March 07, 2006
Upset in the Making?
Pool D is set up just the opposite of Pool A in terms of scheduling. In the opening round in Japan, the two strong teams did not meet until the last game, and by that time both had wrapped up a trip to the second tier of the tournament. Pool D, however, has the Dominican Republic and Venezuela facing off in the first game. Given that the chances of a tie are slim, one of them is going to be down 0-1 after a game. Looking at the rosters for Venezuela and the DR, I wouldn't be surprised if the loser was the Dominican Republic.
In a three game round robin, an initial loss puts a team on the brink of elimination. After Colon, the Dominican pitchers aren't that good. If the winner of the Italy-Australia game gets lucky against the DR, suddenly a lot of all-stars are headed back to spring training. We all know how lucky teams can be over a 162 game season. In one game, absolutely anything can happen.
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Posted by David Pinto at
10:47 AM
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World Cup
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I like VEN today with Santana on the mound and K-rod closing. Not sure what shape Colon is in but early in spring training i could see him being out of shape. That DR lineup looks incredible, but I'll take pitching today.
I suppose it doesn't make too much of a difference because of the quality of the players, but nearly the entire DR offense hits righty. The only non-righties are switch hitter Jose Reyes and lefty David Ortiz.
No lefty or switch hitter on the bench either. Of all the teams in the tournament, the DR and Panama are the most lopsided in that respect (I think).
I know the entire team rakes, but will this be at all exploitable?
You guys are underestimating Venezuela's lineup. With guys like Mig. Cabrera and Abreu... I might flip Ordonez and Hernadez around in the 5-6 spots; but as is, the heart of the Ven. order is fiersome.
And as stated, their pitching is clearly superior.
On paper, it looks pretty lopsided.
I'm curious about the tie game rule - you mention its not very likely, but how does the possibility effect manager's decisions later in the game? Could we see tie games because of strategy choices?
