A benches-clearing brawl at today’s World Baseball Classic game between Mexico and Canada appeared to begin when Dodgers third baseman Luis Cruz signaled for a hit batter.
Don Mattingly has openly joked about getting Nick Punto back in camp next week. He didn’t think Team Italy had a long future in the World Baseball Classic. He wasn’t alone.
On a day off for Hanley Ramirez and Ronald Belisario, the other three Dodgers in the WBC — Luis Cruz, Adrian Gonzalez and Punto — were busy pulling off upsets. Italy beat Canada, 14-4, and Mexico stunned the United States 5-2.
Punto went 2 for 4 with a double and scored twice. Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs and Cruz put Mexico up 5-1 with a sacrifice fly off Glen Perkins in the fifth inning. As Ice Cube once said, “it was a good day.”
Unless you’re the U.S., that is. The Americans play the Italians today and momentum is not in their direction. Italy beat Mexico on Thursday and can eliminate the U.S. from advancing to the semifinals with a win.
Continue reading “Daily Distractions: WBC upsets, Dodgers draw scouts, SABR.” »
When Adrian Gonzalez was traded to the Dodgers last August, no one could have known what that would mean for reliever Javy Guerra.
Gonzalez asked Guerra if he would join Team Mexico on Saturday after reliever David Hernandez was ruled ineligible and switched teams, from Mexico to the United States. Guerra readily accepted after getting permission from Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.
It’s something he might not have been able to do without Gonzalez, the team captain for Mexico.
Luis Cruz is one of five Dodgers competing in the WBC. Keith Birmingham/Staff Photographer
Dodgers third baseman Luis Cruz will leave camp tomorrow to train with Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. So will first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
Hanley Ramirez is leading off for the Dodgers today against the Seattle Mariners and tomorrow he’ll be wearing the uniform of the Dominican Republic. Today, Ronald Belisario is a middle reliever; tomorrow he becomes a closer for Venezuela. Nick Punto will be wearing the colors of Team Italy.
The Dodgers’ five World Baseball Classic participants might be gone for eight days. They might not be back for another 18. It’s a weird time to stage a major international baseball tournament with major-league players, but that’s another topic for another day: It’s here and Cruz has been gearing up for the moment for a while.
Continue reading “Looking ahead to the World Baseball Classic: Luis Cruz” »
A year ago, a stomach bug ripped through the Dodgers clubhouse in spring training, sidelining players and reporters alike for a couple days at a time.
Dodgers third baseman Luis Cruz had a nasty one earlier this week, with the worst of his symptoms coming Tuesday morning. He’s back in the lineup this afternoon against the Angels.
Cruz doesn’t believe this will be a repeat of last year’s team-wide ailment, however. He said Thursday that he’s “pretty sure” he got sick by eating at a local organic seafood restaurant with his family Monday night. Cruz ordered the soup.
