MLB top picks for division winners, MVPs and more
It’s still spring training, but MLB season is almost here. Steve Gardner and Ryan Lewis give their top picks for this season and explain why new rule changes could affect how you place your bets.
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PHOENIX — Mark DeRosa didn’t leave Chase Field until 1 a.m. Monday, making calls, plotting strategies.
He didn’t even fall asleep until 4am, still trying to dissect what happened in their gruesome loss to Mexico.
Well, 24 hours later, the American manager is going to sleep like a baby.
Team USA annihilated Canada, 12-1, in seven innings on Monday night, and now need a win Wednesday night over understaffed Colombia for a ticket to Miami for the World Classic quarterfinals. baseball.
They are in complete control of their own destiny without having to worry about tiebreakers, race differentials or race quotients.
Defeat Colombia, and they’re in.
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It would have been different if Great Britain hadn’t shocked Colombia earlier in the day, avoiding the possibility that the American team would have to beat Colombia by more than seven points on Wednesday, but now all they have to do is win.
“We’re definitely in control,” USA captain Mike Trout said. “Obviously when Great Britain won earlier it kind of helped us a bit. But we knew after the loss (to Mexico) we had to win and see what would happen.’ ‘
They showed up Monday relaxed, confident and quickly came out and vented all their pent up frustrations on Canada while DeRosa could sit back and watch.
“We came in with a bit of bluster,” said Trout, whose first-inning three-run homer opened the game. “I think (the loss to Mexico) woke us up a bit. The message for us was to go out there and bang, be ourselves.’
Tonight, DeRosa didn’t need to watch his pitching team implode before his eyes, and helpless to do anything about it, veteran starter Lance Lynn giving up just two hits in five dominant innings.
“What Lance did tonight was huge,” DeRosa said. “Huge for us to kind of reset the bullpen. It kind of went perfectly.
There was no need to worry that relievers could pitch multiple innings, face multiple hitters, or a pitch count, only needing to use one reliever in Miles Mikolas.
DeRosa simply sat back and watched his team put on a laser show, taking a 9-0 first-inning lead over 19-year-old Canadian starter Mitch Bratt, and never looked back.
“I think the first two games we were just trying to feel each other,” Trout said. “But today we came in just with the mindset that we’re going to dominate.”
The game only lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes, when the mercy rule was implemented in the seventh inning.
Really, it was exactly how DeRosa had scripted the game.
“It starts and starts on the mound,” DeRosa said before the game. ” It’s always like that. It sets the tone. I just want to top first with a chance of this attack exploding. I think they are ready. I really do.”
Lynn pitched a 1-2-3 first inning and the lineup responded by going: singles, walks, walks, two-run doubles, sacrifice fly, walks, singles-to-score, scoreless, triple-to-scores, and three-run homer points.
It was a real beating, showing the baseball world just how deadly their lineup can be, producing two doubles, two triples, two home runs and 22 total bases.
The message?
“It was to go out and dominate,” said American infielder Tim Anderson. “That’s what we did throughout the roster. Being in line with so many guys, you don’t really have to do too much. The whole point is really just to pass the stick.
And we just kept pouring it on them.
Everyone in the starting lineup except outfielder Kyle Tucker produced at least one hit, led by Anderson and wide receiver JT Realmuto’s two hits.
Everyone in the lineup made at least one run except Mookie Betts, led by Trout’s three RBIs.
Everyone in the lineup except Tucker and Realmuto scored at least one point, with five players scoring two points.
Team USA will have a day off Tuesday and another Thursday if they advance to the quarterfinals.
Certainly, the United States has flaws, which were exposed in their ugly loss to Mexico. They don’t have Cy Young winners on their team. And they could enter the quarter-finals against aces such as Yu Darvish or Japan’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto, even if Shohei Ohtani is skipped; Sandy Alcantara from the Dominican Republic; Julio Urias from Mexico or Marcus Stroman from Puerto Rico.
There’s a reason the United States aren’t the favorites to win the tournament, but after their rout on Monday they have regained their confidence.
Who knows, they might even have found another second baseman in the process? Anderson, the Chicago White Sox All-Star shortstop, played second base for the first time in his professional career and looked like he’d played there his whole life.
“He wants the moment, he has an advantage over him,” DeRosa said.
Anderson went 2 for 3 with a triple, RBI, two runs scored, a walk and flawless defense.
“I’m always here to prove something,” Anderson said, “just to be among the greats. I just have a chance for the world to see what kind of athlete I am.
The White Sox have certainly known about his talent for a long time, but now that he’s on a world stage, everyone sees he’s one of the game’s greats.
“During your career,” says Lynn, her White Sox teammate, “you see guys who aren’t afraid of moments. Tim Anderson is fearless.
“He’s been through a lot in his life to be where he is.
“And I don’t think anyone on the mound scares him at any time.”
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Now, with the United States dominating as they had planned from the start, the whole team shares the same sentiments.
Their team charter flight is scheduled for Thursday morning from Phoenix to Miami.
They intend to be on it.
They may have throwing restrictions, individual club requests, or personal requests, but they’re just too talented to go home anytime soon.
“We’re going to find out,” DeRosa says. ” It has to change. And that will no doubt change when we get on that plane to Miami. ”
Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale.