the big league team.

"We'd like to get off to a good start, and maybe the [Classic] will get those competitive juices flowing," Servais said.

Cano is hitting .333, Cruz .417, both for the Dominican Republic. Pitching for Venezuela, Fernandez allowed one earned run in 2 2/3 innings of his only start. Apart from the numbers, all three said representing their country was an honor.

Simply watching the games has been a nice experience, too.

Welington Castillo gives the Dominican Republic a 5-3 lead in the 11th after he singles in the two runners on base to start the inning

Dominican Republic proving to be a force
Defending champs appear unbeatable as they head to Pool F play in San Diego

Can anyone stop the Dominican Republic?

Until further notice, consider the World Basseball Classic a case of vinieron, vieron, conquistaron.

Or as you learned it in Latin, not Spanish: veni, vidi, vici.

The Dominican Republic not only came, saw and conquered at Marlins Park over the weekend, but it did so at volume levels North American fans would equate to Motorhead concerts, not baseball games in March.

If you were there on Saturday night, when the Dominicans escaped a 5-0 deficit to beat Team USA, 7-5, your ears are still ringing. Ditto on Sunday, when Welington Castillo's superb play at the plate against Colombia allowed the defending champs to run their winning streak in the Classic to 11 games.

Tony Pena and his band of All-Stars has moved on to San Diego for a second-round pool against Puerto Rico, Team USA and the winner of Monday night's Pool D tiebreaker game between Italy and Venezuela. Team Canada starter Ryan Dempster insists the Dominicans can be beat -- "you just have to go out there and out-execute them'' -- but we'll have to see it to believe it.
The Dominican Republic national team has won 11 straight games in the World Baseball Classic dating back to 2013

Here's five reasons why the Dominican Republic seems unbeatable:

1. That killer lineup

All you really need to know is that Adrian Beltre, the future Hall of Famer who last season hit 32 home runs and drove in 104 runs for the Rangers, bats seventh and the Pirates' Starling Marte hits eighth.

Rich Donnelly, a coach for Team USA, says you could pull names like Manny Machado, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Jose Bautista, Carlos Santana and Jose Reyes out of a hat and always have a lineup that makes sense.
Manny Machado rips a double to left field, bringing home Jonathan Villar to give the Dominican Republic a 2-1 lead in the 3rd inning

"Look at that lineup card, from top to bottom,'' Donnelly said. "You can turn it upside down, sideways, whichever way you want and you'd be happy.''

The Dominican Republic's starting nine delivered 36.8 WAR last season, led by Cano (7.3), Machado (6.7) and Beltre (6.4). That's 4.1 WAR per man, the same as the Cubs' starting lineup in the World Series and better than last year's National League All-Star team and the 1998 Yankees, who won 114 regular-season games.

2. Dominicans jump at the chance to play

The Dominican team gets all of the best players from its country to participate -- the same can't be said about every squad in the tournament. Even though the 37-year-old Beltre knew he would be limited to designated hitter duties at best, he worked like a fiend to rehab a strained calf suffered on the first day of Spring Training so he could play in the Classic.

Machado, born in Miami and raised by a Dominican-born mother and uncle, embraced the chance to experience international play as a Dominican. He's having such a good time that he hopes he can do this every four years.

3. They've got style, they've got swagger

Just ask Tanner Roark and Andrew Miller, who followed Marcus Stroman into Saturday's game as the Dominicans chipped away at their five-run deficit, or any of the Colombians whose hearts were broken by Bautista's ninth-inning throw to Castillo.
Jose Bautista's 88.4 mph throw home nails Oscar Mercado at the plate, keeping the Dominican Republic alive in an eventual extra-inning win

It's been eight years since the Dominican Republic lost a Classic game, and the team's confidence shows. It carries over to their joyous fans, who blow horns, beat tambourines and generally make like the backers of Real Madrid or Manchester United.

"We've got to win,'' U.S. third baseman Nolan Arenado said. "Dominican Republic won it last [time] and they haven't lost yet the last couple times. It's easy to be a fan for them.''

4. Martinez, and fresh arms coming

Carlos Martinez looks great as the Dominican Republic's No. 1 starter. He threw gas at Canada in the Pool C opener, having no problem covering four innings in 53 pitches. He should be able to pitch into the sixth inning in his second start, with the pitch limit expanded to 80 for the second round.
Carlos Martinez limits Canada to one unearned run over four dominant innings, striking out three and walking none

The soft spot for Pena in first-round games was the rotation behind No. 1 starter. Edinson Volquez and Wily Peralta don't strike fear in anyone like, say, Johnny Cueto.

Unfortunately, it seems Cueto may not be able to pitch in the Classic because he spent the first two weeks of Spring Training at home, caring for his father who suffered a minor stroke. He brought his dad to Scottsdale so he can keep an eye on him, and he may not be able to travel for the games in San Diego or Los Angeles.

• C. Martinez, E. Santana get next starts for Dominican Republic

5. The bullpen

Pena seems to have settled on the Mets' Jeurys Familia as his closer, with Rays closer Alex Colome and state-of-the-art setup men Dellin Betances (Yankees) and Hector Neris (Phillies) getting the ball to him. Hansel Robles, Fernando Abad and ageless archer Fernando Rodney are among those adding depth.

The Dominican bullpen allowed only five runs in 17 1/3 innings in the first round, and none of the runs were scored off the back-of-the-bullpen guys. Familia, Betances, Neris and Colome appear locked and loaded.

Can't wait to see these guys against that Puerto Rican infield or in a rematch against Team USA.
Jeurys Familia strikes out Ian Kinsler to put the finishing touches on Team Dominican Republic's win over the United States

"They have All-Stars stars all over the field; we got a lot of All-Stars all over the field,'' Team USA manager Jim Leyland said. "There's a mutual respect there, I think. … I think [our players] know the Dominican Republic is a top-to-bottom fearsome lineup. We're going to play them. We did have a 5-0 lead on them, so it wasn't like we were intimidated or embarrassed by anything. We had our shot and we just didn't quite get it done.''

That's become a familiar refrain against the Dominican Republic powerhouse.