Puerto Rico Pulls Off the Upset

Jose Cruz Jr. went three for five with three RBIs and four Puerto Rico pitchers combined to shut down the Dominican Republic in a 7-1 victory in the second round of the World Baseball Classic on Sunday night at San Juan.

Pitchers Javier Vazquez, Jose Santiago, Kiko Calero and J.C. Romero combined to limit the Dominicans to one run and six hits.

“Who’s got more pitching? Who’s got more hitting? You have to show that on the field,” Vazquez said. “Everyone knows the Dominicans have great hitters and there’s no doubt about it. But I hope that the people who had doubts about our pitching staff start to recognize that we too have good pitching.”

Angel starter Bartolo Colon matched Vazquez in the early going, allowing one run and four hits in five innings, but Puerto Rico roughed up reliever Damaso Marte in the sixth.

Carlos Beltran walked and Javy Lopez doubled to open the inning. Cruz then drove in both runners with a base hit and went to second on a throwing error by center fielder Willy Taveras. He went to third on Jose Valentin’s single and scored on Alex Cintron’s bunt hit to give Puerto Rico a 4-1 lead.

Valentin had a two-run single in the seventh to extend the lead to 7-1.

Cuba 7, Venezuela 2 -- Ten-time Gold Glove winner Omar Vizquel missed a double-play opportunity and gave up an additional out on a fielder’s choice, and Cuba capitalized with a five-run sixth inning in a second-round victory at San Juan.

“Our players wanted to come back strong after losing in a mercy-rule game and they came through,” Manager Higinio Velez said.

The Cubans lost to Puerto Rico, 12-2, in their last game of the first round, but already had clinched a berth in this round along with the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

Frederich Cepeda hit a three-run home run and Ariel Pestano followed with another as the Cubans broke out after Johan Santana departed after the fifth inning.

With Cuba ahead, 1-0, right-hander Giovanni Carrara replaced Santana, the ace of the Minnesota Twins who threw 67 pitches, 13 short of the 80-pitch limit for this round.

Leadoff hitter Eduardo Paret sparked the rally with a four-pitch walk and a stolen base. Michel Enriquez rolled a single over second base to score Paret and Yulieski Gourriel flied out to left field.

Designated hitter Osmani Urrutia hit a grounder to the left of Vizquel, who was unable to step on second before Enriquez reached safely, and then was too late to throw out the runner at first.

Carrara got a groundball to second from Yoandri Garlobo for a potential inning-ending double play. Second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo tossed the ball to Vizquel for the first out, but the shortstop could not get a grip on the ball to throw to first, and Cepeda followed with his three-run drive.

Venezuela scored in the seventh inning on Endy Chavez’s home run to right field with Alfonzo on second.