OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball

Subject: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Sat Aug 09, 2008 4:48 am

USA OLYMPIC BASEBALL TEAM SCHEDULE
All times ET

Aug. 8	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 1:30-3:30 a.m.
Aug. 8	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 9-10:30 p.m.
Aug. 9	Opening Ceremonies, National Stadium, 8 a.m.
Aug. 10-11	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 11:15-1:15 a.m.
Aug. 12	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 6-8 a.m.
Aug. 13	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 5:20-6:50 a.m.
Aug. 25	Closing Ceremonies, National Stadium, 8 a.m.
All times ET.

Aug. 13	vs. Korea	LOST, 7-8
Aug. 13	vs. Netherlands	WON, 7-0
Aug. 14	vs. Cuba	LOST, 4-5
Aug. 15	vs. Canada	WON, 5-4
Aug. 18	vs. China	WON, 9-1
Aug. 19	vs. Chinese Taipei	WON, 4-2
Aug. 20	vs. Japan	WON, 4-2
Aug. 22	Olympic Semifinals
Aug. 22	Olympic Medal Round
Aug. 22	vs. Cuba	LOST, 2-10
Aug. 22	vs. Japan - US WON BRONZE	WON, 8-4

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Sat Aug 09, 2008 4:55 am

August 2, 2008
Canada edges out Team USA, 4-3
Team USA and Canada continue exhibition play on Saturday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Recap | Box | Log | Cumulative Stats

CARY, N.C. -- Scott Thorman's two-out double in the top of the 10th inning lifted Canada to a 4-3 win over Team USA on Friday evening at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Friday evening's contest marked the first game for Team USA with the Red, White & Blue and Canada set to play three more exhibition contests before heading to Beijing, China for the Olympic Games.

With the game deadlocked at 3-3 in the 10th inning, Canada's Stubby Clapp reached base on a one-out walk and would then get into scoring position on a stolen base. With two outs and Clapp still on second base, Thorman knocked a double down the right field line to put the Canadians on top by a run. Right-handed reliever David Davidson entered for Canada in the bottom of the 10th inning and set down all three U.S. batters to close out the game.

Canada reliever Steve Green earned the win after hurling two innings and allowing one run on one hit while striking out three batters. USA reliever Jeff Stevens (Berkeley, Calif.) suffered the loss after 1.2 innings of work. He allowed one run on one hit with three strikeouts and two walks.

Things looked good for Team USA early behind starting pitcher Brett Anderson (Midland, Texas). The left-hander looked good on the mound with four scoreless innings of work and allowed just three hits while striking out four and walking only one batter.

The U.S. would go ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out RBI double courtesy of Terry Tiffee (North Little Rock, Ark.). The Red, White & Blue got things started with one out as Dexter Fowler (Atlanta, Ga.) reached on an infield single. With Fowler on second base, Tiffee roped a two base hit down the right field line that scored Fowler to give the U.S. a one-run cushion.

The lead increased to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning as Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) launched a solo homer to left center off of Canadian reliever Rheal Cormier. LaPorta turned on 3-1 pitch from Cormier for his first home run of the summer for Team USA.

With the U.S. holding a two-run lead, the Canadians mounted a rally on the back of three consecutive one-out hits against U.S. reliever Mike Koplove (Philadelphia, Pa.). After a leadoff walk to Emerson Frostad, the Canadians put runners on second and third base on a double from Adam Stern. Canada would then score its first run of the game with a base hit up the middle by Stubby Clapp and took its first lead of the game then on a two-run double from Mike Saunders.

The lead would be short-lived though for Canada as the U.S. tied the game on a solo homer off the bat of Brian Barden (Templeton, Calif.). Barden welcomed Canada reliever Steve Green to the ball game with a solo homer off a 2-2 pitch from the right-hander evening the game at 3-3.

Canada finished with an 8-6 advantage in hits including two apiece from Stern, Clapp and Thorman.

