Cleveland Sports Forum

Hope Tito was watching this game. Jose Colon cruises through the Dominican batting order before walking Cruz

Yadier Molina launches a solo home run to left field, giving Team Puerto Rico a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 6th inning

Molina spurs PR past DR to remain unbeaten

For the first time since 2009, the Dominican Republic suffered a loss in the World Baseball Classic. In a rematch of the last Classic's title game, Puerto Rico defeated the reigning champions, 3-1, on Tuesday night in the Pool F opener at Petco Park.

Puerto Rico was led by a stellar performance by its bullpen and a strong showing from veteran catcher Yadier Molina. Molina homered, drove in two runs, threw out a baserunner for a pivotal out late in the game and helped guide the pitching staff through nine innings of one-run ball.

Puerto Rico's victory snapped the Dominicans' 11-game Classic winning streak and brought Puerto Rico one step closer to the semifinals in Los Angeles. Puerto Rico and Japan are now the only remaining unbeaten teams in this year's tournament.

Tuesday's contest was an uncharacteristically low-scoring affair for two high-powered offenses. Puerto Rico outscored its opponents, 29-7, in pool play, never plating fewer than nine runs in a game, while the Dominican Republic produced seven or more runs in each of its first-round victories.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Rosario bails out Roman: Puerto Rican starter Orlando Roman pitched himself into a major jam in the first inning, but with some help from right fielder Eddie Rosario, he escaped the frame unscathed. Rosario threw out Jean Segura at home as the Dominican designated hitter attempted to score on a fly ball by Carlos Santana.

Roman began the evening by allowing the first three batters to reach on a single by Segura, a double by Manny Machado and a walk by Robinson Cano. The right-hander settled in for a big strikeout of Jose Bautista before Rosario bailed him out with his outfield assist and inning-ending double play.
Eddie Rosario makes a great throw to the plate after Jean Segura tags up from third on Carlos Santana's fly ball, keeping the game scoreless

Yadi lifts Puerto Rico: Molina gave his team some breathing room in the sixth inning with a solo homer, his second long ball of the tournament. The Cardinals star plated two of Puerto Rico's three runs, also contributing the game's first run with an RBI-single against his St. Louis teammate Carlos Martinez in the first.

Molina also made his presence known as one of baseball's premier defensive backstops, throwing out Nelson Cruz with a near-perfect throw to second as Cruz attempted to steal.

Molina, who has played for Puerto Rico in all four Classics, is now batting .417 (5-for-12) with five RBIs and four runs scored through three starts in the tournament.

Cruz goes yard: Cruz took the third pitch of the second inning and went deep for a projected 404-foot leadoff homer to put the Dominican Republic on the board. Cruz's home run immediately erased Puerto Rico's first-inning lead and assured the Dominican team would avoid its first-ever shutout in the World Baseball Classic.

Cruz's second home run of the tournament endured a replay review. The officiating crew went to the tape to see if a fan interfered with the ball as he reached over the top of the fence to catch it, but the ruling stood.
Nelson Cruz slugs a solo home run to center field, and the call stands after review, tying the game at 1 in the top of the 2nd inning

WHAT'S NEXT

Dominican Republic: After a day of rest, the Dominican Republic resumes play Thursday against Venezuela at 10 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV. It's a must win for the Dominican team, which could fall out of contention with a second loss in Pool F.

Puerto Rico A Friday evening matchup with Team USA looms for Puerto Rico after two days off. The game is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV.



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Shairon Martis closes out the Netherlands' 14-1 win by retiring Jeferson Delgado on a groundout to shortstop

Dutch headed to semis after routing Cuba

TOKYO -- Stacked with Major League stars, the Netherlands were a team to watch heading into the World Baseball Classic. Now the Dutch will make a return trip to the semifinals, and their lineup is clicking.

A 14-1 win in seven innings over Cuba on Wednesday at the Tokyo Dome left the Netherlands with a 2-1 record in Pool E. And with Japan's 8-3 win over Israel, the Netherlands will advance to next week's final round at Dodger Stadium.

Former Major Leaguer Wladimir Balentien homered twice and drove in five runs for the Netherlands, which scored in double-digits the last two games and finished Wednesday's game in seven innings because of the early-termination rule. Jurickson Profar of the Rangers had three hits, and 36-year-old left-hander Diegomar Markwell allowed one run in six innings

"All I asked was they not take anything for granted and that they just play hard, the way we did against Israel," Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens said. "We feel great. We've played great all tournament. We could actually be 6-0 right now. We feel great about our chances."

The Netherlands scored 11 runs in three games in the first round and followed it up by scoring 32 runs in Pool E.
Yurendell de Caster smashes a two-run homer, the second of the 3rd inning, to put the Netherlands up 7-0

Cuba was runner-up in the first World Baseball Classic in 2006, losing in the final to Japan. But the Cuban roster has been weakened by players leaving for the Major Leagues, and this year's team lost all three of its games in the second round.

