PHOENIX — There is no time for the Canadian national team to dwell on yet another loss — an embarrassing mercy-rule setback no less — to Italy at the World Baseball Classic.
Sure Friday’s 14-4, eight-inning setback in the tournament opener stings, and leaves the squad facing a daunting road to qualify for the second round, but all they can do is try to beat Mexico on Saturday afternoon and the United States on Sunday, and hope everything falls right afterwards.
Sulking about what happened, and how Russ Martin or the injured Brett Lawrie might have changed things will only expedite Canada’s departure.
Italy, on the other hand, is in the driver’s seat at 2-0, following a surprising 6-5 win over Mexico on Thursday in the Pool D opener with a tidy performance against the Canadians. The European champions can win the group by defeating the U.S. on Saturday and keeping them from advancing won’t be easy.
The Canadians have certainly seen enough of them, with the 6-2 loss to Italy at the ’09 Classic in Toronto hanging over the program and this one only adding to it.
Their strategy was questioned last time, as Canada started Vince Perkins with the aim of saving top starter Scott Richmond for a do-or-die match against Venezuela that they never made it to, and there will be more second-guessing this time.
With the aim of saving some arms for the second round, manager Ernie Whitt decided to limit his starters to 49 pitches or less to keep them from having to rest four days before their next outing.
That led to starter Shawn Hill’s departure with two out and one on in the third, replaced by Scott Mathieson who surrendered a walk to Anthony Rizzo, Alex Liddi’s RBI single that put Italy up 2-1, and then a three-run blast by Chris Colabello that opened things up.
Canada responded in the top of the fourth by putting on its first two batters, but with slop-tossing left-hander Chris Cooper and the right-handed hitting Chris Robinson up, Whitt controversially called for a sacrifice bunt even though the next two hitters were both southpaws.
Adam Loewen promptly struck out and Pete Orr flew out in foul territory to end the threat.
The Canadians didn’t threaten again until the sixth, after Mario Chiarini’s sacrifice fly extended Italy’s edge to 6-1, when Loewen’s run-scoring groundout ended reliever Chris Cooper’s streak of 5.2 scoreless innings against Canada dating back to ’09, and the seventh, when Michael Saunders’ two-run single made it 6-4.
With the chance to do further damage, pinch-hitter Tim Smith struck out against reliever Brian Sweeney to end the frame, and Italy fired back with a three-spot in the seventh off Phillippe Aumont, who coughed up an RBI single to Chiarini and two-run double to Drew Butera with two outs.
The end came in the eighth, when the Italians scored five and twice celebrated the mercy rule win. Initially, it looked like a grand slam by Mike Costanzo clinched it but his drive was ruled a ground-rule double upon review, delaying the inevitable.
Chiarini’s liner to the outfield sealed the deal.
Canada’s fate now rests on Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Chris Leroux of Mississauga, Ont., who starts against Mexico’s Marco Estrada of the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday.
They have to turn the page immediately on one of the ugliest moments in national team history.
