Pool Two Preview

[Buehrle>Wood]

When Jose Oquendo contemplated Pool 2 of Round 2 of the World Baseball Classic and said, "This is probably what this tournament was created for," he wasn't kidding. His Puerto Rico team joins the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba to form the San Juan Strong Quartet. Instead of beautiful music, they'll play the beautiful game with a samba rhythm in front of passionate fans dancing in the aisles.

Hiram Bithorn Stadium: The fences have been lengthened since the ex-Expos barnstormed here, but 325 feet down the lines and 410 to dead center still can't contain big league power (Puerto Rico smashed seven homers in its three Pool C games). A constant left-to-right wind favors left-handed hitters. Pitchers have an ally in liberal foul territories.

 

Cuba: They entered opening-round play as the Classic's most intriguing team, and came out remaining the team most shrouded in mystery. Except now, the question has become, "Are they really as outmatched as they looked in the Pool C championship, or was that 12-2 loss to Puerto Rico a blip?"

 

The answer probably lies in-between, and rests in the hands of the Cuban pitchers whose reputation has already taken a hit. The staff has allowed 21 runs in 27 innings and, as suspected, lacks depth.

 

Classic pitch limits work against the Cubans, who, in the middle of their regular season, don't need the precaution. Ormari Romero and Yadel Marti have been exceptional, each going 4 1/3 shutout innings, meaning the other dozen who saw Pool C action were beat up. The good news for Cuba: the Round 2 pitch limit rises to 80 (from 65).

 

Cuba is a hitting machine, but doesn't fire on all cylinders unless comfortably ahead. Otherwise, manager Higinio Velez is preoccupied with playing small ball, calling on heavyweights like Michel Enrique and Yoandy Garlobo to execute the team-first philosophy for which the club is so well known.

 

Cuba's defense, particularly from an impenetrable athletic infield, is as advertised. Its speed is not, so far having been no factor at all.

 

We probably haven't heard the last of the Cubans. Once the Puerto Rico game quickly got out of control, in fact, there were signs Velez conceded it in the interest of planning ahead.

 

"I'd like you all to remember," he said, "that we lost the battle, not the war."

 

Puerto Rico: What some are calling "The Last Stand" has begun gloriously for the Puerto Ricans. The signature players are holdovers from the so-called 1995 Dream Team: Bernie Williams, Javy Lopez and Carlos Delgado. There's some age here. The prime talent may be gone by the time the next Classic rolls around in 2009.

 

But Puerto Rico -- rabble on the recent international baseball scene -- relished a reaffirming first round, topping it off with the exclamation mark against Cuba. A 3-0 week matched Puerto Rico's wins in its last 20 Caribbean Series games. Most important, going forward, is how it has won: With pitching, supported by occasional offensive outbursts, and with a developing team cohesiveness.

 

Under Oquendo's master care, the team may only now be jelling. Its progression of Pool C triumphs does suggest that: 2-1, 8-3 and 12-2. Now getting comfortable on this international stage, perhaps even getting Delgado back in the lineup, keeps Puerto Rico a threat.

 

Team Puerto Rico has arguably the soundest, deepest pitching in this bracket. Not only did Javier Vazquez and Joel Pineiro both come through in their starts, but they were one-upped by Dicky Gonzalez's four innings against Cuba. Oquendo has already given all 14 pitchers on his staff a taste of Classic action; 11 of them have thrown shutout ball.

 

Those pitchers shoulder the nation's hope. Puerto Rico wouldn't be able to outslug this group.

 

"I'm really pleased with how aggressive all our pitchers have been," Oquendo said. "Throwing strikes, keeping the ball down, moving it in and out."

 

Dominican Republic: Fearsome. The Dominicans are so deep, they ripped through Pool D without a peep out of Miguel Tejada, Willy Taveras or Alfonso Soriano (2-for-25 combined, both singles by Tejada). Questions about their pitching depth persist but, if that trio wakes up to mix with Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre and David Ortiz, who'll notice?

