The Cuban U-23 team debuted in the IV Baseball World Cup with a 5-0 defeat against the Puerto Rican team, at the Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Chinese Taipei.
An anemic offense that was barely able to produce two hits in the seven chapters of the game, and an opposing defense that did not make mistakes and manufactured a couple of double plays, kept the home plate doors tightly closed so that the disciples of former Major League Baseball Juan Igor González They will take revenge for the defeat in the qualifying Pan American.
The Cubans’ starter, Naykel Cruz, abused the Puerto Rican brothers for three and a third innings, a space in which he prescribed six strikeouts with a lethal contrast of his shipments, but in the fourth an error by first baseman Pedro Pablo Revilla took him out of concentration and through that fissure the game escaped.
Three consecutive hits, including an RBI by outfielder Pablo Andrés Sánchez, dynamited the Matanzas mound, and matador Marlon Vega put out the fire, although he could not avoid a sacrifice fly by catcher Víctor Torres that made the register sound again.
The sentence came in the seventh inning when they manufactured a package of three runs, two of them driven by a double by designated Ricardo de la Torre, who sent Vega to the cave, and the other by the lack of control of relievers Andy Vargas and Alex Guerra (both distributed three consecutive walks with a wild pitch included).
Cienfuegos Alain Álvarez’s troops did not take advantage of the lack of control of starter Alexander Castro, who gave away three free passports opening innings before leaving the box in the fourth episode due to a discomfort in her throwing arm, and was handcuffed by rescuer Osvaldo Berrios.
This right-hander, with five seasons of experience in the Oakland Athletics franchise of the Minor Leagues, walked a three-inning route where he eliminated one by the awkward route and only allowed a single on bunt, to take the success of the challenge.
When it came time to pick up the bats, the Cubans managed to congest the pads thanks to a pitch and a couple of walks given by the relievers, but right-hander Sebastián Rodríguez hung the ring on the board prescribing a couple of strikeouts to emerging Carlos Monier and Bryan Gonzalez.
This Friday at the same time (10:00 pm), our national team will face Australia and will have to obtain a positive result to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the super round as one of the three best teams in their group.
