Team USA Remains On The Offensive

Complete Coverage of USA Baseball

By John Manuel
October 22, 2003

Team USA's offense resumed its attack on Arizona Fall League pitching staffs Tuesday, pounding the Peoria Saguaros 17-6 to improve to 8-2 on its 12-game AFL schedule.

Team USA is averaging 9.5 runs per game and has scored in double digits in five of 10 games. Of course, Cuba's pitching staff is not in the AFL, but manager Frank Robinson (Expos) still should have the most potent lineup ever by an American team in international competition when Team USA begins play in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Panama on Oct. 31.

The news from Peoria wasn't all good. Once again, righty Adam Wainwright (Braves) was pounded by AFL competition, jeopardizing his spot on the final 24-man roster. Wainwright had given up six runs in his first six innings, and Tuesday was worse. He gave up five runs on six hits--including a three-run homer to Adrian Gonzalez (Rangers) and three doubles--without registering an out. Peoria led 5-0 and Wainwright hit the showers in the first as Derrick Turnbow (Angels) relieved him.

While Wainwright struggled, other touted Team USA righties had better outings. Turnbow worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief and turned it over to John VanBenschoten (Pirates), who earned the victory by hurling four more scoreless innings. He gave up just three hits, though he walked four and struck out none.

Team USA's comeback began in the third inning, and it went on to score once in each of the last seven innings of the game. Team USA scratched out a pair of runs in the third off Peoria starter Justin Echols, as fellow Rangers farmhand Gerald Laird led off with a double and scored on a base hit by Mike Rouse (Athletics). Terrmel Sledge (Expos) then drove in Rouse two batters later on a single, following an error by the Saguaros.

Team USA picked up a pair of unearned runs in the fourth as RBIs by J.J. Hardy (Brewers) and Rouse made it 5-4. Team USA then plated two more runs over the next two innings to take a 6-5 lead before blowing it wide open with four in the seventh off Peoria reliever Todd Moser. Justin Leone (Mariners) had a pair of RBIs while Gabe Gross (Blue Jays), Laird, and Hardy each drove in runs as well. Jeremy Reed (White Sox) chipped in a two-run homer in the ninth as Team USA kept pouring it on.

Team USA finished the day with 20 hits, led by Gross and DH Joe Mauer (Twins) with three apiece; Mauer had two doubles, while Gross doubled and tripled while scoring four runs. Mauer and Leone had three RBIs apiece, while Rouse (playing second base), Mike Lamb (Rangers), Leone, Laird and Hardy had two hits apiece.