Orioles to Face a Cuban Squad Lacking Power

The Cuban team the Baltimore Orioles will face in Havana today will feature power pitchers and speedy baserunners but will be lacking some of the island’s best power hitters, according to the 27-man roster the island’s sports ministry released last week.

“Our team will be very fast, with a tactical stress on using speed for offense, as well as fast pitchers,” senior Cuban baseball official Benito Camacho said.

Three of the top six base-stealers in Cuban history--infielder Enrique Diaz and outfielders Luis Ulacia and Jose Estrada--are on the team, as is veteran third baseman Omar Linares who, at 31, is widely considered to be the best amateur player in the world.

Also on the team is second baseman Yobal Duenas, who led the Cuban league with a .418 average this season, and power-hitting outfielder Oscar Machado, who had 24 homers and a record 87 runs batted in last season.

Six of Cuba’s projected starters are at least 30, making them older than some of the major leaguers they’re likely to face.

But because the Cubans did not choose players from the four teams that were still participating in the island’s national playoffs as of last week, Orestes Kindelan, Cuba’s home run record-holder, shortstop German Mesa and slugging second baseman Antonio Pacheco were officially left off the squad. But don’t be surprised if they show up in uniform anyway: Cuba, which had used aluminum bats for 22 years, switched back to wood for playoff games last week after agreeing in negotiations with the Orioles that wooden bats would be used for Sunday’s game.

Cuba’s 10-man pitching staff features Jose Ibar, who posted a 42-4 record over the last two seasons; Ciro Silvino Licea, who won 16 of 20 decisions with a 1.85 earned-run average this winter; 25-year-old Pedro Luis Lazo, a hard-throwing right-hander; and rookie Maels Rodriguez, a 19-year-old with a near-100-mph fastball who struck out 120 batters in 108 innings during Cuban league play.

The Cuban team has been training for two weeks at an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Havana, officials said.