The Dominican Republic used the long ball and some strong pitching to stay alive at the World Baseball Classic with a 3-0 win over Venezuela.
Gregory Polanco put the Dominican Republic on the board in the fifth with a line drive home run to center field. Robinson Cano plated a run in the seventh with an RBI single and Nelson Cruz provided an insurance run in the eighth with a homer to right.
Edinson Volquez struck out six over 4 1⁄3 innings while allowing four hits and no runs. He and five other relievers combined for the shutout performance.
Ender Inciarte had another good game going 2-for-4 at the plate but Venezuela is going to need a lot of help to advance.
The United States and Puerto Rico will meet on Friday with the winner moving into the driver's seat for the pool. Venezuela will take on Puerto Rico on Saturday while the Dominican Republic will wrap things up on Sunday against the United States.
Pool F schedule for Friday, March 17
USA vs. Puerto Rico
Location: San Diego
Time: 10 p.m. ET
TV: MLB Network
Streaming: MLB.TV
Full World Baseball Classic Schedule, Results and Standings
Second Round
WBC Pool E
| Date | Team | vs. | Team | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Team | vs. | Team | Time | Venue |
| March 11 | Cuba (1) | vs. | Israel (4) | Tokyo | |
| March 12 | Japan (8) | vs. | Netherlands (6) | Tokyo | |
| March 13 | Netherlands (12) | vs. | Israel (2) | Tokyo | |
| March 14 | Cuba (5) | vs. | Japan (8) | Tokyo | |
| March 14 | Netherlands (14) | vs. | Cuba (1) | Tokyo | |
| March 15 | Israel (3) | vs. | Japan (8) | Tokyo |
Pool E Standings
| Rank | Team | W | L | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L | Notes |
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 0 | Advanced |
| 2 | Netherlands | 2 | 1 | Advanced |
| 3 | Israel | 1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Cuba | 0 | 3 |
WBC Pool F
| Date | Team | vs. | Team | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Team | vs. | Team | Time | Venue |
| March 14 | Dominican Republic (1) | vs. | Puerto Rico (3) | Petco Park | |
| March 15 | Venezuela (2) | vs. | United States (4) | Petco Park | |
| March 16 | Venezuela (0) | vs. | Dominican Republic (3) | Petco Park | |
| March 17 | United States (5) | vs. | Puerto Rico (6) | Petco Park | |
| March 18 | Puerto Rico (13) | vs. | Venezuela (2) | Petco Park | |
| March 18 | United States (6) | vs. | Dominican Republic (3) | Petco Park |
Pool F Standings
| Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L |
| 1 | Puerto Rico | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | United States | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Dominican Republic | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Venezuela | 0 | 3 |