Both teams meet in the second exhibition game of the series on Saturday evening with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Note
Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Pat Gillick will be attending Saturday's game between Team USA and Canada at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Gillick will arrive in Cary, N.C., on Saturday morning and have lunch with all members with the Philadelphia Phillies organization (U.S. Olympic Team players Jason Donald and Lou Marson as well as Auxiliary Coach Roly DeArmas and Team Canada players R.J. Swindle and Steve Green).

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:03 am

August 2, 2008
Team USA downs Canada, 7-2
Third game of exhibition series set for Sunday at 5 p.m.

Recap | Box | Log
Cumulative Stats

CARY, N.C. -- Matt Brown (Bellevue, Wash.) went 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBI and starting pitcher Trevor Cahill (Oceanside, Calif.) worked four scoreless innings as Team USA defeated Canada, 7-2, on Saturday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The U.S. and Canada will meet in game three of exhibition play on Sunday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 5:05 pm at DBAP.

For the second straight day, the U.S. received a quality start, as Cahill allowed just one hit in four innings to pick up the win in a predetermined split. Cahill struck out three and walked one. Canada starter Brooks McNiven suffered the loss after six innings of work allowing six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk.

Team USA wasted no time getting on the scoreboard touching McNiven for two runs in the top of the first inning. Dexter Fowler (Atlanta, Ga.) led off the game with a triple to right center and after a one-out walk to John Gall (Stanford, Calif.) would score on a RBI from Brown. On the play, Canada second baseman Stubby Clapp could not come up clean with the grounder giving the U.S. runners on first and third base. Gall would score Team USA's second run of the inning then off a sacrifice fly to left field from Mike Hessman (Fountain Valley, Calif.).

Brown would factor in the next three runs of the game as he knocked in a run with a two-out RBI single in the third inning that scored Brian Barden (Templeton, Calif.) and followed that up with a two-out RBI triple in the fifth inning that plated both Barden and Gall as the U.S. built a five-run cushion.

The U.S. increased its lead to 6-0 in the top of the sixth inning as Nate Schierholtz (Danville, Calif.) launched a towering solo homer to right field off of McNiven. He would score the U.S.' seventh run of the game in the seventh inning as Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) doubled to left field that brought Schierholtz home all the way from first base.

The Canadians broke the shutout in the eighth inning as Jimmy VanOstrand knocked a solo homer to left field. They would add a second run then as Emerson Frostad tallied a RBI double to cut the deficit to 7-2.

Despite the two runs in the eighth inning, Team USA received a solid outing out of the bullpen from right-hander Jimmy Cummings (Charleston, W.V.) as he went four innings and allowed just two runs on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks. U.S. reliever Casey Weathers (Elk Grove, Calif.) worked a perfect ninth inning to close out the game and a victory for the U.S.

Team USA finished with a 9-4 hit advantage with Brown and Barden leading the way with two apiece.

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:06 am

August 3, 2008
Team USA crushes Canada, 9-1
Schierholtz's grand slam highlights U.S. power surge

Recap | Box | Log
Cumulative Stats

DURHAM, N.C. -- Behind five shutout innings from Brandon Knight and four home runs, Team USA knocked off Canada, 9-1, in the third game of the Road to Beijing Series.

Knight (Oxnard, Calif.) got off to a quick start with a nine-pitch first inning. By the time he exited after the fifth, he had recorded 10 strikeouts, yielding only two hits and one walk.

Sunday marked the first time Knight has pitched since last Saturday for the New York Mets. The righty gave up four earned runs over five innings in a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals. Knight was called up only days after being named to the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team, and following his start in Shea, rejoined Team USA.

The U.S. struck first with a three-run second inning. Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) put Team USA on the board with a solo shot over the centerfield fence. It was the Cleveland Indians prospect's second home run of the series, his first coming in the 4-3 Game 1 loss in Cary, N.C. on Friday.

After a Nate Schierholtz (Reno, Nev.) single, Mike Hessman (Fountain Valley, Calif.) followed with a two-run blast to center. Upon leaving the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, the third baseman was among the Minor League leaders in home runs with 32.

