Puerto Rico advances, eliminates WBC favorite Dominican Republic

Puerto Rico clinched second place in the World Baseball Classic's Pool D, beating the tournament favorite Dominican Republic 5-2 on Wednesday in Miami.

As a result of finishing runner-up in Pool D, Puerto Rico advances to the quarterfinals and faces Mexico, the winner of Pool C.

The Dominican Republic placed third in Pool D, while Venezuela won the group with a perfect 4-0 record.

It's the second consecutive WBC in which the Dominican Republic failed to make it out of the group stage.

Jovani Moran earned the win Wednesday as Puerto Rico used eight different pitchers in the contest. Moran, a Minnesota Twins lefty, allowed one run on one hit while striking out two batters.

Edwin Diaz earned the save, striking out every hitter he faced in the ninth inning but appeared to suffer a leg injury while celebrating the win and needed help off the field.