Live Blog: USA vs Venezuela

8:19 - Sutcliffe is gushing over one of the more routine backhand plays from Rollins that you'll ever see.

8:20 - Bobby Abreu, who is pushing a deuce and a half after a tough offseason of eating everything in sight, singles to left. And here it is folks, your first phony Abreu grin of the night!

8:23 - Oswalt strikes out Miguel Cabrera to end the inning. No score after one.

8:28 - Actually, after Marco Scutaro's double-bouncer from the hole on a grounder from David Wright, Rollins' play from yesterday looks a lot better.

8:32 - Galarraga gets out of minor trouble by getting Chris Iannetta to bounce back to the mound. Got a nice hook going so far.

8:34 - Can you really have a "Great Moments in the WBC" segment when there's only been one tournament ever?

8:39 - Opinion of Oswalt just went way up - he's building a steakhouse back in his hometown in Mississippi. Always imagined he would be a Lone Star guy, but now with this new info ... could he possibly be chomping at Vic & Anthony's in Houston? Maybe Brenner's? Anyway, still scoreless after two.

8:44 - Ugh. The fans are doing the wave. Where do they think they are, Shea Stadium?

8:50 - The Press Official for Venezuela, Ismael Granadillo, claims that the most popular Venezuelan players are Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera, and of course, Gregor Blanco. Wait, what? Gregor Blanco is as poular as Johan? Maybe he said that because the dude just got a hit.

8:52 - Melvin Mora puts Venezuela up 1-0 with a single to center.

8:57 - Man, Chipper really doesn't look ready for live action. Another bad AB, his fifth strikeout in two games.

8:58 - Sutcliffe: "Man, I watched Cuba today. I don't know any of their names...but they look like the real deal."

9:01 - How silly am I ... here I thought I'd seen the last of Victor Zambrano. Now he's warming up in the pen. Isn't it the announcer's duty to make some kind of Mets or Scott Kazmir-related joke any time Zambrano appears? O'Brien still has time.

9:03 - Poor angle taken by Blanco on Mark DeRosa's (FROM! Bergen) shot to the gap. And high comedy as Adam Dunn lumbers home, sucking wind all the way. Triple, two runs score.

9:08 - 2-1 USA, middle of the 4th.

9:15 - Oswalt gives up a double down the left field line to Jose Lopez. Second and third, one out.

9:17 - Ramon Hernandez knocks in the tying run with a groundout to Rollins.

9:21 - Oswalt walks Scutaro, and his night is just about done as he nears the 70-pitch limit. Curious that a reliever is just starting to warm up now, although you don't want to have guys warming up and stopping over and over.

9:22 - So maybe that dude knows something about Gregor Blanco. He just singled in the go-ahead run. 3-2 Venezuela now. That'll do it for Oswalt. Matt Lindstrom is coming in.

9:26 - Warrants mentioning that the Mets traded Lindstrom, a live arm in the bullpen, along with Henry Owens, another live arm in the bullpen, for Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick. Well done, Omar.

9:29 - Sick sliding play by Chipper Jones, who throws out Mora at first for the third out. Give Mora an assist for the insanely stupid, fake-hustle slide into first base. 3-2 Venezuela after four.

9:32 - Haha. With Victor Zambrano on the mound, we're treated to this exchange:

O'Brien: "With Galarraga out, the execution level drops a little bit."

Sutcliffe: "Yeah it drops quite a bit...Every time I see him, I think of Scott Kazmir."

9:33 - Bravo, Rick Sutcliffe.

9:35 - At least Chipper put it in play this time, a grounder to second. Quick inning for USA.

9:38 - Another good job by Sutcliffe, criticizing the subbing of Jeter for Rollins, even though Rollins is having a good gane so far. Which leads him into another critique of the disappointing 2006 USA team. Can't wait for someone to blame A-Rod for the struggles of that team, too.

9:44 - Jeter catches a pop-up to end a 1-2-3 inning. If this was on YES, Michael Kay most certainly would've said something like, "And The Captain clutches it for out number three."

9:48 - Zambrano gets Kevin Youkilis to swing at a horrendous pitch for strike three, but it gets by the catcher and USA has the leadoff man on.