The power surge continued in the third when Terry Tiffee (North Little Rock, Ark.) hit a solo home run off the right field foul pole. Team USA's bats were quiet over the next four frames, but in the eighth, a run-scoring single from Matt Brown (Bellevue, Wash.) opened the flood gates.

After Brown's single, the U.S. loaded the bases and, with a towering blast to right-center, Schierholtz cleared them. The grand slam was his second home run in as many nights for Team USA, and for the game, the right-fielder was 3-4 with two runs scored and four RBI.

Team Canada starter Chris Begg went six innings, giving up four runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Second baseman Stubby Clapp went 1-3 with a run scored. In total, five Canadians had one hit in the game.

The Canadians' run came in the sixth, when Clapp was pushed across following an error by U.S. shortstop Brian Barden (Templeton, Calif.). They threatened again in the eighth, but an attempted tag from third by Ryan Radmanovich was thwarted by a strong throw home from LaPorta.

Team USA pitchers combined for the five-hitter, striking out 15 batters and allowing just the one unearned run.

Notes
Knight recorded six strikeouts in a row at one point, over the second through fourth innings...The Bound for Beijing series finale is tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park...Team USA will leave for Beijing on Tuesday morning (EST) and will land in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon (CST)...Team USA signed autographs for fans before Sunday's game.

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:09 am

August 4, 2008
Team USA throttles Canada in finale
17-5 win gives Olympic Team 3-1 series victory

Recap | Box | Log
Cumulative Stats
• Aug. 4: USA 17, Canada 5 (7 inn.) video Time 3 hr 35 min

DURHAM, N.C. -- Mike Hessman hit two more home runs, and in a seven-inning, 10-run-rule-shortened game, Team USA dismantled Team Canada, 17-5, on Monday evening in the final of a four-game exhibition series.

Hessman's (Fountain Valley, Calif.) second and third home runs of the series came in the fifth and sixth innings of the U.S. rout, pushing the power-hitting club to a 3-1 series win. Team USA registered at least one run in each of the seven innings.

The U.S. sent its final two starters to the mound on Monday night, with Baltimore Oriole prospect Jake Arrieta (Farmington, Mo.) throwing the opening three frames and San Diego State phenom Stephen Strasburg (San Diego, Calif.) hurling the following three innings.

In the top of the first, Terry Tiffee (North Little Rock, Ark.) hit a solo shot that just cleared the fence in right-center. The Los Angeles Dodgers farmhand finished the series as the leading hitter for Team USA with a .500 (6-12) average.

In the second, Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) sent a towering drive over the Durham Bulls Athletic Park's Blue Monster that ricocheted off the side of an office building in deep left for the circuit.

Tiffee continued his hot hitting in the third with a two-run double that fell just out of the reach of a diving Mike Saunders.

Arrieta gave up no hits over his first two innings but came unraveled in the third. After he gave up a walk, sacrifice bunt and a single, Saunders laced a ball to left-center for a two-run double. The Canadian right fielder scored three pitches later on a Scott Thorman single that dropped right in front of LaPorta.

Philadelphia Phillies farmhand Lou Marson (Scottsdale, Ariz.) had an RBI double in the fourth.

Strasburg entered in the bottom-half of the inning to a home crowd that cheered him on only a few weeks earlier when he starred for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. The tall righty wasn't as sharp out of the gate, however, giving up one run on three hits in his opening frame.

Canada's run in the fourth came on a softly hit ball just in front home plate by Emmanuel Garcia. Stubby Clapp scored from third while Garcia was called out at first. The call brought both U.S. and Canada's Managers Davey Johnson and Terry Puhl out of the dugout. Puhl was eventually thrown out of the game, as was Canada's first base coach, Steve Green.

Team USA answered in the top of the fifth, when John Gall (Stanford, Calif.) slapped a two-run single up the right-field line. Gall scored one batter later on Hessman's two-run shot, which nearly hit the famed Durham Bull sign in left.