"Our first goal in the tournament was to make it through the first round, and we did that," Cuba manager Carlos Marti said. "Today, the Netherlands offense just attacked our pitchers. The Netherlands offense was too strong for our pitchers.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Coco's a hometown hero: Balentien, who played three seasons in MLB with the Mariners and Reds, has spent the last six seasons in Japan with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. The Swallows play down the road at Jingu Stadium, but Balentien has made himself at home this week at the Tokyo Dome. His two-homer game against Cuba left him 8-for-13 in Pool E, with three home runs and 10 RBIs.

"I want to show everyone I can be the player I was when I was younger," the 32-year-old outfielder said. "Hopefully this will open a couple more doors for me, maybe, going back to the States. But I'm happy I'm having a great tournament right now."

Balentien told Meulens before the game that he would hit a home run in his first two at-bats.

"I really meant it," he said. "At the time, I was joking, but inside I meant it. I wanted to hit a home run."
Wladimir Balentien paces the Netherlands offense with a 3-for-4 game, bashing two homers, driving in five and scoring three runs

Profar stars again: The Rangers plan for Profar to play multiple positions this season, but he has been a full-time center fielder for the Netherlands. He's been been a big-time hitter, too, going 12-for-23 with six extra-base hits through six games of the tournament. Meulens had Profar hitting third for a second straight game, and Profar responded with three hits vs. Cuba.
"He's proven to the world what kind of player he is," Meulens said.
Jurickson Profar goes 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in the Netherlands' 14-1 win over Cuba

Making his mark: While the Netherlands has plenty of Major League position players, the Dutch are a little short on top-flight pitching. After starting former Major Leaguers Rick van den Hurk and Jair Jurrjens in the first two games of the second round, they gave Wednesday's start to Markwell, who never made it beyond Double-A and has spent the last 10 years playing in the Dutch league. Markwell gave the Netherlands all it could have hoped for, allowing just two hits through the first four innings before giving up a run on Victor Mesa's two-out double in the fifth.
Diegomar Markwell gets Alfredo Despaigne to ground out to shortstop, capping off a dominant six-inning outing against Cuba

Quick turnaround: Cuba caught a tough break with the schedule, which gave the team only about 13 hours between the final out of their 8-5 loss to Japan and the first pitch of its game against the Netherlands. The Dutch had a similar quick turnaround before their first-round meeting with Israel, but they had already clinched advancement to the second round.

"Yes, we played a day game after a night game, but that's not an acceptable excuse," Marti said.

QUOTABLE

"I think the Netherlands is growing up. They have younger players, and they have a bright future. Many of them have a good future in Major League Baseball, and they have players with experience, too." -- Marti

"It's not a secret anymore. These guys are proven Major League stars. Hopefully we can win two more games." -- Meulens

BOX SCORES

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Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh breaks a scoreless tie with a long solo homer, giving Japan a 1-0 lead in the 6th inning

Japan stays undefeated, off to semifinals

TOKYO -- For six straight games, Japan's singing and chanting fans have filled Tokyo Dome. For six straight games, the team the fans know as Samurai Japan has rewarded them with a win.

Now those fans expect Japan to head to Los Angeles and bring back a third World Baseball Classic championship.

The Japanese will head to America as the winner of Pool E, after an 8-3 win over Israel on Wednesday that wrapped up an undefeated run through the first two rounds of the tournament. The two-time World Baseball Classic champions will play the second-place team from Pool F on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium (9 p.m. ET live on MLB.TV and MLB Network).

First-round Most Valuable Player Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh was the hero of Japan's clinching win, with a home run off Dylan Axelrod to break up a scoreless tie in the sixth inning. Japan scored five times in the sixth and added three runs in the eighth before holding off Israel's ninth-inning rally.

"I am so pleased that we won," said Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo, who was put in charge of the national team after Japan lost to Puerto Rico in the semifinals of the 2013 Classic.

The loss ended Israel's surprise run through WBC 2017 and sent the Netherlands to a second consecutive semifinal. The Dutch, who beat Cuba, 14-1, will face the Pool F winner Monday (9 p.m. ET live on MLB.TV and MLB Network).

Japan is the only country that has made it to the semifinals each time the World Baseball Classic has been played, but the 2013 loss to Puerto Rico still stings for Japanese players, fans and baseball officials here. For four years, Japan has focused on regaining the title it won in both '06 and '09.

