My predictions for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) have been so wrong, for so long. I think I’m just going to stay quiet now.

The WBC is finally wrapping up and I can go back to other things I’m terrible at…

…like my Fantasy Baseball team.

As Japan bids to maintain its solitary grip on the WBC championships, the Semifinals begin tonight at 9 p.m. ET showdown. Puerto Rico will be bidding to replicate its dramatic triumph against Team USA on Friday night in Miami. Japan looks to three-peat.

The second semifinal will be Monday night. That matches the Kingdom of Netherlands, the Cinderella of this Final Four, against the Dominican Republic at 9 ET. The WBC culminates in its finale on Tuesday night, after which I can go back to watching “Intentional Talk” at its regularly scheduled time.

MLB.com reports on Team Japan this morning. “With baseball,” Koji Yamamoto (manager of Team Japan) said through an interpreter, “anything could happen until the game is over. In that sense, the WBC has incidents of seeing such strong teams falling off, so I don’t want to give or speak in favor of other teams. I’ve been just focusing on how to win. So, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But it’s really exciting.” Japan has won the first two Classics with dominant pitching — Daisuke Matsuzaka and Koji Uehara in 2006, Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish in 2009. Matsuzaka, in Indians camp right now, was the WBC MVP both times.

MLB.com reports that Sunday’s match will favor Japan. Japan puts its ace, 24-year-old Kenta Maeda, against Mario Santiago. Maeda has worked 10 scoreless innings in the WBC. He struck out 15 while allowing just two hits and a walk. Santiago took one of Puerto Rico’s three losses in the WBC. He yielded three runs in 4 1/3 innings in a 7-1 decision by the U.S. As reported by MLB.com, “This is my first international match, such a great experience,” Maeda said. “The next match will be the biggest for me.”

In the second semifinal, southpaw Diegomar Markwell, nephew of Andruw Jones, will take the ball for Team Netherlands on Monday night. Markwell is a 231-pound native of Rotterdam. He is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in the WBC. The unbeaten Dominican Republic will counter with Edinson Volquez, veteran right-hander for the Padres. Volquez has a 6.75 ERA in 5 1/3 innings, starting twice in the WBC. MLB.com reports, if the Dominicans reach the title game, Twins right-hander Samuel Deduno (1.13 ERA, eight innings) will be manager Tony Pena’s starter.

With Carlos Beltran and Alex Rios faltering, Mike Aviles has been the Puerto Ricans’ primary run producer. The third baseman has eight RBIs in seven games, batting .292 while delivering the team’s lone home run in the WBC. Japan, by contrast, has had 8 home runs in six games. Seven players are hitting .316 or higher, led by Hirokaza Ibata. The second baseman is hitting .571 with an OPS of 1.327. However, how will Japan deal with the time off?

It is that time again for the weekly three up and three down look around baseball.  It was an interesting week and made it easy for a couple of downs for me.  The steroid era is over, well we thought it was, but that dreaded word is at it again.  As always you can reach me through my email gmarchesej@aol.com, twitter @gmarchesej, facebook and of course comment under this article.  Thanks as always for supporting me and this site in general and we look forward to the continued support.

Up - Adrian Beltre 

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Adrian Beltre -He just had a three homerun game and then he hits for the cycle. Beltre is batting 310 with 23 homeruns and 74 RBI on the season.  He is having a very good year and really coming on lately also.

It is time for my weekly three up and three down column.  The All Star game was completed last Tuesday with the National League blowing out the American League 8-0.  Melky Cabrera won the MVP of the All Star Game.  As always you can reach me through facebook, twitter @gmarchesej, comment under this article or email me at gmarchesej@aol.com.  Thanks for reading as always and I hope you continue to read our wonderful site.

Down - David Ortiz

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David Ortiz of the Red Sox got injured running the bases during a teammates homerun.  He pulled or strained a muscle in his leg and he may miss a couple of weeks.  The Red Sox have been really hurt by the injury bug this season and it seems to keep on coming just when they think they have good news on others.

3 UP and 3 Down:

It is that time once again.  It is time for my weekly look at the 3 up and 3 down around major league baseball.  As always please feel free to contact me through twitter @gmarchesej, facebook, comment under the article or email me at gmarchesej@aol.com.  Thanks for the support and I welcome any feedback as long as it is kept civil.

DOWN - Matt Kemp

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Matt Kemp was having a great season for the Dodgers. Matt Kemp got injured and then tried to come back on Wednesday night. Matt Kemp left the game in the first inning after trying to run and he felt his hamstring getting tight. Kemp is back on the DL now, his injuries are threatening a very promising MVP, possible triple crown season.

Going HAM

Reportedly, the Rangers declare great interest in signing Josh Hamilton to a contract extension.  Naturally, expressing such interest comes straight from the “GM for Dummies” handbook.  If the club fails to appear genuine with this interest, then Team Hamilton (represented by agent Michael Moye) has every reason to use the “disrespected and unloved” approach to shun any and all overtures from the Rangers.  If the club legitimately has such interest or at least creates such a perception, then Team Hamilton loses potential leverage that might prove useful in forcing the club’s hand on an extension.

Therein lies the problem for both the Ranger and Hamilton.  If the club lacks 100% commitment to getting this extension done, then at some point down the road one or both sides could find themselves in baseball’s equivalent of an arranged marriage.  The Rangers may have the guy they want, but they may be taking on a lot greater risk than they would like.  Hamilton could finish his career with Texas, but he may do so with the sense that he is not truly wanted there.

Why would the Rangers NOT want a legitimate MVP-caliber player?  Well, the reasons are varied.  Some may be easily dismissed, but others may have some staying power.  All are worth examination.

1. The immensely talented Hamilton costs the team $13.75M this season, and has 1 more year of arbitration eligibility.  A bump into the $16-17.5M range would not be a stretch.  Beyond that year, he could consume somewhere in the neighborhood of $15-20M a season for 6 or 7 years (or more).  With guys like Mike Napoli and Colby Lewis set to become free agents after this season and $80.6M already committed to next season, the two sides would either have to agree to a back-loaded deal, or the Rangers would ostensibly have to push payroll in the direction of $125-130M for 2013.
2. If anybody might be considered stricken with bad injury luck, it might be Hamilton.  He has only played 150 games or more in a season once, and that happend way back in 2008.  Since then, he has played 89, 133, and 121 in the seasons leading up to 2012.  For a guy who CAN carry a team, the concern is whether or not he can stay healthy enough to carry a team.
3. Despite his great start (.406/.458/.840/1.298 with 14 HR and 36 RBI), the reality remains that Hamilton’s 162 game average projects to .313/.370/.556/.926 with 35 HR and 121 RBI.  Even if he plays 130-140 games a year with those same numbers, we are talking about somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 HR and just under 100 RBI.  Is that work $15M+ for a potential best-case scenario?

In all fairness, Hamilton falls into the category of true “difference makers”, but will retaining him mean Nelson won’t stay beyond 2013?  Keep in mind that the Rangers already have $55.4M committed to 5 players for 2014 (Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, and Elvis Andrus).  With guys like Neftali Felix, Alexi Ogado, and Mitch Moreland under cost-controlled circumstances for a few more years, the Rangers have the flexibility and the money to keep Hamilton.  The question is whether or not they should.