Marson, Taylor Teagarden (Dallas, Tex.) and Brian Barden (Templeton, Calif.) loaded the bases following Hessman's bomb, and the two catchers scored after Team Canada first baseman Scott Thorman dropped a Tiffee pop fly. Nate Schierholtz (Reno, Nev.) continued his hot hitting, sending a Jonathan Lockwood offering past a diving Thorman, scoring both Barden and Tiffee. Schierholtz was pushed home four pitches later on a LaPorta single to left.

Hessman's home run to left-center was the only Team USA run in the sixth.

Gall ripped an RBI single down the left-field line, scoring Schierholtz in the seventh. LaPorta later scored on a wild pitch after a fielding error by Canadian David Davidson put him aboard.

Garcia led off the Canada half of the seventh with a solo home run to deep right, but Team USA reliever Blaine Neal settled down and retired the side, bringing an end to the game at 17-5 in a 10-run-rule-shortened seven innings.

The U.S. outscored Canada 36-12 over the four-game series, highlighted by 11 Team USA home runs.

Notes: Following the seventh inning, the U.S. and Canada played one exhibition inning so that all pitchers could get work in before leaving the country...Team USA will leave for Beijing on Tuesday morning (EST) and will land in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon in China...Monday's attendance was announced at 2,853.

Subject: All Days - TV & Online Listings - Baseball Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:59 am

All Days - TV & Online Listings - Baseball

Wed, Aug 13/14

6:00a - 9:00a

ONLINE

Preliminary Round-Robin
South Korea vs. USA

10:30p - 1:30a (8/14)

ONLINE

Preliminary Round-Robin
Netherlands vs. USA

Aug 14/15

11:30p - 2:30a (8/15)

ONLINE

Preliminary Round-Robin
USA vs. Cuba

Aug 15/16

10:30p - 1:30a (8/16)

ONLINE

Preliminary Round-Robin
USA vs. Canada

Aug 18

7:00a - 10:00a

ONLINE

Preliminary Round-Robin
USA vs. China

Aug 19

7:00a - 10:00a

ONLINE

Preliminary Round-Robin
USA vs. Chinese Taipei

Aug 20

7:00a - 10:00a

ONLINE

Preliminary Round-Robin
Japan vs. USA

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:47 am

Men's Preliminaries - Game 3
-
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

KOR 8 - 7

USA

Official

Rewind
Match score
Play by play

------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. return to Olympics spoiled by Korea
Posted Wednesday, August 13, 2008 6:54 AM ET

BEIJING (AP) -- Lee Jong-wook hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly with one out and South Korea answered the Americans' ninth-inning rally with one of its own, beating the United States 8-7 on Wednesday night in a thrilling Olympic baseball opener.

Lee Taek-keun's slide home easily beat the throw for the winning run, and he celebrated on his knees for a long while before joining hi jubilant teammates. The South Koreans then tipped their caps to all the enthusiastic fans from their homeland. The supporters were on their feet in the bleachers all night.

The Americans had seemed poised for the comeback victory after Matt Brown hit a go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the top of the ninth, but South Korea rallied against closer Jeff Stevens in the bottom half.

The stunned U.S. players quickly moved through the mixed zone without stopping for interviews, despite nearly two dozen reporters calling for them. The Americans had a quick turnaround to face the Netherlands on Thursday morning.

Pinch-hitter Jeong Keun-woo doubled to start the bottom of the ninth for South Korea, which battered U.S. starter Brandon Knight and pulled off the biggest upset on the first day of the eight-team, round-robin tournament.

South Korea tied it when second baseman Jayson Nix's throw home on Lee's grounder was wide and allowed Jeong to score.

Mike Hessman homered leading off the ninth against Han Ki-Joo, who then allowed a single to Taylor Teagarden and Brian Barden's double for his third hit of the game.

