Phoenix, AZ- It was a good start for Team Canada as they opened exhibition play with a 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of Friday’s World Baseball Classic opener against Italy.
Six Canadian pitchers’ saw action including scoreless frames from current Brewers Jim Henderson (Calgary, AB) and John Axford (Port Dover, ON). Henderson tossed a scoreless 8th that saw Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) make a leaping catch at the wall in left field for the third out of the inning with two runners on base. Axford faced his teammates in the 9th and closed out the game for Canada with two strikeouts.
With Canada in front 1-0 in the bottom of the third, the Brewers scored twice to take the lead off Canadian starter Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, TX). Both runs came with two outs as the 21 year-old Taillon made his Canadian debut tossing 2 2/3 innings giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 2.
Canada bounced back in the top of the fourth as Michael Saunders (Victoria, BC) drilled a solo home run to knot the score at two.
Both teams exchanged runs in the fifth inning before the Brewers took the lead in the bottom of the 7th when Khristopher Davis took Andrew Albers (North Battleford, SK) over the wall in left field for a solo home run.
Albers’ teammates got that run back, and some more, in the top half of the 8th when they exploded for four runs to take a 7-4 lead.
Canada’s offence was paced by Tyson Gillies (Vancouver, BC) who went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI and Pete Orr (Newmarket, ON) who was 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Canada will play the Cincinnati Reds tomorrow at Goodyear Ballpark, the spring training home of the Reds. Mark Hardy (Campbell River, BC) is expected to start.
The game can be heard live on-line through MLB.com
