Japan beat Cuba last night. Normally I could care less (no offense to the countries involved, but the World Baseball Classic is just a giant exhibition to me).

This WBC is getting costly to the Red Sox. First, second baseman Dustin Pedroia goes down with an abdominal strain and now first baseman Kevin Youkilis is injured in the WBC.

Here is the Red Sox statement on Youkilis:

"Kevin Youkilis returned to Fort Myers, FL (Wednesday) afternoon to be examined by the Red Sox medical staff. He was diagnosed with a mild left ankle sprain as well as mild Achilles tendinitis in his left foot. Both MRI results were negative. To limit movement and allow his ankle to heal, Youkilis will wear a walking boot for the next several days but is not expected to miss significant time.

"Youkilis originally experienced some pain in his left ankle several days ago and it worsened in last night's game vs. Team Puerto Rico. He will no longer participate in the World Baseball Classic and will return to Red Sox camp (today)."

The Red Sox had previously said Pedroia would not miss much time (he could be playing again - NOT in the WBC - by this weekend).

The one complaint about the WBC is that they are supposedly meaningful games, played during a time usually meant for preparation and caution (i.e., the key of the spring is to avoid injuries).

The fact that Youkilis tried to play through pain emphasizes the concern. The Red Sox never would have let him do that during spring training.

And now back to Japan's victory over Cuba. It means Japan has reached the semifinals and that Daisuke Matsuzaka will get another start. In his start last Sunday, Matsuzaska threw 86 pitches, well over the usual spring training load in mid-March.

Pitching for his country, Dice-K is not likely to let up.

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