South Korean manager Kim Kyung-moon then turned to Yoon Suk-Min and the Americans lifted Teagarden at third for speedy pinch-runner Dexter Fowler. Yoon struck out John Gall and got Nix to popup before Terry Tiffee's walk loaded the bases for Brown - and his sharp single found the gap in left-center.

Nate Schierholtz also had a solo homer for the U.S. team after hitting four during six exhibition games. The Americans are a medal hopeful after missing out on a bid to the 2004 Athens Games. The U.S. team won gold in Sydney in 2000.

About a dozen pro scouts turned out before heading next door to see to Japanese pitching prospect Yu Darvish against Cuba.

Lee Dae-ho - South Korea's burly and imposing designated hitter - hit a two-run homer and nearly connected again in the fifth with a drive that center fielder Schierholtz caught at the wall. He then hit one just outside the right-field foul pole in the eighth.

The U.S. team, which led 1-0 after the first following Brown's RBI single, left a baserunner on third in the eighth.

Neither manager would announce his starter leading up to the first preliminary game of this eight-team, round-robin tournament - baseball's last before coming off the Olympic program for the 2012 London Games.

When U.S. skipper Davey Johnson and Kim met at home plate minutes before first pitch, they didn't make eye contact until the very last moment for a polite handshake and tip of the cap.

Johnson went with an experienced lineup and started Knight, the oldest player on the American roster at 32. The right-hander was tagged for six runs on eight hits in 4 1-3 innings. He struck out two and walked two.

It was Knight who last month made an emergency start for the New York Mets while Pedro Martinez was gone for his father's funeral in the Dominican Republic.

New York then designated Knight for assignment the next day, allowing him to stay on the Olympic team because he was off the Mets' roster.

South Korea's fans were out in force and overmatched the U.S. fans - waving flags, cheering loudly and banging noisemakers. They even had their own version of scantily clad cheerleaders. A giant inflatable panda mascot danced outside along the baselines before the game.

In earlier games Wednesday, Canada beat China 10-0 in eight innings to spoil the Chinese team's Olympic debut and Taiwan defeated the Netherlands 5-0.

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 5:45 am

08/14 10:30AM

Men's Preliminaries - Game 5
Netherlands vs United States (0-7)

Official

Rewind

Recap

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 5:50 am

Strasburg allows one hit in debut
USA BEATS THE NETHERLANDS 7-0
Posted Thursday, August 14, 2008 2:14 AM ET

BEIJING (AP) -- Not even a downpour or a protest could spoil the Olympic debut of the lone college kid on the U.S. baseball team - even if he had to wait 6½ hours to finally get the win.

Stephen Strasburg carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and struck out 11 Thursday, helping the Americans to a 7-0, rain-shortened victory over the Netherlands. This was a welcome result for a U.S. team coming off a tough opening loss.

Strasburg, who pitches for San Diego State, said this was the longest he's had to wait for a victory.

"I just tried to go out and make quality pitches, that's it," he said. "I didn't really think about, 'Oh, I have a no hitter.'"

The game was called after eight innings following a second rain delay, the warning tracks looking more like wading pools and the outfield too soggy to continue. The Dutch protested the decision because they had loaded the bases in the ninth inning with no outs. But the protest was denied by baseball's international federation.

The players waited in their dugouts and eventually shook hands afterward. The Dutch chose to not to appeal the ruling, but had three hours to change their mind.

In the other morning game, the China-South Korea matchup was suspended with no score in the bottom of the sixth and will resume Sunday.

Next up for the United States is defending Olympic champion Cuba on Friday in a matchup of medal contenders.

"I'm glad they called it when they did," U.S. manager Davey Johnson said. "We've got Cuba tomorrow. It was the right decision. Normally we shouldn't have started (again) when we did because the mound was unpitchable and my guy got into some trouble and he was slipping and sliding. It wasn't a good situation. In the States, they wouldn't have waited over 40 minutes on the second call."

The Dutch (0-2) are managed by Robert Eenhoorn, an infielder who played briefly for the New York Yankees in the 1990s. The Netherlands is still looking for its first run of these games after a 5-0 loss to Taiwan on Wednesday.

