Team USA Drops Penultimate Game

Complete Coverage of USA Baseball

By John Manuel
October 22, 2003

Team USA lost its penultimate game of its Arizona Fall League tour, dropping a 6-1 decision to the Peoria Javelinas.

Team USA, now 8-3 in the AFL, was averaging 9.5 runs per game but was held to just six hits and one run by four Peoria pitchers, starting with Korean righthander Cha Baek (Mariners), who gave up one run on three hits in four innings. Righty relievers Zach McClellan (Royals), Chris Schroeder (Expos) and Gary Majewski (White Sox) pitched five innings of shutout relief to keep Team USA at bay.

The Javelinas grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off Team USA starter Justin Duchscherer (Athletics), who had been in line to be the club's No. 2 starter behind presumptive ace Horacio Ramirez (Braves). Russ Adams (Blue Jays) led off with a triple and scored on a groundout. Later in the inning, Ryan Hankins (White Sox) followed with a run-scoring single that brought home Byron Gettis (Royals). Team USA got their lone tally in the second on Joe Mauer's (Twins) run-scoring single that picked up Justin Leone (Mariners), who had doubled.

Leone played second base and made one of Team USA's four errors, while his main competition for the third-base job, Garrett Atkins (Rockies), made two miscues.

Peoria tacked on three more in the bottom of the second as Adams added an RBI-double and David DeJesus (Royals) belted a two-run homer that made it 5-1. That was all for Duchscherer as he went just two innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits. After two innings by lefty John Grabow (Pirates), who gave up one run, relievers Todd Williams (Devil Rays), Royce Ring (Mets) and Jesse Crain (Twins) finished with four scoreless innings for Team USA.

In other Team USA news, outfielder J.J. Davis, a Pittsburgh Pirates prospect, told MLB.com that the right hamstring cramp suffered on Monday against the Mesa Desert Dogs is much more serious than it was first thought. After getting a base hit against right-hander Josh Hancock in the second inning, Davis felt the cramp when running to first base.

In other Team USA news, outfielder J.J. Davis, a Pittsburgh Pirates prospect, suffered a right hamstring cramp running out a ground ball that is considered more serious than at first thought.