USA advances to second round

[Unknøwn]

TORONTO (AP) - Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer, Adam Dunn and Ryan Braun added solo shots and the United States powered its way into the second round of the World Baseball Classic by beating Venezuela 15-6 on Sunday night.

Chris Iannetta and Mark DeRosa each had four RBIs for Team USA, which broke it open with an eight-run sixth inning and finished with 16 hits. Youkilis scored four times.

Every U.S. starter had at least one hit except for third baseman Chipper Jones, lifted in the sixth because of a mild strain on his side. Jones, who is 0-for-7 with five strikeouts in the WBC, will be evaluated again Monday.

Florida reliever Matt Lindstrom worked 1 1-3 perfect innings for the win before a crowd of 13,094.

Victor Zambrano took the loss, allowing four runs and two hits in one inning.

Venezuela will play an elimination game Tuesday against the winner of Monday's game between Canada and Italy. The winner on Tuesday advances to round two, and will face the U.S. on Wednesday night to decide first place in Group C.

Team USA will begin second-round play Saturday in Miami.

Melvin Mora's RBI single gave Venezuela a 1-0 lead in the third but the U.S. answered with two in the fourth when DeRosa's two-out triple scored Youkilis and Dunn.

Venezuela reclaimed the lead in the bottom half against right-hander Roy Oswalt on Ramon Hernandez's RBI grounder and Gregor Blanco's run-scoring single.

The U.S. sixth began when Youkilis reached on a wild third strike. David Wright singled and Dunn walked to load the bases for DeRosa, who drove in a run with a walk. Left-hander Carlos Vasquez replaced Zambrano but Iannetta greeted him with a three-run double to right-center, taking third as the throw went to the plate.

Vasquez struck out Curtis Granderson and was replaced by right-hander Yoel Hernandez, who walked Derek Jeter and gave up a two-run double to Dustin Pedroia. Braun batted for Jones and grounded out, but Youkilis capped the inning with a homer to left, his second in two games.

Carlos Guillen hit a solo homer and Hernandez singled home Jose Lopez against right-hander Brad Ziegler in the sixth, but Dunn answered with a solo shot to right off Ivan Blanco in the seventh.

DeRosa hit a sacrifice fly and Iannetta and Granderson had RBI singles as the U.S. tacked on three more in the eighth against left-hander Jan Granado.

Oswalt allowed three runs and six hits in 3 2-3 innings, walking two and striking out one.

Venezuela starter Armando Galarraga yielded two runs and five hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out four.

Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez, Venezuela's 4-5 hitters, combined to go 0-for-9 with three strikeouts.

Notes: Venezuelan fans jeered loudly when Victoria Mata, the country's Minister for Sport, threw out the first pitch. ... U.S. manager Davey Johnson said before that game that coach Barry Larkin is responsible for splitting playing time between Jeter and Jimmy Rollins at shortstop. Jeter started Saturday but was replaced in the fifth, with the reverse happening Sunday. ... Rollins was picked off second after a leadoff double in the first, the second time in two days he's been thrown out on the bases. ... Lopez went 3-for-4 with three doubles, matching a WBC record.

[Goodoleboy58]

Adam Dunn is looking pretty good.. especially after some folks in Cincy questioned his desire to play the game... Looks like he's out there having fun and loving it