"Looking at the whole game, the U.S. deserved to win," Eenhoorn said. "It's just the way the game finished was kind of weird."

Strasburg retired the first 13 batters and didn't surrender a hit until Sharnol Adriana singled sharply to right with one out in the seventh. Strasburg's manager is already comparing the right-hander to Dwight Gooden. His catcher, Lou Marson, compares him to Mark Prior.

"He had very good stuff," Adriana said.

Strasburg was backed by Matt LaPorta's three-run homer and a solo shot by Matt Brown. Jason Donald had an RBI double as the U.S. (1-1) got back on track after losing 8-7 to South Korea on a ninth-inning rally - a game that ended 13 hours before the Americans were due back on the field.

Strasburg figures to be the probable No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft. A large contingent of scouts was in the stands to see him. Strasburg, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, struck out 23 batters for San Diego State during an April game.

"Oooh, he's special," Eenhoorn said. "If it wasn't for the first rain delay, he'd probably still be out there. We never really had a chance. He overpowered our guys."

His strikeout total Thursday was the sixth most in Olympic baseball history and the third-best performance by an American. B.J. Wallace of the U.S. has the Olympic record - 14 in 1992 and Jon Rauch had 13 in 2000, during the Americans' gold-medal run.

Strasburg walked Sidney de Jong with one out in the fifth for his first baserunner.

The game was played in an eerie darkness for a morning game, though a breeze that blew the country flags high above the center-field fence provided respite from the stifling heat and humidity. It rained fiercely starting in the top of the eighth and the umpire finally called for a delay as thunder roared.

Strasburg didn't come back out after throwing 94 pitches, and Johnson wasn't going to use him in the eighth even if he had a no-hitter going.

Several kids in ponchos leaned over the railing above the U.S. dugout throughout the storm holding an American flag along the fence.

The Americans, who had pushed another run across in the seventh when Terry Tiffee scored on Pim Walsma's wild pitch, retreated to their dugout to watch the prodigious downpour. The grounds crew scurried to get the tarp down, the fans cheering them madly all the while.

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 5:54 am

At the moment we're in 5th place. The top 4 qualify for the medal round. Still a lot of baseball to be played though.
_________________
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Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 5:59 am

Neil Blane was pitching the 9th and had a hard time with HARD RAIN AND MUD. He slipped an fell one time pitching and I kept hoping they would stop the game, otherwise he was sure to get injured! Thank God it started lightening and they HAD to stop the game. I watched the last 2 innings live, online.

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:02 am

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:15 am

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:41 pm

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:51 pm

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:53 pm

08/14/2008 5:21 AM ET
U.S. pitcher flirts with no-hitter in win
Americans rebound from opening loss with rout of Netherlands
By Mark Newman / MLB.com

BEIJING -- Stephen Strasburg flirted with a no-hitter and pitched seven scoreless innings, Matt LaPorta hit a three-run homer, and the United States rebounded with a 7-0 rout of The Netherlands on Thursday in an Olympic contest that featured an ending that literally could mean a medal or not.

Rain plagued the game at Wukesong Field 2 after Strasburg left a one-hit masterpiece following the seventh. There were two rain delays each lasting at least 90 minutes, and the game was called off after eight innings following the second wait.

The Dutch protested the decision because they had loaded the bases in the ninth inning with no outs against reliever Blaine Neal. They had lost their opener against Chinese Taipei, 10-0, and desperately needed to put up some runs. The protest was denied by baseball's international federation.

Run differential could be vitally important, because that is a tiebreaker criteria when it comes time to narrow the field from eight teams to four for the semifinals. Teams will be ranked by won-lost record, and the first tiebreaker, if needed, would be head-to-head. If there is at least a three-way tie, the criteria would be run differential, so it is crucial for teams to score as many runs as possible and hold its opponents to as few as possible.

The Americans, who lost a thrilling opener against Korea on Wednesday night, will face traditional powerhouse and reigning gold medalist Cuba in the main field at 11:30 a.m. local time on Friday.

