Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Email me at btimmermann@gmail.com
Select a date:
Live from Hiram Bithorn Stadium! This game should be live on ESPN Deportes and on ESPN at 11 pm PT.
Round two starts with a game in the San Juan Region between longtime international power Cuba, runnerup in Pool C versus the strong pitching of Venezuela, the runnerup in Pool D.
Cuban manager Higinio Velez, still smarting from a 12-2 pounding by Puerto Rico on Friday, has held off on naming a starting pitcher. The only player you can bank on is second baseman Yulieski Gourriel, who has been Cuba's hitting star in the tournament. He's 4 for 11, but he has two doubles and a home run. Third baseman Michel Enriquez has been hit by pitches four times.
Venezuelan manager Luis Sojo isn't as secretive. He will be sending out Johán Santana as his starting pitcher. Santana gave up two runs, one earned, in 3 1/3 innings against the Dominican Republic. Venezuela's offense has been sputtering a bit considering its level of competition. After scoring five runs against the Dominican Republic, Venezuela scored six against Italy and only two against Australia, despite receiving 12 walks. Venezuela's pitchers gave up just three hits to Italy and Australia.
Cuba won its opener, 8-6 in 11 innings against Panamá and cruised 8-3 past the Netherlands, before Puerto Rico took them to school Friday.
Cuba is going to need to find a pitcher who can hold down Venezuela and somehow find a way to score against Santana, who is a far better pitcher than anyone pitching in Cuba right now.
FINAL SCORE Cuba 7, Venezuela 2
WP - Yadel Marti
LP - Johan Santana
Save - Pedro Luis Lazo
HRs - Frederich Cepeda, Ariel Pestano, Endy Chavez
Cuba manages to scratch one run off of Santana through five innings and then Venezuelan manager Luis Sojo opts to bring in Giovanni Carrara to relieve. Cuba pounces on him for five runs to break the game open and give Cuba a surprising win.
I wish they were more easily accessible. I feel left out.
Like the whole world is in on something and I'm just floating in space.
Alone.
And angry.
You don't have cable in your new place? All the games today except this one will be live on ESPN2.
Santana looked sharp in the first inning.
I have ESPN and ESPN2 and ESPNHD, but no ESPNDeportes. I only get games (usually tape delayed) at like 11:30 p.m.
My cable guide says ESPN2 is showing basketball all day. Hopefully it's wrong.
If it happens, I can assure you I will have been framed.
If so, they should tell my cable system because the digital cable box says that it will be showing a tennis tournament then.
HOWEVER, the evening games between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and Mexico vs. Korea will be on ESPN2.
You will have to tape "The Sopranos" however.
Doesn't matter to me, I'll be at work anyway.
I have to go out to my parents' place to watch HBO because I don't pay for it.
You're working on Sunday?
Meanwhile in San Juan, Martí is having trouble throwing strikes although he just has one walk.
The library is open seven days a week.
Which means that I have a work schedule that dosn't mesh well with others.
This week, I'm working Sunday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday.
I work 5 hours, but it counts for 8 so it's not bad.
I remember when that magic machine broke and your world was turned upside down.
Cuba's pitcher Martí always works from the stretch.
I thought libraries followed the same schedule as the post office. No Sundays.
I think you might be wrong.
In the middle of an episode of "Lost" too! I was ready to fly to New York and firebomb Time Warner's corporate headquarters.
Since we're the big library, we're open Sundays. Just like the big general mail facilities. Go to your local big airport (LAX or SFO). They have post offices open all the time.
We're closed most of the time the Post Office is closed though. But I get a holiday for Cesar Chavez's birthday at the end of the month.
Not that I know of. Most of us are too inept to operate firearms.
Cuba on the board 1-0. Double, infield hit and opposite field single.
Right, compared to the brilliance of your average postal worker.
Right, compared to the brilliance of your average postal worker.
I'd better watch my back.
I'm calm, I'm calm. Everything's cool. We're all just going to be little Fonzies here...
Santana makes Yulieski Gourriel look bad for the second straight time.
54 pitches through 3 innings for Martí.
He doesn't like Robert Parish at all to me.
(kidding, gotcha)
And the people of Boston worship him.
They showed Victor Zambrano warming up.
No hits for Venezuela through four.
Which one?
Aka the one who is good.
The one who sucked is a Cuban refugee.
....Icaros, don't hurt me!! :(
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.