Wbc

What To Watch For In Championship Round

... were seeing-eye singles, and he settled down after that. Roark, who had a 2.83 ERA for the Nationals in 2016, is certainly a fine starter, although the decision to start him over Chris Archer is odd, considering Archer had expected to return to the squad. Archer even pitched in a minor-league game Thursday to stay on schedule to pitch in the championship round. Instead, he was told to remain with the Rays and will start Wednesday in the Grapefruit League. Perhaps Leyland felt a need to give Roark some work. Nationals manager Dusty Baker was upset when he woke up Sunday morning and learned that Roark hadn’t pitched in Saturday’s game, after being told Roark would be used over the weekend. Baker also was upset that Daniel Murphy hasn’t played much, with just six at-bats in six games. The U. S. did call up Mark Melancon from its pitching pool for more bullpen depth. Without a day off between the semifinals and final, the likelihood is that Leyland wants to avoid using any of his relievers on back-to-back days, although since we’re deeper into spring training now, I wouldn’t rule out that possibility - after all, everyone still wants to win, and there’s no reason to hold, say, ...

U.s. Trip To Wbc Championship Likely To Stir Sleepy Interest

... and it’s been a lot of them, they’re having a blast. “The point is, would I rather be here or the backfields in the Grapefruit League in Kissimmee (Fla.)? It’s an easy answer for a guy who wants to play at the top of his game.”. Vasgersian, admittedly a blush biased because of his paycheck, argued that to play in this tournament is to know this tournament. “Hearing (Mets pitcher) Noah Syndergaard talk about nobody ever getting the World Series or Hall of Fame playing the WBC, is pretty much a (baloney) thing to say,” Vasgersian said. “He doesn’t get it.”. Real hurdles remain, though. Running head-to-head against the early rounds of the juggernaut NCAA Tournament without network TV coverage is the equivalent of waltzing into a gunfight with a screwdriver. The average NCAA game brings in 9.3 million viewers, while Sunday’s matchups neared 12 million. Baseball’s interest remains sleepy in March as the nation adjusts to the rhythms of its annual return. Then again, anyone who felt the rumble when Japanese cleanup hitter Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh flew out to right with the tying run on second in the eighth might argue otherwise. Is the U. S. ready to ...

Odubel Herrera Returns To Phillies From Wbc With Goals In Mind For 2017 Season

... Tuesday afternoon at Hammond Stadium in Ft. Myers, the Spring Training home of the Minnesota Twins: starting and center field and hitting third for the Phillies. Barring injuries to himself or anyone else in the lineup, it’s the same spots Herrera will be in 13 days, when the Phillies open the regular season in Cincinnati against the Reds on Monday, April 3. But for the last two weeks, while the Phillies have continued to plow through their Grapefruit League schedule, Herrera was playing left field and trying to keep his name in the lineup for Venezuela’s team in the World Baseball Classic. MORE ON THE PHILLIES. Why wasn't Maikel Franco wearing the sunglasses on top of his hat. Herrera struggled to get his bat going in the WBC and was out of Venezuela’s starting lineup in two of its last three games. He had just one at-bat during that three-game span. Herrera’s 11 at-bats in five games were a fraction of what fellow outfielders Carlos Gonzalez (26 at-bats in seven games) and Ender Inciarte (24 AB in 7 G) received in ...

Yep, I Was Very Wrong About The Wbc

... starter Warwick Saupold shouts after making a double play in the fourth inning against Cuba. Toru Takahashi, AP. March 9: Mitch Dening of Australia slides safely into home to score a run on a RBI single by Logan Wade. Matt Roberts, Getty Images. March 9: Italy players celebrate a walk-off, 10-9 win, over Mexico. Miguel Tovar, Getty Images. March 9: Italy's players celebrate their walkoff win. Jose Mendez, EPA. March 9: Players for Italy and Mexico take part in the opening ceremony before both teams' World Baseball Classic opener at Panamericano Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico. Miguel Tovar, Getty Images. March 9: Dominican Republic's Jeurys Familia does a little dance after the final out. Logan Bowles, USA TODAY Sports. March 9: Fernando Rodney of the Dominican Republic shows off his signature move. Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images. March 9: Dominican Republic outfielder Jose Bautista celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Logan Bowles, USA TODAY Sports. March 9: Canada second baseman Pete Orr can't come up with a single by Dominican Republic's Gregory Polanco. Lynne Sladky, AP. March ...