 

Talk about calling in the reinforcements after the recent Caribbean Series loss to Venezuela. Dominican manager Manny Acta is disappointed to not be able to add a grieving Vladimir Guerrero to his lineup, but Acta gets no sympathy from his trembling opponents.

 

With Bartolo Colon, who will lead off the Round 2 rotation as well, and Daniel Cabrera having been so sharp in their Pool D starts, left-hander Odalis Perez becomes the key in a schedule without letup.

 

But for the Dominicans, it's all about scoring runs. The rule in this round -- mindful of tie-breaking procedures -- will be: The more, the better. And a team which totaled 23 runs in running the Pool D table clearly has the potential to be even more productive.

 

"Every game we had a different hero," Acta said, "so different people contributed to those three different wins. I hope that Alfonso Soriano and Miguel Tejada wake up for the next round and they contribute more."

Venezuela: The Classic may not be a classic short series, in which typically pitching makes the difference. But if that rule of thumb holds, Venezuela is a team to fear. When your weak link is Johan Santana, the prospects can be intimidating.

 

Stat lines, of course, relate only a partial story. And Santana, the 2004 American League Cy Young Award winner, did a superior job in allowing only one earned run to the Dominicans in the Pool D opener, even though Venezuela followed that up with consecutive shutouts of Italy and Australia.

 

Modest offensively, managing only eight runs in the two blankings, Venezuela has to be the pool's most fundamentally sound team to contend. Fortunately, that's Luis Sojo's game, and the Venezuelan manager appears to have the team prepared to meet the challenge.

 

As pitcher Carlos Silva said of having to rely on the little things, "The good thing is that we're pitching good and we're playing good defense. And when you pitch good and you play good defense, you are always going to have a chance to stay in the game."

 

Miguel Cabrera can use some help after doing his part in the opening round. There may not be enough pitching or glove to overcome another quiet series by Bobby Abreu and Magglio Ordonez, who managed only four singles in 23 at-bats in Pool D play. Station-to-station ball will not impress this crowd.

 

Marquee Matchup: Yulieski Gonzalez vs. Ortiz. This meeting between the Cuban left-hander and the Dominican Papi may not actually happen in Monday's afternoon game (although Gonzalez's quick removal from Friday's start suggested he was being groomed for spot-relief duty). But the point is the clash between the Cuban staff and the Dominican Republic's gauntlet of big-league smashers, which will define Cuba's place in the baseball lineup.

 

Sleeper: Michel Enrique. The Cuban third baseman has been too busy getting hit (four times) to hit, but he is a sensational talent capable of going on a diet of three-hit games if he starts getting some mistake pitches.

 

Fearless Forecast: Dominican Republic, too much talent, too bad for teams in its way. Puerto Rico's dream is prolonged, as the partisan crowd wills them to at least one huge upset. Cuba and Venezuela can still go to San Diego, but they'll need a travel agent.

 

All four of these teams may be better than anyone in pool one. It's going to be fun to watch.

 

My predictions:

 

Cuba: 2-1

Dominican: 2-1

Puerto Rico: 1-2

Venezuela: 1-2

 

I don't see anyone going undefeated.

Edited March 12, 2006 by Buehrle>Wood

[Gene Honda Civic]

All four of these teams may be better than anyone in pool one. It's going to be fun to watch.

 

My predictions:

 

Cuba: 2-1

Dominican: 2-1

Puerto Rico: 1-2

Venezuela: 1-2

 

I don't see anyone going undefeated.

From what I've seen Cuba could go 0-3. They're not nearly as talented as DR and VEN, and are on about the same level as Puerto Rico, who smoked 'em 12-2 in 7 innings.

 

DR and VEN advance.

[Buehrle>Wood]

Cuba: 2-1

Dominican: 2-1

Puerto Rico: 1-2

Venezuela: 1-2

 

I'd say I was pretty accurate.