Right-hander Kodai Senga pitched the first five innings for Japan. Israel had just two hits until the ninth inning, when an Ike Davis single broke up the shutout. Israel scored three times in the ninth and had two runners on base before the rally fizzled.
Ryan Lavarnway doubles into left field to score two runs and cut Japan's lead to 8-3

"You could really see the character of our team," Israel manager Jerry Weinstein said. "We didn't fold up our tents. We competed. I'm proud of our team for battling for nine innings."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Oh, oh, Tsutsugoh: Japanese baseball has long been associated with small ball, but this version of Team Japan has sluggers. Tops among them is Tsutsugoh, who was the Most Valuable Player in Pool B in the first round and hit his third home run of the tournament Wednesday. The 25-year-old Tsutsugoh, the cleanup hitter for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, hit 44 home runs in 133 games last season. His home run off Axelrod was a no-doubter, landing deep in the seats below the center-field scoreboard.

"I didn't expect us to hit as many home runs as we did," said Kokubo, whose team homered 10 times in six games at Tokyo Dome. "I think once the tournament started, they swung hard."

Bullpenning, Part I: Japan's run through the tournament has also shown off a deep and talented bullpen. Senga had been part of it, but Kokubo chose to start him against Israel. It worked out well. Senga gave up a base hit to Sam Fuld on his second pitch of the game, and he then didn't allow another hit over five strong innings. Senga started 25 games for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks last season, going 12-3 with a 2.61 ERA.
Kodai Senga pitches five scoreless innings for Japan and strikes out four batters, only yielding one hit

"I was so determined not to give up any runs every inning," Senga said.

Bullpenning, Part II: Short on starting pitchers, Weinstein gave the ball to right-hander Josh Zeid, his closer through the first five games of the tournament. Zeid gave Israel a chance with four scoreless innings, and perhaps helped give himself a chance at a job with a Major League club. Zeid, a free agent who had 48 Major League appearances from 2013-14 with the Astros, pitched 10 scoreless innings in the tournament.
Josh Zeid pitches four scoreless innings for Israel while striking out three batters

"I put a lot of time, effort, blood and sweat into preparing for this," said Zeid. "If this is the last game I'm going to play, I wanted to give it all I had. It was very emotional."

Five in the sixth: Tsutsugoh's home run put Japan ahead, but it was the four runs that scored after it that took Israel out of the game. Weinstein used four pitchers in the inning, but there were five hits, two walks (one intentional), a bases-loaded hit batter and an error before Brad Goldberg struck out Sheiichi Uchikawa to end it.
Seiji Kobayashi reaches on an infield single as a run comes in to score, giving Japan a 3-0 lead in the 6th inning

QUOTABLE

"My hope is by virtue of us playing in the World Baseball Classic and doing well, it heightens awareness worldwide and in Israel. I hope the next time Israel plays here, you're looking at a bunch of kids born in the State of Israel." -- Weinstein

"I don't know who we will play [in the semifinals], but no matter who it is, it will be a tough game." -- Kokubo

WHAT'S NEXT

Japan: The Japanese move on to the final round of the tournament, and they will face the second-place team from Pool F in a semifinal game Tuesday (9 p.m. ET) at Dodger Stadium.

BOX SCORES

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Jurickson Profar goes 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored in the Netherlands' 14-1 win over Cuba

Profar setting the tone for Netherlands

TOKYO -- So much has changed for Jurickson Profar over the last four years, but one thing hasn't changed a bit.

Profar still believes the Netherlands can win the World Baseball Classic.

"Yes, for sure," he said, after the Netherlands took a big step toward the semifinals with a 14-1 win over Cuba. "We have a good team to do it."

The last time around, Profar was a 20-year-old kid who was ranked by some as the best prospect in baseball. He turned down a chance to play in the first two rounds of the 2013 tournament, but joined up with the Dutch for the semifinal game against the Dominican Republic at AT&T Park.

"He walked into the locker room and said, 'We're going to win because I'm here,'" Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens said. "That's the attitude he takes."

The attitude is great, but health is even greater. Profar didn't play Major League Baseball for two full seasons because of shoulder trouble, finally returning to play 90 games with the Rangers in 2016.

He's healthy now, and it shows.

In a lineup full of Major League stars, Profar has been one of the Netherlands' hottest hitters through the first two rounds of WBC 2017. Three more hits against Cuba gave him a .522 batting average in six games, and six of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases.

"He's proven to the world what kind of player he is," Meulens said.

He's also reminding the Rangers what he is capable of. Without a set position in the Texas lineup, Profar will need to produce in order to play. He'll also need to be able to play multiple positions, so his time in center field in the World Baseball Classic should help. Profar has started all six games in center, and he has been able to work with Netherlands coach Andruw Jones, a Gold Glove outfielder during his playing career.

All that work has given the tournament something of a Spring Training feel for Profar, but only until the games begin.

"It's like every game is a playoff game," he said.

