Team Taiwan finished a four-game exhibition series, losing 2-1 to Canada in Nettuno, Italy, yesterday.
Taiwan managed to score only one run on four hits as they faced four Canadian pitchers.
"We swung at way too many first pitches," Taiwan's manager Hsu Sheng-ming (徐生明) said after the game. "It really limited our ability to get ahead in the count or go deeper into it [pitching count] to get something decent to swing at."
The loss set Team Taiwan back to a 1-3 mark for the four-game series. Other than beating the Italians in a 2-0 shutout, Taiwan found itself on the losing end in the games against Cuba, the Netherlands, and Canada.
Following the tough loss to Canada on Tuesday, the coaching staff met to determine the final roster for the Olympic squad.
Reserve pitchers Lin An-yu (
Both Lin Yueh-ping and Chuang Hung-liang had problems with control as they walked four in 5-2/3 innings and three in three innings, respectively.
"It's a difficult decision to make, especially after what these two great players have done so far, but in the interest of fielding the best lineup possible, we had to make last-minute changes," coach Hsu Sheng-ming.
Taiwan will face Canada in the preliminary round of the Olympics today.
Team Taiwan faces Australia tomorrow, Greece on Tuesday, Cuba on thursday, Italy on Friday, Japan on Aug. 21 and the Netherlands on Aug. 22. The top four finishers play in the medal round beginning on Aug. 24.
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