World Baseball Classic semifinal: United States vs. Japan
By VICTOR RYAN
United States vs. Japan (+100, 9)
Roy Oswalt vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka
Pitching Change
USA manager Davey Johnson has elected to start Roy Oswalt against Japan, even though it is Jake Peavy’s turn in the rotation. Peavy was pasted by Venezuela in his last start and has a 14.40 ERA in the Classic. Oswalt pitched four scoreless innings in the Americans’ 9-3 win vs. the Netherlands last week and has a solid 3.52 ERA for the tournament. Peavy would start Monday’s final on an extra day’s rest if the US should make it that far.
"It's because of pitch count and where they're at this point in Spring Training," Johnson told MLB.com. "And Roy seemed to be farther along than Jake. Either choice was fine with me. I decided to go with Roy and come back with Jake, give him extra time."
Oswalt said Friday he was anxious to faceoff with the Japanese and their ace Daisuke Matsuzaka.
“Japan has (four) hitters who play in the big leagues, so we have a little bit of a scouting report on them,” Oswalt said. “The other guys fill out the game as it goes, and I’ll try to pitch to my strengths and adjust from there.”
Oswalt also indicated he could go the 100-pitch limit enforced in the final round if needed.
Matsuzaka is an ominous challenge for the Americans. ‘Dice-K’ has been brilliant over two WBC’s, going 5-0 with a 1.57 ERA. He has pitched 10 innings at this WBC and has 13 strikeouts with a 1.80 ERA.
Dealing with Injuries
Japan suffered its first significant injury of the tournament in its 6-2 win over Korea Friday. Shuichi Murata, Japan’s main offensive threat, tore his hamstring while running the bases and has been sent back home. A two-time home run king in Japan, Murata was hitting .325 with 7 RBI’s and his two home runs were half of the team’s total.
On the other hand, the Americans have been ravaged by injuries. Chipper Jones, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and pitcher Matt Lidstrom have all been lost, and Ryan Braun and David Wright are nursing injuries that have them nowhere near 100 percent. Evan Longoria is replacing Jones on the roster for the finals.
How They Got Here
The USA earned a berth in the finals with a dramatic come-from-behind 6-5 win over Puerto Rico in Miami Wednesday night. The win came just four days after Puerto Rico embarrassed the Americans with a mercy-rule win.
David Wright’s two-run single in the ninth won it for the Americans. Wright called it the biggest hit of his career.
“Getting a crack at a team that embarrassed us a few days earlier, to have the resiliency to bounce back in the ninth and steal one from them was pretty big,” said Wright.
The Americans are 4-3 overall in the tournament. They ended the semifinal round with a 10-6 loss to Venezuela Thursday.
Japan brings in an overall record of 4-2. That includes a four-game split with rival Korea. Japan advanced to the finals as a top seed by beating Cuba 6-0 and Korea 6-2.