The Netherlands And Puerto Rico Played A Really Fun Wbc Semifinal While You Slept

... blooper for the ages. If the Netherlands is kicking itself about something after this game, it’s about the first inning. Take a look at the first order of business: two silly base-running gaffes. As you can see, both Andrelton Simmons and Jurickson Profar cost the Netherlands base runners with silly mistakes - one got picked off between second and third, the other was slow to return to the bag. Those two mistakes loomed large for two reasons. First, since they came before Wladimir Balentien delivered a massive two-run home-run that could’ve - in theory, anyway - been a grand slam. Second, because a grand slam would’ve seen the Netherlands retain the lead - even after Carlos Correa did this during the bottom half of the first. Everyone got involved. Team Puerto Rico is loaded with stars - be it Correa or Yadier Molina or Francisco ...

Yankees Lose Didi Thanks To Wbc, But Playing It Smart With Torres

... weren't considering Torres to make the roster even before Didi's injury, are taking a smarter, more pragmatic approach. Yankees pitchers continue to do little to quell rotation concerns. "I think we have to make some important decisions, and one of them is not to overreact to Didi's injury at the expense of Gleyber," Cashman said. "Gleyber's time is coming at some point, and whenever that's going to be is going to be. But it doesn't have to be right now - especially when we have other options that we can look at in the short-term.". Torres will open at Double-A Trenton, where he can continue to hone his skills and face higher quality pitching. The majors isn't going anywhere. He's still really young, with all of 301 minor-league games under his belt. Remember: Derek Jeter, a 1992 first-round pick, didn't play his first full year with the Yankees until his age-22 season. He became a better defender in the minors, something Torres also needs to continue to work on. And that worked out pretty well. "From the beginning, they told me that's where I was ...

The Catch' Brings New Fans To World Baseball Classic

... But that was last game. Now I need to do something to help my team win against Japan.”. One more victory would give the United States a berth in the WBC championship game against Puerto Rico, which defeated the Netherlands on Monday in the other semifinal. The United States has never advanced beyond the semifinals in the previous three WBC tournaments and has played in the semifinals just once, in 2009, when Team USA lost to Japan. Meanwhile, the U. S. will be facing a Japanese team that won the first two WBC tournaments, in 2006 and 2009. Japan’s roster has just one major leaguer, Nori Aoki , so the expectations for what the United States will see Tuesday are about style more than name recognition. “What I know about them is that they play a very clean game - fundamentally sound,” Jones said. “They move runners over. They hit behind the runners. They bunt. They don't make many errors fielding. They are a very, very fundamentally sound team.”. Team USA first baseman Eric Hosmer was teammates with Aoki in Kansas City, but that’s about where the familiarity with Team Japan ends. “I think it's a ...

Secret Behind Puerto Rico's Wbc Success? Blonds Having Fun

... "It is what it is. We're not going for looks," he said. "This is a team thing. So who cares if we look good or not? We're just trying to win some ballgames.". And they have. Puerto Rico has won all six games it has played in this WBC so far, advancing to the championship round in Los Angeles this week. The platinum hues look better on some than others, but it's not about looks. Rather, the club is intent on creating a sense of unity. Alex Trautwig/WBCI/MLB Photos/Getty Images. Asked whether he would dye his hair if Puerto Rico wins the WBC, manager Edwin Rodriguez said he would do so before then. "I have to do it," he said. "There's so much pressure from the players, I have to do it.". The issue for Rodriguez is that he doesn't have any hair on his head. But perhaps he can find an alternative, as coach Carlos Delgado did. "I've got no hair so I ...