Spring Training Recap: USA beats Rockies in WBC prep.

The U.S. national team earned its second consecutive double-digit win, defeating the Colorado Rockies 14-4 at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday.

Team USA has outscored its opponents 29-5 in two exhibition games and opens the tournament against Brazil on Friday in Houston.

The U.S. went 14-for-38 against the Rockies, including home runs by Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge, Alex Bregman, Byron Buxton and Will Smith. Ryan Yarbrough had a solid three-inning start, allowing two hits and one run while striking out two.

Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karos homered, and Karos added a sacrifice fly to complete the scoring for the Rockies. Colorado starter Kyle Freeland allowed two hits and one run and struck out one in one inning.

Tigers(ss) 2, Panama 1

Kerry Carpenter hit a home run and Jace Jung had an RBI double to get off to a hot start with a narrow win over the Panama national team in Lakeland, Florida.

The Tigers only had three hits, but took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Jack Flaherty started and recorded the win with three scoreless innings, and Keider Montero finished with three scoreless innings and a save.

Johan Camargo provided Panama’s only run with one of his two hits, an RBI double in the fourth inning. Allen Cordoba went 3-for-4 with three hits.

Nicaragua 2, Cardinals 1

Emanuel Trujillo hit all four of Nicaragua’s home runs in four innings to lead the team past St. Louis in Jupiter, Florida.

Ismael Munguia went 3-for-3 and Mark Vientos went 2-for-4 to spark Nicaragua. Christian Worley pitched the final inning to earn the save against his Cardinals organization.

Andy Yerzy homered to help score St. Louis’ lone run. Matthew Liberatore started for the Cardinals, striking out five and allowing two runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings.

Metz 5, Israel 2

Bae Ji-hwan led New York to victory in the game against Israel held in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with a two-run hit in the eighth inning.

Jacob Reimer and Yohairo Cuevas also had RBI singles in the frame, and Carson Benge, the Mets’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, homered. David Peterson started and pitched three scoreless innings, and Nick Burdi earned the win despite allowing two hits in the inning.

Zach Levenson homered and singled for Israel, and RJ Schreck had an RBI double in the top of the eighth before the Mets rallied.

Netherlands 11, Race 8

Ceddanne Rafaela hit a home run and double in a win over Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte, Fla., sparking a strong start for the Netherlands.

Didi Gregorius, Dayson Croes and Chadwick Tromp all had two RBIs for the Netherlands and added four runs in the first inning and three in the third to take a 7-2 lead. Jamdrick Cornelia earned the win, allowing two runs in one inning.

Seven different Rays had hits and eight RBIs, but none had more than one of them. Brayden Taylor’s double was the only extra-base hit for Tampa Bay, which watched Jake Woodford falter, allowing six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Canada 5, Phillies 3

Abraham Toro’s three-run double lifted Team Canada into four points and sixth place as they bounced back from Tuesday’s loss to beat a fairly strong Philadelphia squad in their final WBC game in Clearwater, Florida.

Tyler Black led Canada with two hits, Rob Zastryzny pitched five scoreless innings and Matt Wilkinson pitched a six-out save while striking out five in the win.

Alec Bohm homered and Johan Rojas added an RBI double for the Phillies. They got a strong start from Aaron Nola on the mound. Aaron Nola pitched three innings, striking out four and allowing one hit.

Twins 6, Puerto Rico 3

Orlando Arcia scored twice in Minnesota’s win over Puerto Rico in Fort Myers, Florida.

Alan Roden had three hits and drove in three runs for the Twins, while 2022 draftee Zebby Matthews earned the win while allowing one run over four innings. Minnesota left 11 runners on base.

Edwin Arroyo had a pair of hits, one of which scored a run in the ninth as Puerto Rico attempted a comeback. Raymond Burgos took the loss, allowing three hits and two runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Braves 9, Colombia 1

Eli White and Sandy Leon hit back-to-back home runs in a five-run third inning in Venice, Florida, helping Atlanta defeat Columbia.

Matt Olson, Michael Harris II and Drake Baldwin each had an RBI and two hits for the Braves, who built a 9-1 lead after three innings. Elieser Hernández recorded the win and set the tone for Atlanta’s pitching, allowing just two hits and nine strikeouts.

Michael Arroyo’s third-inning double scored Colombia’s only run, giving his older brother Carlos a hit. Luis Patino was the losing pitcher, giving up three runs (one earned) in two-thirds of an inning.

Yankees 4, Red Sox 0

Ben Rice homered and had an RBI double as New York blanked Boston in Fort Myers, Florida. Both fighters are somewhat depleted by the WBC roster.

Top Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. also homered as part of a 2-for-4 performance. Lewis Gill recorded the win with 6 strikeouts in 3 innings as the starter.