The last two games have been must-win playoff games for the Netherlands, after a disappointing 8-6, 11-inning loss to Japan in the opening game of the second round. Meulens moved Profar to the third spot in the lineup after the Japan game, saying he wanted to take pressure off struggling Xander Bogaerts by moving him up a spot to second.

Profar wasn't hurt by the switch, and the Netherlands lineup responded by scoring 12 runs against Israel and 14 against Cuba. The two wins put the Dutch team into the semifinals next week at Dodger Stadium.

At worst, the Netherlands would have a Thursday tiebreaker game for a chance to go to Los Angeles.

The Dutch were a surprise semifinalist four years ago, when Profar, Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius and Jonathan Schoop were still trying to break into the Major Leagues. Despite Profar's confident proclamation, they lost, 4-1, to the Dominican Republic (with Profar going 0-for-3).

It's different now. The kids have grown into stars. Injuries have held Profar back, but his performance in this tournament suggests he may be ready to shine, too.

"We have great hitters in the lineup," Profar said. "It takes pressure off everyone. I have Coco [Wladimir Balentien] behind me. If I don't do it, Coco will. If he doesn't, Didi will."
They've done it through two rounds. Now they believe they can do it through two more games, all the way to Dodger Stadium and all the way through next Wednesday's championship game.

Wladimir Balentien paces the Netherlands' offense with a 3-for-4 game, bashing two homers, driving in five and scoring three runs

Balentien hopes MLB teams are watching
Dutch slugger, a former big leaguer, leads Classic with 10 RBIs

TOKYO -- The enthusiastic evocation that echoed inside Tokyo Dome during the Netherlands' 14-1 win over Cuba on Wednesday afternoon (Tuesday night in the U.S.) when Wladimir Balentien homered in each of his first two at-bats was no coincidence.

Neither was the success the Netherlands outfielder had during the second round of the World Baseball Classic. The Curacao native felt right at home in Tokyo, where he has played the past six seasons for the Yakult Swallows.

Balentien went 8-for-13 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his three Pool E games, helping the Netherlands advance to the World Baseball Classic semifinals for the second straight tournament and earning Most Valuable Player honors for the Tokyo second-round pool.

Balentien played in the Major Leagues for parts of three seasons before going to Japan, spending 130 games with the Mariners from 2007-09 but also for 40 games with the '09 Reds. Balentien is now 32 years old and has signed to play this season with the Swallows, but he hopes his performance in WBC 2017 might earn him another look from a Major League team.

"I'm going to show everybody that I still can be that player that I am when I was younger, and at least now I'm getting better as a hitter," Balentien said. "You know, I'm getting older and I'm understanding more of the batting. I think playing this tournament, having success, probably hope it opens a couple more doors for me, maybe, coming back to the States. Who knows? But I'm happy; I'm having a great tournament right now."

Balentien is already a star in Japan. He has homered 30 or more times in four of his six seasons with the Swallows, and he made Japanese baseball history by hitting 60 home runs in 2013.

Even with a talent-rich team headlined by big leaguers Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop, Andrelton Simmons and Jurickson Profar, the Netherlands is viewed as an underdog in this year's Classic -- at least in contrast to the loaded Pool F dueling on the other side of the Pacific.

Balentien has been the Netherlands' cleanup hitter in each of their first six games for manager Hensley Meulens, who is entering his eighth season as the Giants' hitting coach.

"We have a lot of Major League players, a lot of great hitters," Balentien said. "But I mean, [Meulens] believes in me and knows what I can do, and to have my bat in the middle of those Major Leaguers was huge, so we have to give Hensley all that credit."

Signed by Seattle as an amateur free agent in 2000, Balentien climbed the club's farm ranks and became one of its top prospects by 2007. But in his first full MLB season, he struggled to a 30.4 percent strikeout rate and a 55 wRC+ (league average is set at 100), and he was eventually traded to Cincinnati, where he finished the '09 season and didn't make the club's big league roster in '10. After a year in Triple-A, Balentien was granted free agency and signed with the Swallows.

Balentien was part of the Netherlands' run to a fourth-place finish in the 2013 Classic, posting a .304/.360/.435 slash line and becoming one of the significant cogs in an underdog story that became the talk of the tournament. Coupling his resounding success in NPL, Balentien entered this year's Classic hoping to showcase his value on an international platform -- and potentially make his way back to the Majors. Balentien is under contract in '17, but he's expressed hope to return to the big leagues in '18.

With Wednesday's win over Cuba and Israel's loss to Japan, the Dutch have punched their ticket to the final round at Dodger Stadium.

Yadier Molina hits a home run, throws out a runner at second and tags another out at the plate to lead Puerto Rico to a big win

WBC: World's Best Catcher? Yadi wows in W

SAN DIEGO -- Yadier Molina was ready for the Dominican Republic this time around.

