Casas' 3rd homer, Kazmir help US beat Dominicans 3-1

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Triston Casas hit his third home run of the Olympics, a two-run drive in the first inning off Boston Red Sox Double-A teammate Denyi Reyes, and the United States beat the Dominican Republic 3-1 on Wednesday to stay in gold medal contention.

Tyler Austin, a former major leaguer in his home ballpark of the Central League’s Yokohama Bay Stars, added a solo home run in the fifth, his second long ball of the tournament.

The U.S. (3-1) plays next on Thursday night, meeting the loser of Wednesday night’s Japan-South Korea matchup for a berth in this weekend’s gold medal game.

Scott Kazmir (1-0) escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first, and the 37-year-old left-hander went on to pitch two-hit ball over five scoreless innings.

Four relievers finished, with David Robertson allowing a two-out homer in the ninth to Charlie Valerio. The U.S. was outhit 5-3 and overcame three errors and a 0-for-12 afternoon from its Nos. 6-9 batters.

Austin walked with one out in the first, and Casas drove a 1-1 pitch to center. He is batting .313 with eight RBIs.

A 21-year-old first baseman at Portland, Maine, Casas was the 26th overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft. He is hitting .271 with six homers and 30 RBIs for the Sea Dogs this season.

Reyes (0-1), a 24-year-old right-hander, allowed two runs and two hits in four innings. He is 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA in two starts and 11 relief appearances at Portland.

Austin, who has a .412 average and five RBIs, homered to straightaway center against Gabriel Arias, a late addition to the Dominican roster.

Kazmir was starting on 16 days’ rest since facing a college all-star team in a July 18 exhibition in North Carolina. The three-time All-Star had a 6.43 ERA in two starts and a relief appearance this season for San Francisco,...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Casas-3rd-homer-Kazmir-help-US-beat-Dominicans-16362269.php