Dr. Mattalino's travels with USA Baseball in Puerto Rico, October 2010- Entry 5

On October 6th, Team USA finished 5-0 in Pan Am Qualifier Pool Play. USA defeated Panama in the final qualifying game with a final score of 10-2. With this win, Team USA advanced to round 2 of the Pan Am Qualifying games in Puerto Rico.

*Highlights of this game as well as the schedule for Round 2 are below.

DUFF’S ENOUGH: Left-hander Danny Duffy started for Team USA tonight and turned in five solid innings for the victory, giving up four hits and only a single run over that span. Duffy (1-0) pitched in Northwest Arkansas (AA) in the Kansas City Royals organization this season. Royals GM Dayton Moore was in attendance for the second night in a row.


COACHES CORNER: Chicago White Sox Minor League pitching coordinator Kirk Champion begins his fourth stint as pitching coach for Team USA. Champ, as he is known, won gold at the 2009 IBAF World Cup in Europe, took home silver at the 2001 World Cup in Taiwan, and he helped lead the U.S. pitching staff at the 2006 COPABE Olympic Qualifier in Havana, Cuba. Champ enjoys pretzels and Werthers caramel candies on team bus rides.

TROUT BREAKS OUT: USA center fielder and Angels farmhand Mike Trout continued his torrid hitting. Trout went 3-for-6 with a HR, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and a stolen base. In four games, Trout is 9-for-16 with six runs scored and four RBIs, good for a .563 average. The 19-year-old Trout, the Angels 2009 first round pick, hit .341 in 131 minor league games this year, stealing 56 bases and scoring 106 runs.

WHATTA RELIEF: Three U.S. relievers combined to pitch the final four innings. Bryan Henry (1 ER), Bruce Billings and Justin De Fratus scattered just three hits over the final four frames to lead the U.S. to its fifth straight victory and first place in its pool.

TODAY’S OTHER ACTION:
Canada 10 – Netherlands Antilles 1
Dominican Republic – Aruba – PPD
Argentina – Nicaragua – Late

ROUND 2 SCHEDULE SET FOR PAN AM QUALIFIER

Team USA to open against Nicaragua at 7:30 p.m. EDT in Ponce

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The local organizing committee for the 2010 COPABE Pan American Qualifier released the event schedule for Round 2 and the medal rounds, Thursday night. The schedule for Team USA is as follows for Oct. 8-13:

Round 2

Oct. 8 - Nicaragua, Paquito Montaner Stadium, Ponce, Puerto Rico, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Oct. 9 - at Venezuela, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2:00 p.m. EDT
Oct. 10 - at Canada, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2:00 p.m. EDT
Oct. 11 - Cuba, Paquito Montaner Stadium, Ponce, Puerto Rico, 7:30 p.m. EDT

Medal Rounds

Oct. 12 - TBD, Semifinals, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Oct. 13 - TBD, Finals, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico

The United States enters Round 2 action 3-0, as it brings with it only the victories against the other three advancing teams from its preliminary pool (Domincan Republic, Puerto Rico and Panama). The eight advancing teams (four from each of the two opening round pools) will take these three-game preliminary records and add them to their four-game records from the second round to create a new, seven-game record. From there, the teams are ranked 1-8. The top four advance to the medal rounds, Oct. 12-13. Additionally, the top seven finishing teams will join host Mexico in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara.


Please visit www.USABaseball.com for more information. As a note, Internet availability is expected in Ponce and San Juan, and therefore live scoring for each game can be followed at www.USABaseball.com as well.