Italy, Venezuela set starting pitchers for WBC semifinal

MIAMI (AP) — Michael Lorenzen will start for Italy and Keider Montero for Venezuela when the teams meet Monday night in a World Baseball Classic semifinal.

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A 34-year-old right-hander, Lorenzen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the group stage 8-6 upset of the United States on Tuesday.

“I faced him many times,” said Italy manager Francisco Cervelli, a former big league catcher. “This is the perfect guy.”

Italy is in the semifinals for the first time of a tournament that started in 2006. Venezuela lost its only semifinal appearance, 10-2 to South Korea in 2009.

Lorenzen, an All-Star in 2023, was 7-11 with a 4.64 ERA in 26 starts and one relief appearances for Kansas City last year, then became a free agent and signed an $8 million, one-year contract with Colorado.

If Italy wins, Aaron Nola would be lined up to start Tuesday night’s final against the U.S. or the Dominican Republic.

Montero, a 25-year-old right-hander, pitched three scoreless innings of relief on Monday in a 4-0 first-round win over Nicaragua.

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He made his big league debut on May 29, 2024, and was 5-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 12 starts and eight relief appearances last year for Detroit during a season in which he was optioned to Triple-A Toledo six times. Montero was 4-4 with a 5.91 ERA in eight starts and two relief appearances for the Mud Hens.

Montero had three postseason appearances last year and got a save in the AL Division Series opener, an 11-inning win over the Seattle Mariners.

Italy made a pair of roster moves ahead of the semifinal: Left-hander Joe Jacques, who spent most of 2025 with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate Tacoma Rainiers, replaced Dylan DeLucia, who threw 58 pitches in Saturday’s quarterfinal win over Puerto Rico and under pitch-count rules is ineligible to take the mound on Monday. Infielder Brayan Rocchio took the roster spot of Mariners utility man Miles Mastrobuoni, who injured his hamstring during the WBC and reported back to Seattle’s spring training after pool play.

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