With five games in the books at the 37th World Cup in Taiwan, BaseballdeWorld takes a look at the performances each team in Group A heading into the final push for the tournament championship.

TEAM USA (4-1)
A strong pitching rotation led by Jeff Karstens (1-0) and Matt Wright (1-0) has the Americans gunning for their first World Cup title in more than two decades. While it’s okay to put the French “bubbly” on ice – it might be needed – Team USA must relax at the plate and take some good cuts if it is to be successful against Cuba or Australia. Shortstop Brian Bixler has struggled tremendously in the field thus far which could prove costly in a tight contest down the road. Infielder Andy LaRoche is pacing the Americans with the stick and has connected for three homers.
Schedule: South Africa, Taiwan
Projected Finish: 6-1, First

TAIWAN (3-1)
Mexico surprised the hometown favorites but the Taiwanese can start their climb back into the contender’s race with a win over Italy on Monday. A victory over a tough Panama squad will setup a winner-take-all matchup between Taiwan and Team USA for the top seed in the group. Tai-Shan Chang and Chia-Hsian Hsieh have both swung the bat well for Taiwan which had a relatively easy opening slate of games before falling prey to the free-swinging Mexicans. Right-hander Chien-Fu Yang (1-0) and lefty Ying-Chieh Lin (1-0) have been the top two Taiwanese gunslingers and will play pivotal roles in determining how far the tournament hosts advance.
Schedule: Panama, Team USA
Projected Finish: 5-2, Second

JAPAN (3-2)
One victory in their final two games will assure the Japanese of a spot in the final eight but how far this team can advance remains a sticky question. Japan has won all the games (South Africa, Mexico, and Panama) it was favored to win but displayed little offense against American and Taiwanese pitching. Tetsuya Kokubo, Kenichi Yokoyama, and Yasuyuki Saigo have swung the bat awful well for Japan. Righty Tadashi Settsu (1-0) appears to be the Japanese main weapon on the mound.
Schedule: Italy, Spain
Projected Finish: 5-2, Third

PANAMA (3-2)
A victory against Taiwan on Tuesday will almost guarantee Panama of advancing to the final eight. But Panama has come up on the short end against Team USA and Japan which are more comparable to the likes of Taiwan than Spain or Mexico. Southpaw Atencio Castillo (1-0) and right-hander Gomez Martinez (1-0) anchor a solid pitching staff. The Panamanians have endured monumental struggles at the plate which must be solved quickly if it hopes to upset Taiwan. Angel Chavez and Sherman Gaynor have been the top hitters for Panama.
Schedule: Taiwan, South Africa
Projected Finish: 4-3, Fourth

MEXICO (2-3)
If not for a narrow 3-2 setback to Panama, to drop to 0-3, Mexico would be sitting pretty in their quest to advance to the quarter-finals. Instead, Mexico must win both of its remaining games and hope for Taiwan to stumble twice. Former minor leaguer Lorenzo Buelna and sweet-swinging Efren Espinosa have both hit the ball hard for a team hitting a respectable .280. Right-hander Emil Lazcano (1-0) and lefty Daniel Rodriguez (1-0) provide Mexico with their best pitching options.
Schedule: Spain, Italy
Projected Finish: 4-3, Fifth

ITALY (3-1)
The Italians upset win over Team USA combined with two wins over lightweights Spain and South Africa has Italy at the doorstep of the quarter-finals. Italy must win two of their final three games to advance but with Taiwan, Japan, and Mexico all eyeing a spot in the next round it will not be easy. T&A San Marino standout Max DeBiase and Telemarket Rimini outfielder Mario Chiarini have been the leading hitters for Coach Matt Galante’s squad. Anthony Fiore, Matteo D’ Angelo, and Cody Cillo have paced an Italian pitching staff that has looked impressive thus far in the tournament.
Schedule: Japan, Mexico
Projected Finish: 3-4, Sixth

SPAIN (1-4)
The Spanish squad has struggled mightily both on the mound and at the plate during this tournament. Marc Carrillo and Dewis Navarro have been among the few bright spots for Spain which lone victory came at the expense of lowly South Africa.
Schedule: Mexico, Japan
Projected Finish: 1-6, Seventh

SOUTH AFRICA (0-5)
Although winless, the South Africans made a little noise in the tournament and started swinging the bats well against Spain. Brett Willemburg and Martin Gordon have been the top hitters.
Schedule: USA, Panama
Projected Finish: 0-7, Eight

Tags: World Cup