The veteran catcher took over the game -- with his bat, with his arm and with his glove -- in Puerto Rico's second-round opener at the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday, a 3-1 win over the Dominican team that beat Puerto Rico in the championship game of the 2013 Classic and was riding an 11-game win streak in the tournament.

"I am so grateful to God for this opportunity and to have this type of game, and the credit I give to actually all my teammates," Molina said. "This victory, we went to play ball and we went to kill it. We executed a great game."

Molina, who has played for Puerto Rico (4-0) in all four World Baseball Classics, opened the scoring at Petco Park with a first-inning RBI single, and later homered to give Puerto Rico some breathing room. He threw out Nelson Cruz trying to steal second base to end the eighth inning -- easily nailing Cruz thanks to a stellar 1.87-second pop time, as tracked by Statcast™, which was faster than all but one of his tracked pop times in 2016, when his season best was 1.86 seconds. And Molina's pitch framing was superb all night long.

"As Yadier Molina goes, the team goes," Puerto Rico manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "We've been watching that for years in the big leagues and with Team Puerto Rico. But definitely he's the heart of the team."
Statcast measures the arm strength and pop time of Yadier Molina's throw to second base to get Nelson Cruz out

The 34-year-old made his mark from the outset. In the top of the first, Molina helped Puerto Rico escape a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam unscathed by putting a perfect tag on Jean Segura trying to score on a fly ball, completing an inning-ending double play. Then in the bottom of that frame, he put Puerto Rico on top with a run-scoring knock off his Cardinals teammate, Carlos Martinez.

Next came the power. With Puerto Rico holding a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, Molina launched a solo home run to left field, his second of WBC '17. It was a barreled ball, according to Statcast™, with an exit velocity of 100.4 mph, a launch angle of 26 degrees and a projected distance of 369 feet.
Yadier Molina launches a solo home run to left field, giving Team Puerto Rico a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 6th inning

The common thread through the game was Molina's defensive work behind the plate. Molina's 1.87-second pop time to nail Cruz in the eighth would have been the 18th-fastest pop time of the 2016 season on a caught stealing at second base. The MLB average pop time on steal attempts of second was 2.01 seconds.

Puerto Rico second baseman Javier Baez dropped a no-look tag on Cruz and pointed at Molina in celebration during the play.
Puerto Rico catcher Yadier Molina talks about the team's great pitching in their 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic

"He had a great jump, but there is no one faster than the ball," Baez said. "It was a great throw from Yadi. The ball got there way before him. When we got back into the clubhouse, everybody started showing me videos and I was like, 'I can't help it. Sorry.'"
Javier Baez breaks out in celebration as he receives a throw from Yadier Molina and slaps on a no-look tag to nab Nelson Cruz at second base

Molina's pitch framing also won Puerto Rico borderline strike calls all game. The most notable was the called third strike that ended the game: a borderline high fastball to Segura that Molina framed perfectly at the top of the zone.

"Well, he's Molina," Rodriguez said. "He manages his pitch and the pitching team as a whole. … Yadier Molina, he is dominant in this. He had a lot to do with this victory."
Eddie Rosario makes a great throw to the plate after Jean Segura tags up from third on Carlos Santana's fly ball, keeping the game scoreless

There was also a called third strike on Welington Castillo to end the top of the sixth on a slider that was borderline low-and-away; and a strike one call against Carlos Santana in the eighth on a fastball that was borderline low, after which Dominican Republic manager Tony Pena was ejected for arguing.

"He's a great professional, and Molina is one of the greatest catchers in baseball today," Pena said. "And today [it was] his mastery that he used, Yadier Molina, to do [that to] these pitches."

After a day of rest, the Dominican Republic resumes play Thursday against Venezuela at 10 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV. It's a must win for the Dominican team, which could fall out of contention with a second loss in Pool F. A Friday evening matchup with Team USA looms for Puerto Rico after two days off. The game is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV.

Francisco Lindor was named the Most Valuable Player of Group D
The stellar Puerto Rican shortstop had two homers and drove in four runs in the first round in which Puerto Rican Team went 3-0

San Diego, Calif. - The stellar Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor was named Group D's Most Valuable Player in the first round of the World Baseball Classic .

The cagüeño had a .455 average and had five hits in the round, including two home runs, drove in four runs and scored four. In addition he played impeccable defense on the fields of the Charros of Jalisco. Lindor's talents were on display before Mexico.

The Puerto Ricans won all three games and scored 29 runs, while their rivals Venezuela, Italy and hosts made just seven. Collectively, Puerto Rico hit .398.

