Utility man Mike Aviles showed how valuable he can be for the Indians with another clutch performance in the World Baseball Classic, providing two key hits in Puerto Rico’s elimination game against Team USA.

This weekend, AT&T Park will host another marquee baseball event, this time expanding the venue’s horizons around the globe, as the World Baseball Classic semifinals and final come to the place that has seen so much already in its relatively short lifespan along McCovey Cove.

For the second time in the last two World Baseball Classics, the U.S. will face Puerto Rico in an elimination game, this time to advance to the semifinals at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

There’s still plenty of life left in Andruw Jones’ bat, as was the case Thursday when he hit a solo home run and knocked in another run as the Netherlands topped the Padres, 9-3, in front of a crowd of 3,142 at the Peoria Sports Complex.

The Dominican Republic clinched a spot in the semifinals by beating Team USA on Thursday. Before heading to San Francisco, however, the team managed by Tony Pena will play one more time in Miami. At 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, it will take on the winner of Friday night’s Team USA-Puerto Rico matchup.

Erick Aybar hasn’t made many pinch-hit appearances during his big league career, but he came through with a big pinch-hit single against Team USA on Thursday to send the Dominican Republic to the semifinals in the World Baseball Classic.

Erick Aybar came off the bench in the ninth inning on Thursday night at Marlins Park and drove home Nelson Cruz with a pinch-hit single off Craig Kimbrel, sending the D.R. on to a 3-1 victory over Team USA.

Craig Kimbrel’s body of work speaks for itself, which makes what transpired in the ninth inning on Thursday night at Marlins Park so improbable.

Team USA third baseman David Wright was scratched from the starting lineup with a sore back on Thursday night and his availability for the remainder of the tournament is questionable.

The Yankees will have to look elsewhere to fill the hole left at first base by the injured Mark Teixeira. As reported by Yahoo’s Tim Brown, Derrek Lee declined the Bombers’ offer to suit up for the 2013 season.

The team from the Netherlands that’s been taking names in the World Baseball Classic added a few more big ones Thursday. Top prospect Jurickson Profar was officially added to the roster and will play second base, and Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will join the team after his game for Los Angeles against Kansas City on Friday.

Team Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens, who also happens to be the hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants, said he’d love to be a Major League manager someday.

Sharpening its skills en route to the World Baseball Classic semifinals in San Francisco, Japan scored in each inning from the third through the sixth Thursday and outlasted the Giants, 6-3.

Kalian Sams is playing for a lot of things these days. He’s playing for his native Netherlands as it competes for the World Baseball Classic championship, for one.

Even when the game doesn’t count, the baseball team from Japan looks very impressive. Although the Giants presented some of their own mitigating circumstances, the other half of the game was yet another demonstration of just how advanced Japanese baseball is.

Pitcher Casey Kelly, two days removed from a discouraging diagnosis on his right elbow, told reporters he will get a second opinion before making a decision on whether to have reconstructive surgery or not. “I think I’ve prepared myself for the worst,” Kelly said Thursday. “This is uncharted waters for me.”

While the Dodgers fell, 8-1, to the Cubs on Thursday afternoon, left fielder Carl Crawford made progress as he works his way back from a nerve irritation he sustained as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.