World Baseball Classic scores and standings 2013

Wandy Rodriguez gave them six strong innings and Carlos Santana hit a solo home run that proved to be the difference maker as the Dominican team beat Puerto Rico 2-0 yesterday in the final game of the second round of the World Baseball Classic.

Orlando Roman takes the loss for Puerto Rico despite a solid effort. He allowed just one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four in five innings of work. Puerto Rico's offense fell flat against Rodriguez and the Dominican bullpen. They threatened to score in third inning, but a heads-up play by Erick Aybar caught Irving Falu at the plate. Fernando Rodney once again recorded the save for the Dominicans. He leads the tournament with five saves thus far.

Both teams were already guaranteed a place in the Championship Round, but the game did have important implications for both teams. The winner would leave the second round as the top seed and play the Netherlands on Monday rather than having to fly across the country to meet Japan this afternoon. Puerto Rico, who had faced elimination in two straight games after a loss to the US to start the second round, entered this game with an overworked bullpen that desperately needed the rest. The Dominican team will certainly benefit from their day off as manager Tony Pena has used almost the same lineup every day in the Classic.