Other prominent Puerto Rican hitters were Javier Báez with five RBIs, five hits and one homer; Carlos Correa with two homers, four scored and five RBIs; Ángel Pagán with four runs and Eddie Rosario with five hits.

Impeccable pitching

Regarding pitching, where on paper they were unknowns, Puerto Rico continued to be impeccable. The staff accumulated effectiveness of 2.52.

The Puerto Ricans won the 2013 sub-championship with a 2.88 collective effectiveness in nine games.

"We are very confident in the way we played the three games. The fans and the opponents saw the enthusiasm, the energy, the effort it takes to win day after day. We have a very young team at the same time several veterans are mixed in, but we have the desire, the Hunger, to come out with victory in hearts in every game. Winning the three games gives us tremendous confidence to go to the second round, "said Bayamonian pitcher José Orlando Berrios, winner of the game against Italy.

Giovanny Urshela drives in Reynaldo Rodriguez on a single to center, tying the game at 1 in the bottom of the 1st

Urshela reflects on 'unbelievable' time at Classic

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Giovanny Urshela was back in the Indians' clubhouse Tuesday morning, sitting at a table and playing cards with pitcher Danny Salazar. After a brief departure from Cleveland's camp to play for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic, Urshela was back to his regular spring routine.

Before the Tribe's morning workout, Urshela smiled wide when asked about his Classic experience. No, the Colombians did not advance as far as the young third baseman hoped they would in the tournament, but Urshela felt he learned a lot in his brief time with his home country's team.

"It's very different emotions," Urshela said of the environment at World Baseball Classic games. "Twenty people feels like 100 people in the stadium. Everybody is screaming. It was fun. It was an unbelievable experience there."

Urshela is the first of Cleveland's participating players from Major League camp to return from the Classic.

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.

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 extra innings 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.

"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."

First baseman Chris Colabello, who was playing for Team Italy, was scheduled to be back in Goodyear with the Indians come Wednesday. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, catcher Roberto Perez and Joseph Colon are still playing for Puerto Rico, while reliever Andrew Miller (Team USA) and first baseman Carlos Santana (Dominican Republic) also have teams alive in Pool F, which begins play Tuesday night.
While shifted out in right field, Giovanny Urshela makes a nice diving catch to his left to rob Freddie Freeman

While Urshela was away, the Indians shut down second baseman Jason Kipnis (right shoulder) for two weeks, creating a potential Opening Day roster opportunity for someone in camp. Cleveland plans on keeping Jose Ramirez at third base, but if the team changes its mind and moves Ramirez to second, Urshela's chances of making the roster would increase dramatically.

Urshela was Cleveland's third baseman for 81 games in 2015 -- becoming the first Colombian-born third baseman in baseball history -- but Ramirez supplanted him at that spot last year. Indians manager Terry Francona said it is important for the team to make sure Urshela stays focused on his development, even if he is blocked at the big league level.

"We need to make sure that his development doesn't stall," Francona said. "I think for a while last year it did. We actually have talked to him about that. ... It's something we need to prevent, because he's got too much of a chance to be an everyday Major League third baseman."

UPDATED BRACKETS

https://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/bracket

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Not all peaches and cream


http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1891 ... limination

Sour Grapes Seagull.

The Mexicans supplied all of the ingrediants for their demise.

The rules.....every team knew the rules for breaking ties before the first game was played. Gonzalez and the Mexicans had a tough series and he's taking out his/their frustrations on the organizers. I don't see any of the other teams that were eliminated taking their frustrations out on the organizers.

I just lost a lot of respect for Gonzalez.

Adam Jones crushes a solo home run to left-center field, tying the game at 2 in the 8th inning

Elite 8th: Jones, Hosmer power USA rally
Americans sitting pretty after late homers sink Venezuela
Eric Hosmer gives Team USA a 4-2 lead in the 8th inning with a clutch two-run homer to right-center field

Elite 8th: Jones, Hosmer power USA rally
Americans sitting pretty after late homers sink Venezuela

Late-inning heroics from Adam Jones and Eric Hosmer vaulted the United States past Venezuela, 4-2, on Wednesday night at Petco Park in yet another World Baseball Classic thriller.

The U.S. bats were quiet throughout much of the night until Jones brought a much-needed spark with a game-tying leadoff homer in the eighth. Hosmer followed three batters later with a two-run blast that ultimately handed the U.S. a win in its second-round opener.

