The Dominican Republic faces Puerto Rico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic championship. Many are calling it the "Caribbean Championship" as both lands are located in the tropical parts of the Western Hemisphere. Don't miss the action from AT&T Park as the Dominicans face the Puerto Ricans in what should be an epic battle. Check out the game time, where to watch and projected starting lineups for this game.
GAME TIME: 9 p.m. ET
All you need to know about where to watch the game is that YouTube will have a live stream available as MLB is truly making this game available to almost half a billion households.
The Puerto Ricans will get a chance to make amends after dropping the first two games to the Dominicans in this year's WBC. They lost in the first round 4-2 and then 2-0 in the second round as the Dominicans clinched Pool 2. Though the Dominicans seem to have the advantage, Puerto Rico knocked off the powerhouse Japanese on Sunday, so they shouldn't be underestimated.
Though not released yet, this is the lineup we could expect the Dominicans to put out on the field:
1. Jose Reyes DH
2. Erick Aybar SS
3. Robinson Cano 2B
4. Edwin Encarnacion 1B
5. Hanley Ramirez SS
6. Nelson Cruz RF
7. Carlos Santana C
8. Moises Sierra LF
9. Alejandro de Aza CF
The biggest question mark is probably Carlos Santana. He's been beat up behind the plate as of late and last night before the conclusion of the game, he took a hard foul tip right off his mask. Santana's had concussions in the past, so it will be interesting to see what Tony Peña decides to do this evening with his All-Star catcher.
Also, though Sierra was unaware of his gametime status in yesterday's game, after playing well, he should be rewarded with another start tonight.
For the Puerto Ricans, they have a couple of options especially since they can't find an adequate No. 2 hitter that can get on base or make contact. It looks as though manager Edwin Rodriguez should try getting Mike Aviles more at bats and place him second in the lineup.
This would be the ideal Puerto Rican lineup:
1. Angel Paga CF
2. Mike Aviles SS
3. Carlos Beltran DH
4. Yadier Molina C
5. Alex Rios RF
6. Carlos Rivera 1B
7. Andy Gonzalez 3B
8. Jesus Feliciano LF
9. Irving Falu 2B
The biggest problem with this order is the dramatic drop off in offense after Rios. However, by moving Aviles up in the order, you maximize the amount of at bats he gets. If any of the guys at the bottom of the order cause trouble, then the top of the order will bat with runners on base meaning they can cause damage.
On the mound for the Dominicans will be Samuel Deduno who's 1-0 in two starts. He's pitched nine innings and allowed only one run, two walks and has 12 strikeouts.
Puerto Rico will have Giancarlo Alvarado on the mound. He's also 1-0 in two starts while pitching 8.1 innings of two run baseball allowing two earned runs (3 R), one walk and eight strikeouts.
Official lineups will be posted later on in the day, so check back to Sports World Report as we will bring you a live stream and for those who can't watch the live stream, we'll provide a link to the Gameday with play-by-play.
It's the Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico for the third time in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
