Cuba crushed the Americans 10-2 (box) to set up a gold medal matchup of the tournament’s best and  two most deserving teams. I don’t have the time to do a full write up, but I’m going to put the finishing touches on a final preview in the morning.

Unfortunately the Korean networks were switching back and forth between the game and some kind of competitive ribbon dancing situation that a Korean woman was involved in. Even though he was the eventual loser Stephen Strasburg was still impressive, but the Cuban offense is now operating at full tilt. When they want to play, there’s no better team in this tournament. More on that tomorrow.

The Cubans pounded out 14 hits, four of which went for home runs. They put the game out of reach with a six run 8th inning that featured more Jeff Stevens mediocrity (3 H and 3 ER in 1/3 of an inning, 9.00 ERA for the Olympics) followed by Neal Blaine (2 ER in 2/3 of an inning, 7.38 for the tournament).

My expectations weren’t exceedingly high for the U.S. team, and its finish, which will be either 3rd or 4th, is in line with the team’s overall talent level. Still, there have been a few disappointments — Mike Hessman is 2 for 22, and Matt LaPorta, who was expected to be one of the offensive leaders, will finish his Olympic career with a 1 for 15 line.  

I suspect we’ll see Ryu Hyun-jin going for the Koreans tomorrow. Ryu was masterful against Canada, throwing a complete game 5-hit shutout. Who the Cubans will counter with is anyone’s guess. It could very well be Adiel Palma, who hasn’t been great over his six innings,  but is a lefty. Whoever starts for Cuba will likely only go a couple innings. Korea’s bullpen is also well-rested.