Venezuela now faces a must-win matchup with the Dominican Republic, which also lost its second-round opener, on Thursday night at 10 ET (live on MLB Network and MLB.TV). Team USA has Thursday off before resuming play Friday against Puerto Rico (10 p.m. ET, live on MLB Network and MLB.TV). The two 1-0 Pool F teams will compete for an inside track to the semifinals in Los Angeles.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Adam Jones crushes a solo home run to left-center field, tying the game at 2 in the 8th inning

Great 8th: Jones, whose walk-off single handed U.S. the victory in its tournament opener against Colombia on Friday, again played hero for Team USA, tying Wednesday's game with a solo shot against Venezuelan reliever Hector Rondon in the eighth inning. Hosmer, MVP of the 2016 All-Star Game at Petco Park, found his San Diego stroke again with a two-run shot that proved to be the game-winner.
Rougned Odor mashes a solo home run to right field to give Team Venezuela a 2-0 lead in the 7th inning

Odor goes deep: The notoriously pitcher-friendly ballpark in San Diego swallowed a number of well-hit fly balls on Wednesday night, but in the seventh inning, Rougned Odor's line drive against U.S. reliever David Robertson managed to be the first to escape the park, increasing Venezuela's lead to 2-0. Odor's homer, his first in the tournament, traveled a Statcast-projected 422 feet and had a 104.7 mph exit velocity with a 34 degree launch angle.
Drew Smyly strikes out Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Rougned Odor to retire the heart of Team Venezuela's lineup in order

Smyly shines: The lone blemish on U.S. lefty Drew Smyly's outing was a throwing error in the third inning. Smyly cleanly fielded a Robinson Chirinos bunt down the third-base line, but his throw to first was off the mark, sailing over Hosmer's head. The error put two runners in scoring position for Venezuela's Ender Inciarte, who plated Carlos Gonzalez with a sacrifice fly.
Although Smyly was scored upon, the run was unearned, extending Team USA's streak of starting pitchers not allowing an earned run to 18 innings in WBC 2017. The Rays' Chris Archer, Blue Jays' Marcus Stroman and Royals' Danny Duffy were unscored upon in the first round.

Felix extinguishes U.S. rally: Felix Hernandez appeared to be in midseason form. He didn't allow a baserunner until there was one out into the third inning and Team USA got consecutive singles from Jonathan Lucroy, Alex Bregman and Ian Kinsler. Hernandez erased any United States momentum in the very next at-bat, however, by getting Jones to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

Hernandez's five scoreless innings were a promising sign for the Venezuelan pitching staff after its starters yielded 12 runs through 12 innings in the first round.
Felix Hernandez reacts quickly to field comebackers by Adam Jones and Christian Yelich in the 1st inning

WHAT'S NEXT

Venezuela: Venezuela now faces a must-win matchup with the Dominican Republic, which also lost its second-round opener, on Thursday night at 10 ET (live on MLB Network and MLB.TV).

United States: Team USA has Thursday off before resuming play Friday against Puerto Rico (10 p.m. ET, live on MLB Network and MLB.TV).

BOX SCORES

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Gregory Polanco drills a solo home run over the right-field wall, opening the scoring in the bottom of the 5th inning

Long drives, strong pitching propel DR

Behind stellar pitching and home runs by Gregory Polanco and Nelson Cruz, the Dominican Republic secured a much-needed 3-0 victory over Venezuela on Thursday in the second round of the World Baseball Classic at Petco Park.

The win puts the defending champions right back in the running to advance to the semifinals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Dominican Republic will enter the final day of Pool F play on Saturday tied for second with the loser of Friday's United States-Puerto Rico game. Venezuela, while not yet eliminated, faces a much bleaker outlook, needing a win over Puerto Rico and for the United States to sweep Pool F to keep its tournament hopes alive.

"It's very difficult to win a tournament," Dominican manager Tony Pena said. "When we lost the first game with Puerto Rico, the boys responded very well. ... When you lose, I think you open your eyes and you say it's not so simple."

Three runs -- including the two solo homers from Polanco and Cruz -- were all the Dominican Republic would need, as starter Edinson Volquez and a dominant relief unit combined to toss an eight-hit shutout. Volquez lowered his Classic ERA to 1.13 with his performance. He struck out six over 4 1/3 innings before giving way to a bullpen that held Venezuela to just one hit throughout the remainder of the contest. Every Dominican reliever recorded at least one strikeout, including the Mets' Jeurys Familia, who struck out the side in the ninth to strand runners at the corners.
Jeurys Familia strikes out Alcides Escobar, who represented the tying run, to lock down the Dominican Republic's 3-0 win

"We have a great bullpen," Pena said. "I told them before the game, I will not save anybody today. I want to use everybody at any time. Just be ready."

Venezuela's pitching staff turned in a valiant performance against a star-studded Dominican lineup, but it wasn't enough, as the team's bats ran cold. Jhoulys Chacin, who is competing for a spot in the Padres' rotation, allowed one run -- the Polanco homer -- over 4 1/3 innings. He averaged 92.9 mph on his four-seam fastball, per Statcast™, two miles per hour faster than his average with the Braves and Angels in 2016.