Former Yankee player Isiah Keener-Falefa led the Red Sox with a 2-for-2 hit and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Garrett Crochet started for Boston, allowing three hits and three runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Astros 4, Orioles 2

No. 3 prospect Ethan Frey homered and James Nelson added a triple as the team beat Baltimore in Sarasota, Florida.

The Astros had just four total hits, but still held a 4-0 lead heading into the final inning. Colton Gordon started and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the win. Amber Santa gets the save.

Weston Wilson and Vance Honeycutt hit consecutive home runs in the eighth inning to break the shutout. Starter Shane Baz struck out five but allowed three runs in three innings.

Dominican Republic 4, Tigers (ss) 4

In the 9th inning, Detroit and the Dominican Republic tied Santo Domingo.

After falling behind 3-1 with only three hits, Detroit took the lead in the ninth inning when Gage Workman and Seth Stevenson gave up three runs in consecutive at-bats. Detroit lost the hit game 5-12 despite the win, with Tigers starter Burch Smith allowing two hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Juan Soto drove in three runs, including a solo home run for the Dominican Republic, and Junior Caminero went 2-for-2 at the plate. Brayan Bello allowed one hit and one run through the first three innings while striking out two.

Reds 19, Cuba 2

Three Reds each hit a three-run home run en route to a dominant win over Cuba in Goodyear, Arizona.

JJ Bleday, Sal Stewart and Noelvi Marte all hit double home runs, while Will Benson and TJ Friedl also joined the multi-hit club. Rhett Lowder pitched the first three innings for Cincinnati, allowing two hits, no runs, and striking out three batters. The Reds finished the game with an impressive 19 hits.

Both of Cuba’s runs came in the fourth inning, when Roel Santos scored on a grounder and Omar Hernández hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Starter Julio Robaina allowed four hits and two runs in two innings.

Angels 4, Italy 3

Jeimer Candelario hit a solo home run and added the game-winning sacrifice fly to lift Los Angeles over Italy in Tempe, Arizona.

Vaughn Grissom singled and Jorge Soler hit a deep shot to help the Angels secure a one-run victory despite the Italians getting two more hits. Starter Mitch Parris allowed five hits and two runs over three innings.

Jon Berti opened the scoring for Italy with a two-run homer in the third, and Vinnie Pasquantino drove in the runs with an RBI double in the fifth. Dante Nori and Jakob Marsee each had two hits. Starting pitcher Gabriele Quattrini pitched three scoreless innings and struck out three.

Diamondbacks 3, Athletics 1

Jacob Amaya drove in all three runs, including a two-run homer, as Arizona toppled the Athletics in Mesa, Arizona.

Tommy Troy, the Diamondbacks’ fourth-ranked prospect, went 3-for-4 and added a stolen base. Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt allowed just one hit in 2 1/3 innings.

Jacob Wilson scored the Athletics’ lone run on a sacrifice fly. The A’s went 6-for-31 at the plate, with Jeffery Springs pitching the first 2 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and striking out four.

Dodgers 7, Mexico 5

Los Angeles gave up three runs in the eighth inning to overcome visiting Mexico in Glendale, Arizona.

Andy Pages, Santiago Espinal and Dalton Rushing each went 2-for-3 with at least one RBI. Tyler Glasnow pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, and four batters before walking out without a run.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. went 3-for-4 and had three of Mexico’s four RBIs. Starting pitcher Brennan Bernardino pitched only one inning for Mexico and allowed one hit.

Cubs 4, Brewers 1

Chicago pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts in the game against Milwaukee in Phoenix.

James Triantos was the only Cup player to have more than one hit. Rookie Edward Cabrera pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out two.

Christian Yelich hit the Brewers’ only solo home run. Starter Brandon Sproat pitched three innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out four.

England 2, Padres 2

Jazz Chisholm Jr. traveled from Peoria, Arizona to UK to highlight the tie against San Diego.

Harry Ford added England’s only run with an RBI single. Sean Boyle got the start and pitched three innings, striking out three and allowing two hits.

Kasen Wells and Tirso Ornelas led the way for San Diego with ground balls and sacrifice flies. Joe Musgrove pitched two innings, allowing five hits and one run while striking out three.

Rangers 13, Brazil 2

Texas hit four home runs and won against Brazil in Surprise, Arizona.

Josh Smith led the game with two extra-base hits and four RBIs, while Cameron Corley and Jake Berger each hit solo hits. Texas went 14-for-31 and opened the game by scoring seven straight runs after the fourth inning. Jacob deGrom made his first preseason start and pitched two innings, allowing three hits and striking out three.

Brazil only scored via solo home runs, with Lucas Rojo and Lucas Ramirez each hitting deep home runs. Starter Enzo Sawayama allowed two hits and one run in two innings.

–Field level media