Team Canada flashes both good and bad in World Baseball Classic warmup loss to Cubs

MESA, Ariz. – Teenager Mitch Bratt confirmed that he can cling. Jared Young delivered the kind of harm wanted from the clean-up spot. Matt Brash got here as marketed and shall be a weapon in the back of the bullpen. Roles for different leverage arms stay unsure. Some messy defence wants cleansing up.

There was each good and unhealthy for Canada to attract from in Wednesday’s 11-7 exhibition loss to the Chicago Cubs, the nationwide crew’s first of two check runs forward of their World Baseball Classic opener Sunday in opposition to Great Britain.

Rob Zastryzny begins Thursday in opposition to the Seattle Mariners within the final probability for supervisor Ernie Whitt and the Canadian teaching employees to type by their puzzle items and construct out their roster image.

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That isn’t a lot time, particularly with the Canadians shortly making an attempt to determine tips on how to get essentially the most out of gamers each younger and previous that shall be counted on to help pillars like Freddie Freeman, Tyler O’Neill and Cal Quantrill.

“We’ve got options,” mentioned Whitt earlier than including aptly that, “everything is subject to change.”

Some of the components started falling into place earlier than a crowd of 8,713 at Sloan Park, beginning with Bratt, the 19-year-old left-hander who pitched at low-A within the Texas Rangers system who shall be tasked with dealing with the defending champion Americans on Monday.

The native of Newmarket, Ont., confirmed no concern of the highlight whereas dealing with big-league hitters for the primary time, working round a two-out single by Ian Happ and a stroll to Trey Mancini in a clear first after which inducing a grounder to second by Eric Hosmer within the second.

Quantrill ran by the lineup with him earlier than the sport and Bratt then rode his cutter and changeup, pointing to a swing and miss by Cody Bellinger forward of a flyout to centre that basically proved to him that his stuff will play.

“I was a little anxious, a little nervous and just excited to get out there and compete,” mentioned Bratt. “But Cal simply mentioned, ‘They’re hitters, they’re going to get themselves out. They may be a little bit more polished, but they’re not going to get a hit every single time.’ That helped calm my nerves and undergo it that manner.”

Quantrill is slated to start out the event opener in opposition to Great Britain, a call made to assist make sure that Canada wins its first sport and in addition strains up the Cleveland Guardians right-hander for the quarter-finals, ought to the crew get there.

The Canadians then lined up Philadelphia Phillies prospect Noah Skirrow to start out Tuesday in opposition to Colombia whereas Zastryzny, the Pittsburgh Pirates lefty, will get Mexico within the first-round finale, and in the event that they win these three video games their journey to the second spherical is booked.

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A win in opposition to the Americans can be good however not important, which led to the choice for the Canadians to save lots of their bullets and go along with Bratt in opposition to the pool hosts. It’s one thing they’ve completed earlier than, with Adam Loewen throwing 3.2 shutout innings in opposition to the U.S. in 2006 and Jameson Taillon practically serving to them pull off one other upset in 2013.

The hope is Bratt, who’ll be underneath a strict 50-pitch restrict for that outing, can handle the sport and provides the Canadians an opportunity.

“You roll the dice, sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t,” mentioned Whitt.

Bratt was so centered on the Cubs outing that he hasn’t thought a lot concerning the looming problem, however mentioned, “I feel like it’s going to kick in in the next little bit.”

“It’s keeping the same mindset, you’re still attacking hitters, still doing everything the same,” he added. “The quality of hitters are going to be very good but as long as I do what I do best, I think I’ll be OK.”

More than OK Wednesday was Young, the hard-hitting lefty who can play throughout the diamond and debuted with the Cubs final 12 months.

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The first selection as Whitt’s cleanup hitter, Young delivered a two-run double in opposition to his personal crew within the first inning, taking Justin Steele off the centre-field wall, perhaps a foot shy of a homer.

“A couple more push-ups and maybe it’s got a chance,” he quipped.

Young additionally laced a grounder to first, walked and lined out to left subject within the eighth with runners on second and third, normally a ball deep sufficient for a runner to tag residence if not for the acquainted face to reel it in.

“Brennan Davis is one of my best friends, and I was like, ‘Ugh, I wouldn’t tag on him either,’” mentioned Young. “He threw a seed to home plate. But it was fun. That’s a game I’ll remember for a long time.”

Whitt likes each Young’s swing and mature strategy on the plate, expertise which have carried the late-blooming 26-year-old from Prince George, B.C., up the system. In the absence of Josh Naylor and Joey Votto, Young is smart within the cleanup spot to take stress off gifted kids like Bo Naylor, Owen Caissie (who impressed with the standard of his at-bats on an 0-for-4 day) and Denzel Clarke and defend Freeman and O’Neill.

“I take great pride in that,” mentioned Young. “Those are unbelievable players you’ve got an MVP and Tyler O’Neill is going to have a Silver Slugger. When you’re behind them, you know you’re going to get pitches that they aren’t, especially in games like this so you’ve got to be ready to go and you’ve got to be aggressive because they’re going to be on base. It’s a great honour and I know I can do it. You put yourself in that situation and if you expect to have success, I think you will.”

Brash, the hard-throwing Seattle Mariners righty from Kingston, Ont., delivered a stress-free fourth and confirmed why he’ll be the crew’s nearer. But how Canada bridges to him is a a lot greater query.

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Trevor Brigden, a righty from Toronto within the Tampa Bay Rays system, threw a clear fifth however gave up three loud outs whereas Curtis Taylor, the Port Coquitlam, B.C. native traded from the Rays to the Blue Jays in 2019 for Eric Sogard and now with the Cubs, gave up a leadoff homer to Bellinger within the sixth and wanted Caissie to throw out a runner at third to finish the inning.

Things received messier from there as Loewen, pitching competitively for the primary time since 2018, gave up a 3 spot on three hits, a stroll, two wild pitches and a handed ball in two-thirds of an inning whereas Evan Rutckyj received tagged for 4 extra runs within the eighth.

Those two innings additionally included Caissie throwing the ball to nobody at second base on Dom Nunez’s triple within the eighth and Dasan Brown bobbling a Kevin Alcantara base hit in left after which shortstop Otto Lopez deflecting a relay throw meant for Abraham Toro at third, erasing an opportunity to get the lead runner at residence.

“It was sloppy,” Whitt mentioned of his crew’s defensive play. “It’s something that we’ve got to clean up.”

An alternative for the Canadians to do exactly that comes in opposition to the Mariners on Thursday, one final probability to work out the kinks earlier than the outcomes begin to rely.

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