Aquariums In New Orleans - US Tops Puerto Rico In Gio's Dominant Homecoming

Source - http://mlb.mlb.com/
By - Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
Category - Aquariums In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Aquariums In New Orleans

MIAMI -- Gio Gonzalez came home and pitched precisely as advertised for Team USA on Tuesday night in the second round of the World Baseball Classic.

The Nationals left-hander tossed five innings of shutout, three-hit ball and David Wright drove in five runs as the Americans defeated Puerto Rico, 7-1, at Marlins Park in front of a highly partisan U.S. crowd of 32,872. The new home of the Marlins is about 10 miles southeast of Hialeah, Fla., where Gonzalez was born and raised.


The win for the Americans in this double-elimination bracket sets up a Classic match against the undefeated Dominican Republic here on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET, a game that can be seen on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes. The winner of that one earns a spot in the semifinals at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Sunday or Monday.

The Japanese play the second seed from Pool 2 on Sunday and the Kingdom of the Netherlands faces the top seed on Monday. The final game is next Tuesday. All three games are at 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally by MLB Network and ESPN Deportes. Japan won the first two Classics in 2006 and '09.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico plays an elimination game here against Italy on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET., also on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes. The Italians lost to the D.R., 5-4, on Tuesday after squandering a 4-0 lead. The winner of that one remains alive and the loser is out of the tournament.

Gonzalez remained with the Nationals last weekend as the U.S. struggled to make it out of the first round in Phoenix. This was his fourth start of the spring and he looked exceedingly sharp, striking out five, walking none and tossing 69 pitches, 11 under the second-round limit of 80 for a starter.

The U.S. threatened offensively all game against a bevy of unheralded pitchers, stranding nine runners in the first six innings.

The Americans scored single runs in the first, third and fifth and seventh. Joe Mauer doubled home Ryan Braun in the first. Wright drove in the second run with a third-inning grounder and followed that with a bases-loaded, RBI single two innings later. Adam Jones singled home Eric Hosmer in the seventh.

Wright put an exclamation point on the win with a bases-clearing double in the eighth, giving him 10 RBIs in four U.S. games, including a game-winning grand slam against Italy.

A pair of Marlins made appearances in their club's park, but neither played a consequential role in the game. Giancarlo Stanton was back in right field after sitting out the Canada game on Sunday and was on base three times by virtue of a pair of singles and an intentional walk. Miami closer Steve Cishek faced one batter -- Jesus Feliciano -- and hit him. He ultimately scored on an infield grounder.