Michael Saunders homered and Canada scored four runs in the eighth inning to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 on Tuesday in an exhibition game ahead of the World Baseball Classic.
Saunders, the Seattle Mariners outfielder making his WBC debut for Canada, hit a solo shot in the fourth inning to tie the game at two.
More Related to this Story
Canada then took advantage of Brewers reliever Michael Gonzalez to go ahead for good in the eighth.
Tyson Gillies singled in Adam Loewen with the bases loaded to tie the game at four, the Canada took the lead after Gonzalez walked Jonathan Malo to score another run.
Canada added two more when Jimmy Van Ostrand scored Pete Orr, and Gillies made it 7-4 after scoring on a wild pitch from Gonzalez.
Canada?s John Axford, the Brewers? regular closer, pitched the ninth for the save.
Outfielder Khris Davis had Milwaukee?s lone homer of the game, a deep shot to left-centre field off reliever Andrew Albers that put the Brewers ahead 4-3 in the seventh.
Jameson Taillon, who is making his WBC debut for Canada and will start Sunday against the United States, started the game. He allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks through 2 2/3 innings of work.
Canada struck first in the third inning. Orr and Gillies each hit safely and Tim Smith walked to load the bases. Brewers starter Chris Narveson then walked Justin Morneau on a full count, giving Canada a 1-0 lead and ending Narveson?s day.
Milwaukee took a lead of its own in the bottom of the third. Rickie Weeks doubled in shortstop Jean Segura, then the speedy Brewers second baseman scored on a single by centre-fielder Carlos Gomez. That was the fourth straight hit Taillon allowed, knocking the highly regarded Pittsburgh Pirates prospect of the game in favour of Scott Mathieson.
After Saunders? homer, Smith showed some surprising speed for a designated hitter that paid off in a run to give Canada a 3-2 lead in the fifth. After earning a walk, Smith stole second then took third after an error by Brewers reliever Wily Peralta, who threw wide trying to pick off Smith.
Smith scored after Peralta threw a wild pitch on a 3-0 count that Toronto third bacseman Brett Lawrie had to dodge, putting Canada back in the lead.
Milwaukee tied the game at three after Canada?s Shawn Hill, who is set to start against Italy on Friday, walked two batters and hit one to load the bases before Gomez hit an RBI groundout that scored right-fielder Norichka Aoki.
?These two exhibition games are for us to get some work in,? said Canada?s manager Ernie Whitt before the game. ?Get some of the players who haven?t been in spring training to get the cobwebs out and see some live pitching, and we?ll go from there.?
Notes: The game was played at Maryvale Baseball Park, the spring home of the Brewers. ... Milwaukee has four players competing for Canada. Axford, second baseman Taylor Green and reliever Jim Henderson are on Canada?s squad, as well as prospect outfielder Rene Tosoni. ... Canada plays the Cincinnati Reds in their second exhibition game Wednesday night. Canada opens the WBC against Italy before facing Mexico on Saturday and finishing against the United States. ... U.S. manager Joe Torre announced Texas Rangers lefty Derek Holland will start against Canada.
More Related to this Story
purple squirrel blade runner close encounters of the third kind beyonce and jay z baby droid 4 tom brady sister dad shoots daughters laptop
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.