Strasburg, a junior-to-be at San Diego State and a projected high pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, is the only member of the U.S. roster who is not with a Major League organization. If there was any doubt that he is a prime candidate to be the No. 1 overall selection next year, it was removed as he dominated on the international stage.

The right-hander made a statement right away by striking out the side in the top of the first. Then in the second, following a groundout by Sharnol Adriana, Strasburg got Sidney de Jong and Raily Legito to make it five of the first six Netherlands batters to be retired by strikeout.

Meanwhile, Strasburg got the support he needed from Matt Brown. Brown led off the second with a rocket shot over the left field wall, one that rolled all the way to shortstop on the adjacent practice field, stopping about 500 feet away.

Strasburg cruised through the third, retiring Bryan Engelhardt on a groundout to third, striking out Roel Koolen and inducing Danny Rombley into a comebacker. Strasburg struck out two more in the fourth, but the perfect game was lost with one out in the fifth, when Strasburg walked deJong. He proceeded to get Legito looking, and then Engelhardt flied out to keep the no-hitter intact.

It survived until there were two out in the seventh, when Adriana broke through by slapping a clean single to right just as heavy storm clouds rolled in. Strasburg responded by whiffing deJong to end the inning and his outing.

"I went out and tried to locate my fastball down, and move it inside and outside and set up my slider. I was able to do that effectively. I just went out there and tried to compete and keep my team in the ballgame," said Strasburg, whose next start could be on Tuesday night against Chinese Taipei -- depending on how he feels, according to manager Davey Johnson.

The 11 strikeouts were the third-most by a U.S. pitcher in Olympic history. B.J. Wallace had 14 in 1992 and Jon Rauch struck out 13 in 2000, the year the Americans won the gold.

"It was a long day out there," Johnson said. "My guys really played good after a late night. We came back and played real well. Mr. Strasburg did an outstanding job. We were able to get him a lead and allow him to work."

LaPorta, the key player acquired by the Indians in last month's CC Sabathia deal with Milwaukee, provided the comfort zone by clubbing a three-run homer in the fourth. That made it 4-0, and John Gall -- 0-for-5 the night before -- doubled and scored an out later on a double by Jason Donald, the Phillies' Triple-A shortstop.

"The last day has been a roller-coaster ride," LaPorta said. "Against Korea we played a great game, didn't come out on top against them, and we knew The Netherlands would be playing us well. The way Steve was really dealing out there, we knew if we could get runs for him early it would be a benefit."

The U.S. team has not lacked for offense. One slight concern might be at the top of the order, where the leadoff spot is a combined 0-for-10. Gall and Dexter Fowler each went 0-for-5 in that spot, though Fowler did drive in a run with an eighth-inning groundout. And since Jayson Nix's leadoff double in the first game, the No. 2 hole is 0-for-9.

Murray Cook, field operations manager for these Games and MLB's head groundskeeping consultant, said during the second wait that 90 minutes was the "guideline" before a delay would turn into a final. Robert Eenhoorn, The Netherlands manager and infielder on the 1996 world champion Yankees, explained afterward that the International Baseball Federation technical committee never had made that point known in advance, and so he pushed the matter as far as possible.

"Strasburg threw a tremendous game," he said. "We really didn't have a chance -- he had command over all of his pitches. He got the excitement out of the game for us. It felt like there wasn't much to get today.

"Overall, the USA deserved to win. It's just a strange end to the game. That's the only thing I don't feel great about."

The baseball competition will run until the Aug. 22 semifinals followed by the medal games the following day. The Closing Ceremony will be on Aug. 24.

Mark Newman is enterprise editor of MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:55 pm

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:03 pm

08/14/2008 10:00 AM ET
U.S. ready to face off against Cuba
A's prospect Cahill to start against defending gold medalists
By Mark Newman / MLB.com

BEIJING -- It's a long way from Midland, Texas, where Trevor Cahill was spending much of his summer in the Double-A Texas League, to the right-hander's next start, which will occur at 11:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET) on Friday when the United States takes on Cuba in a much-anticipated matchup featuring the last two Olympic gold medalists.

