MIAMI, United States. — Armando Johnson, manager of the Cuba team in the fifth World Baseball Classic, tried to take weight off the first defeat against the Netherlands and assured that the team will fight to advance to the next round.
In a post-game press conference, the former coach of the Isla de la Juventud teams said that the offense should improve the performance offered in today’s game, in which the Cubans only had three hits.
“It was a close game, but we only had three hits. We have three games left and we will continue fighting. For us it is not an alarm,” Johnson said in statements collected by The New Herald.
The strategist maintained that the national team has level players who can make the necessary adjustments for the upcoming games.
“I think players at this level can make adjustments and improve their offense. But it must be fast because there are three games and they must speed up”, explained the Cuban manager.
Cuba lost to the Netherlands in the early night of yesterday with a score of four runs for two. The decision was up to the relievers. Eric Méndez won it and Onelki García lost it.
For the Cubans, the starting pitcher Yariel Rodríguez, from the Chunichi Dragons, stood out, who in four innings allowed only one run and struck out six batters.
On offense the best was in charge of the right fielder Yoelkis Guibert. The Santiago hit a double in three at-bats and received a walk. He was also the scorer of the two runs for Cuba.
In addition to the poor batting, the infectivity of the intermediate relief, who could not keep the tie on the board, drew attention.
The island team will face Italy tomorrow, then Panama and close the first round against hosts Taiwan, who lost 12-5 to the Canaleros in their tournament debut.