"He was incredible in this game," said Venezuela's manager, Omar Vizquel. "The whole game plan, he executed it precisely."
Jhoulys Chacin strikes out Jose Bautista looking to end the 3rd inning, stranding runners on first and second base

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Polanco snaps the tie: Polanco broke the scoreless draw in the fifth inning and spoiled Chacin's outing with a solo homer. The Pittsburgh outfielder's first home run of the tournament was a pivotal one, jump-starting a Dominican lineup that had stranded four runners in the first four frames.

Abad escapes inherited jam: The Dominican Republic averted trouble in the fifth inning as it turned to its bullpen for a crucial at-bat. Volquez exited the game with Venezuela poised to take the lead with runners at the corners and one out, but Fernando Abad erased both inherited runners by inducing a double-play ball from Ender Inciarte. The play not only extinguished the Venezuelan momentum, it paved the way for the Dominican Republic to jump ahead on Polanco's leadoff homer in the next frame.
Machado shines defensively: As he has routinely throughout the tournament, Manny Machado provided multiple entries into the game's highlight reel. The Orioles third baseman was at his best in the sixth inning on a sharply hit ground ball from Miguel Cabrera. Machado ranged deep into foul territory and fired a jump-throw to first. The throw pulled Carlos Santana off the bag, but Santana recovered in time to get Cabrera out.
Manny Machado ranges into foul territory and Carlos Santana makes a nice scoop, spin and tags the bag to rob Miguel Cabrera of a hit

Machado also impressed earlier in the game, barehanding an Alcides Escobar bunt attempt in the fifth and securing the out on an off-balance throw to first.

"That boy, he's not human, he's from another plant," Polanco said on the MLB Network broadcast. "He's a great guy, he never gives up, and it's great to watch him play."
Statcast measures the first step and throw distance as Manny Machado ranges into foul territory to rob Miguel Cabrera of a hit

Too little, too late: Venezuela made it interesting in the ninth, with consecutive two-out singles by Jose Altuve and Yangervis Solarte, putting the tying run aboard. The late threat applied pressure to Dominican closer Familia, but Escobar struck out swinging on a 3-2 slider to end the game.

"The percentage of effectiveness, really, we're going to have a difficult time if we don't really tighten that piece up," said Vizquel.

MIGGY LEAVES EARLY

Cabrera became the latest Venezuelan player to sustain an injury, exiting in the sixth inning with back tightness, according to Vizquel. Cabrera appeared to injure himself after hustling down the line on Machado's defensive gem, and was seen wincing as he extended his foot toward first base, trying to beat the throw. Hernan Perez replaced Cabrera in the field at first base.

"His waist is still hurting, but he's a warrior," Vizquel said. "Hopefully, tomorrow, he'll be recuperating, and hopefully he'll wake up relaxed. And obviously, if he's doing well Saturday, well, logically we're going to include him. He's the captain of the team. We're going to see how he's going to feel for that timeframe."
Miguel Cabrera exits after the top of the 6th inning due to back tightness

RISP WOES

With an RBI single in the seventh, Robinson Cano gave the Dominican Republic its first hit with a runner in scoring position of the second round. After going 0-for-6 with nine runners left on base against Puerto Rico on Tuesday, the Dominican lineup didn't fare much better vs. Venezuela, hitting 1-for-6 with RISP and stranding another nine.
Robinson Cano ropes a single up the middle to plate Welington Castillo and put the Dominican Republic up 2-0 in the bottom of the 7th inning

QUOTABLE

"It feels like we're little kids. We enjoy it, we have fun. I mean, that's the way we play growing up, and that's the way we play right here. So any time we get a good play and score a run, that's the way we react." -- Cruz, on celebrating his home run
Nelson Cruz drills a line-drive homer into the right-field stands to extend the Dominican Republic's lead to 3-0 in the 8th inning

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Two of Volquez's six strikeouts came against Cabrera, who has a .353 lifetime average against him in the Majors. In 22 career plate appearances vs. Volquez, Cabrera had never struck out.
Edinson Volquez holds Team Venezuela scoreless over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six while walking two and allowing four hits

WHAT'S NEXT

Venezuela: Venezuela returns to Petco Park on Saturday to take on Puerto Rico in the early matchup of a split doubleheader that will conclude Pool F play at 3:30 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV. Puerto Rico won the first-round meeting between these teams, an 11-0 mercy-rule-shortened shutout in Jalisco, Mexico. Venezuela's tournament hopes could be dashed sooner, however, should Puerto Rico defeat the U.S. on Friday.

Dominican Republic: The Dominican Republic concludes the second round against the U.S. on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV. The Dominican team rallied from a five-run deficit for a stunning victory over the U.S. in Round 1 last week at Marlins Park.

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BOX SCORES

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