Cuban Baseball Finals: Villa Clara Must Win at Home

After losing the first two games of the best-of-seven 2008/09 Cuban Baseball Finals, Villa Clara needs a win at all cost when it takes on La Habana at home tonight in game three.

One of the biggest differences so far between the two teams has been pitching and La Habana comes to Santa Clara with a fresh pitching team. Yadier Pedroso and Jonder Martínez are ready to start for La Habana and relievers Gerardo Miranda, Miguel Lahera and José Ángel García are waiting in the wing.

Villa Clara, on the other hand, has much fewer options and will most certainly start Yosvani Pérez, a young pitcher with lots of courage and a steady nerve —two important assets at this stage of the game.

One of the biggest challenges facing Villa Clara manager Eduardo Martín is how to get his team to respond after two flat outings; and what sort of shake-up he can do in the lineup to get this to happen.

Tonight we will see if Villa Clara has it in them. If they go down 3-0, the final is all but over.