"I know that a lot of places picked them to win these Olympics," Cahill said of the always-respected Cubans. "Getting that challenge to start against them shows they have confidence in me. I have the best matchups, I guess. We'll go over the scouting report and then it's just a matter of me making my pitches."

Cuba has won three of the four gold medals in Olympics history, including the 2004 Games in Athens. The U.S. won the other medal in Sydney in 2000. Both are among the favorites in Beijing, and Cuba made an especially strong first showing with a 4-2 victory over Japan on Wednesday.

That game was a rematch of the 2006 World Baseball Classic final, won by Japan, and this time Cuba was facing the "next Daisuke Matsuzaka" in Japanese ace Yu Darvish. Undaunted, the Cubans touched him for a run in the second and third innings. Alexei Bell tripled and scored on Alfredo Despaigne's single in the second, and then it was a pair of familiar names in the third when Yuliesky Gurriel led off with a double, moved to third on an Alexander Malleta groundout and then scored on Frederich Cepeda's single.

Cepeda and Gurriel were two of the top hitters in the World Baseball Classic. Cuba has little turnover on its national team, so opponents are often familiar with it. That knowledge, however, seems to be of little help.

On Thursday, the U.S. players were leaving the rain-soaked field where they had just beaten the Netherlands, 7-0, while many of the Cuban players, including pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo, were kicked back with their eyes closed, following their late-night victory over Japan, as they awaited their night game against so-far-impressive Canada.

"I remember watching the World Baseball Classic and Cuba," said Cahill. "I was in high school then [in Vista, Calif.], but I was not thinking at the time that I was going to pitch against them one day."

Cahill started once since the U.S. team got together at the beginning of August -- the team's 7-2 victory over Canada in their four-game exhibition series in North Carolina -- before embarking on the Olympic trip. He said Taylor Teagarden, who was up with the Texas Rangers before the U.S. team was assembled, will be his catcher. Cahill was throwing "105 or 110" pitches per start in Double-A and said, "here, hopefully more."

Cahill is 11-5 with a 2.61 ERA this season, starting with Class A Stockton and then dominating the Texas League. He is 6-1 with a 2.19 ERA for Midland, and in one victory over Arkansas on the Fourth of July he was like fireworks to watch, striking out 10 and allowing no earned runs over eight innings.

Under normal circumstances, Cahill would be all about working his way up the A's chain and trying to make a name for himself in the pros. Right now, it is all about the stars and stripes, he said -- and trying to contain that vaunted Cuba lineup, which featured Girobis Duvergel in the leadoff spot against Japan's righty. The U.S. will face Cuba on the Wukesong Main Field, after playing two games on Field 2.

"I just come into something like this thinking that you win as a team," Cahill said, when asked what it's been like to deviate from the intense focus of trying to be a Major Leaguer. "We're not playing for anything else other than winning. I could care less if it's an error or a hit on an individual play, little things. Our objective is to win. There are so many games in the Minors, everyone's going to lose some days. Here, you almost have to win every day, or at least it feels that way."

Cahill said he has seen the U.S. "kind of come together as a team," and especially after what happened in the opener here on Wednesday, when the Americans rallied to take a lead against Korea in the top of the ninth and then lost the game, 8-7, on a miscommunication play and subsequent walk-off sacrifice fly.

"It's good we came out strong against the Netherlands," Cahill said. "Now we need to beat Cuba."

Mark Newman is enterprise editor of MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:22 pm

Guest

No.
Heck no.

Free Tibet, watch the Simpsons! Wink

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:29 pm

Guest

Subject: Re: OLYMPICS NEWS - Team USA Baseball Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:17 pm

Cuba beats the US in 11 using that retarded extra inning rule rant

We're 1-2. We need to get winning if we're going to medal.
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