Right-hander Edinson Volquez took the mound at Petco Park for the Dominican Republic on Thursday night, giving his club a much-needed solid outing against Venezuela en route to the team's 3-0 win. The 33-year-old right-hander went 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits while walking two and striking out six. He threw 71 pitches, 45 for strikes.
With the game scoreless in the fifth, Volquez ran into trouble, walking Odubel Herrera to lead off the frame and giving up a one-out single to Robinson Chirinos to put runners at the corners. He was relieved by Fernando Abad, who got Ender Inciarte to ground into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.
Volquez lowered his ERA in WBC 2017 to 1.13, having allowed one earned run in eight innings. He went 3 2/3 innings against the U.S. in the first round, surrendering three runs (one earned) on six hits.
"I felt really good. I think all my pitches were working tonight," Volquez said. "It was a big game for us after we lost the first one, [3-1, to Puerto Rico]."
:: 2017 World Baseball Classic ::
Two of Volquez's strikeouts on Thursday were of Jose Cabrera, who entered the game with a .353 lifetime average against him. In 22 career MLB plate appearances against Volquez, Cabrera had never struck out.
The Marlins signed Volquez to a two-year deal last December after he declined a mutual option to stay with the Royals. After posting a 3.55 ERA for Kansas City in 2015, he struggled last season, posting a 5.37 ERA in 34 starts.
The World Baseball Classic runs through Wednesday. In the U.S., games air live exclusively in English on MLB Network and on an authenticated basis via MLBNetwork.com/watch, while ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN provide the exclusive Spanish-language coverage. MLB.TV Premium subscribers in the U.S. have access to watch every tournament game live on any of the streaming service's 400-plus supported devices. The tournament is being distributed internationally across all forms of television, internet, mobile and radio in territories excluding the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan. Get tickets for games in San Diego's Petco Park and the Championship Round at Dodger Stadium, while complete coverage -- including schedules, video, stats and gear -- is available at WorldBaseballClassic.com.