Cuba edges U.S. in thrilling quarterfinal
Baseball Betting Lines
07/31/2010 -
Thunder Bay, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a dramatic quarterfinal matchup, one
can only imagine what else is in store for the final weekend of the World
Junior Baseball Championship.
Omar Luis threw nine solid innings in a gutsy 144-pitch effort to shutdown a
dangerous United States lineup as Cuba held on for the 3-2 victory in a
thrilling game featuring two of baseball's biggest powerhouse nations.
"This was fun to watch, the fans brought some excitement here," said U.S.
hitting coach Brian McRae. "Anytime Cuba and United States play it's going to
be a good ballgame and today was no different."
"I was glad to be a part of it."
Luis (2-0) battled through a shaky ninth to hold on for the victory, earning
Cuba a date in the semifinals versus Australia.
The Cuban lefty, who threw 137 pitches against Canada earlier in the
tournament, turned in another captivating performance in front of a sell-out
crowd at Port Arthur Stadium.
"He's got a rubber arm and he just battles," said U.S. outfielder Michael
Lorenzen. "Good for him, I'm proud of him."
Lazaro Hernandez' ninth-inning triple off lefthanded reliever Philip Pfeifer
(0-1) to score pinch runner Lazaro Ramirez gave the Cubans a 3-2 lead that
proved to be the difference.
"We worked hard for this game; this game was very important," said Luis. "We
are happy and we are ready to go straight ahead to the championship."
Lorenzen's two-out double in the bottom of the ninth gave the U.S. new life and
kept fans riveted on the edge of their seat.
After hitting second baseman Tony Wolters in the back of the head to put the
winning run on first, Luis gave up a single to shortstop Francisco Lindor to
load the bases and set the stage for a dramatic ending.
But in a game with several twists and turns, the ending proved anti-climatic.
Marcus Littlewood grounded into a game-ending fielder's choice to hand the
Cubans the win and send the Americans, who went 5-0 during group play, home
earlier than anticipated.
"It's disappointing because you don't want to spend five weeks getting ready
for this and all the work you put into it and not reach your goal," said McRae.
"Our goal was to get to the gold medal game and hopefully win a gold medal.
"That didn't happen and it's frustrating but this was an awesome ballgame."
In control for long stretches of the game, Luis used a deceptive delivery and a
breaking ball with late movement to keep a strong U.S. attack off balance. At
one point retiring 11 straight U.S. batters, Luis gave the Cubans the marquee
performance they needed to knock off a star-studded American roster.
And yet despite allowing 10 hits while walking a pair with five strikeouts,
Luis' warrior-type performance will be remembered for years to come.
"We had them on the ropes and we couldn't take advantage," said McRae. "He was
able to wiggle himself out of some jams and when we started to mount a little
bit, he seemed like he could make a pitch and do something to keep us from
inflicting some damage on him. He did a good job."
As did his counterpart, U.S. starter A.J. Vanegas.
The 6'3" righthander was lights out against a menacing Cuban lineup, locating a
live fastball with a dipping curveball on his way to 13 strikeouts while
allowing just five hits and two runs over eight innings.
"A.J. was outstanding," said McRae. "We had the right guy on the mound and we
just weren't able to get the big hits."
That ended up being the difference, as Guillermo Aviles' first-inning, home run
and back-to-back Cuban doubles in the fourth were the only blemishes in an
otherwise terrific outing by one of the Americans' top young arms.
"It's bittersweet but it's just a blessing to be out here," said Vanegas
following the devastating loss. "Our team just came short today and it happens
in baseball. We gave it our all. We were down to our last strike and I'm just
so proud of my teammates that they battled their hearts out."
"It's just a blessing to play the game."
With Cuba leading for most of the game, the U.S. tied it up at two in the
eighth, after second baseman Yamil Rivalta was unable to corral a hard hit ball
from Bubba Starling that scored Wolters.
But after steamrolling through group play and drawing a tough opening round
opponent, all the U.S. can do now is think what could have been.
Lorenzen brought his top game today as he has all week, going 3-for-4 with a
run batted in to bring his tournament total to 12-for-17 with eight RBI before
consolation play.
"We've learned a lot on this trip and we've learned a lot about ourselves,"
said Lorenzen. "Nobody likes to lose, especially in a game like this. I don't
think anyone fell short...they just came out on top."
GAME NOTES
Lindor went 1-for-5 today, giving him 12 hits on the tournament, which is tied
for tops among the Americans with Lorenzen...Aviles' home run was his second of
the tournament and the hit increased his team-leading total to nine.
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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