9:50 - Unfortunate cut but the ESPN director, who catches Adam Dunn dropping a very audible F-bomb after a bad call on strike one.

9:52 - Possibly a makeup call, as Dunn gets ball four on a borderline slider. Bases loaded, no outs.

9:56 - Zambrano walks DeRosa to tie the game. Mets fans everywhere are nodding. Manager Luis Sojo has seen enough, and yanks Zambrano.

10:01 - Baboom! Huge bases-clearing triple by Iannetta, who hits one off the wall in right center. Close play at home, but DeRosa gets in under the tag.

10:02 - The sideline reporter tries to pronounce "Iannetta," but gives up quickly after a weak attempt. Bad job.

10:11 - Trying to stay awake. Walks and full counts and pitching changes all over the place.

10:12 - Dustin Pedroia knocks in two more with a double down the left field line. As my roommate notes, if only the pitcher was watching those 'MLB '09 The Show' commercials, he'd have known Pedroia can't hit those high-and-tight pitches. O'Brien notes that the boisterous Venezuelan crowd has been quieted. Thank God.

10:20 - After about 10 foul balls, the crowd is rattling and shaking away, and Youkilis shuts them up with a two-run bomb to left. Almost tempted to call him Youk. Almost.

10:24 - Wright flies out to right to mercifully end the inning. Abreu tries to eat the baseball. 10-3 USA.

10:27 - Good job by Dave O'Brien, explaining why the US flag patch on the right sleeve of the uniform appers to be backwards.

10:29 - Cue the shakers and rattlers and chants: Carlos Guillen goes yard. 10-4.

10:32 - Two more ropes by Venezuela off Brad Ziegler. His sinker has very little sink right now. First and third, no outs.

10:34 - My old coach, The Blade, would be proud. A Ziegler sinker turns into a nice 4-6-3. 10-5, two outs in the 6th.

10:36 - Helluva play by Pedroia, diving to his left and getting up to throw out Gregor Blanco for the third out.

10:39 - Wow, Adam Dunn crushes one somewhere towards South America. 11-5 USA.

10:45 - Jimmy Rollins has been dancing on the bench for the past five minutes, making everyone laugh. Really wish it was easier to disslike this guy.

10:52 - Jonathan Broxton on the mound for USA. Thankfully Matt Stairs is nowhere in sight.

10:54 - Abreu singles up the middle past Jeter. Rollins would've had it.

10:56 - Just not fair. Broxton drops an 86-mph slidepiece on Miguel Cabrera after a few 97-mph heaters. Filthy.

11:03 - Error by the ballboy down the left field line on a foul ball. As you can tell, the pace and drama of this game has slowed considerably.

11:12 - DeRosa hits a sac fly to right to knock in another run. Not that it affected the play at all, but Abreu forgot there was only one out and caught the ball lazily before panicking and throwing it back in. Can you tell that Bobby isn't one of our favorite players?

11:16 - Curtis Granderson knocks in Shane Victorino to make it 14-5. Was hoping that the WBC might have outlawed Victorino's little league helmet, but no such luck.

11:20 - Haha. While Dunn is being interviewed by David Amber, a fan in the background, most likely hammered, screams "Adam Dunn, speak Spanish!"

11:30 - Some technical difficulties are showing us a black screen, and to be honest, it might be more exciting than the past hour or so.

11:36 - Technical difficulties just fixed. We missed a Ryan Braun bomb. 15-5 USA.

11:38 - Strong job by the DJ at Rogers Centre, pumping a little Springsteen in between innings. Not the greatest song choice (Born In The USA), but can't complain.

11:40 - On the mound in the 9th for USA is Heath Bell, another live bullpen arm traded away by Omar Minaya. At least they got back Ben Johnson for this one.

11:42 - Hey now! Andres "Big Cat" Galarraga almost took a digger down the dugout steps.

11:46 - You'd think, now 3 hours and 46 minutes in, either the guy in the stands playing with the rattler toy would've gotten tired by now, or someone sitting in his vicinity would've beaten the bag out of him by now.

11:47 - Finally, the game ends. 15-6 USA. On to the second round in Miami.