Venezuela vs USA Expert Picks, Predictions & How to Watch WBC Final
By Chris Amberley in News
Published:
- USA is a -245 moneyline favorite over Venezuela in tonight’s WBC Final
- Nolan McLean will take the ball for the Americans, while Venezuela will counter with Eduardo Rodriguez
- See my Venezuela vs USA expert picks and predictions, plus how to watch the WBC Final
The World Baseball Classic culminates tonight with a championship showdown between Venezuela and the USA. The Americans began the event as the pre-tournament favorites, and now are just one win away from their second ever WBC title.
Online sportsbooks like their chances, pegging them as -245 moneyline favorites. USA is also laying 1.5 on the runline, and that’s a market where you’d be smart to back the underdog.
Keep reading for my Venezuela vs USA expert picks and predictions, plus how to watch the WBC Final.
How to Watch Venezuela vs USA WBC Final
First pitch of the WBC Final is set for 8 pm ET, 5 pm PT, from loanDepot park, in Miami, FL. Fox and Fox Deportes will provide the American and Spanish language broadcasts, while Sportsnet will handle the Canadian TV coverage. Most Fox channels can be streamed live on Fubo TV.
Venezuela vs USA WBC Odds
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Americans boast the equivalent of a -245 moneyline at Kalshi, while the prediction market is offering Venezuela at the equivalent of +233 odds to pull off the upset.
USA is a -130 favorite to cover the 1.5 run line, with their opponent catching +105 odds to beat the spread.
Total-wise, the over/under sits at 9, which is a number that both semifinal matchups fell well short of.
Odds as of March 17 at Kalshi and DraftKings. Make sure you use SBD’s exclusive Kalshi referral code to bet on the World Baseball Classic.
Venezuela vs USA Expert Picks and Predictions
- Venezuela +1.5 (+117 at Kalshi)
The Americans were the odds-on -110 favorites in the WBC odds when the tournament began, while Venezuela sported a +900 price tag to win it all. USA opened the tourney with two convincing victories, but since then they’ve been far from dominant. They got past Mexico 5-3, then dropped a 8-6 decision to Italy, before squeaking out wins over Canada and the Dominican Republic.
The victory over the D.R. was impressive from a pitching and defense standpoint, but the Americans will need to get the bats going against Venezuela.
That may be easier said than done, with veteran Eduardo Rodriguez on the hill, and versus a collection of relievers that haven’t allowed a run in 18.1 innings, while combining for 23 strikeouts.
Aaron Judge has been his typical dominant self, but some of the other big name stars like Bryce Harper and Cal Raleigh have been invincible. Raleigh has been so bad that he was replaced by Will Smith, but is still available as a pinch hitting option.
Venezuela meanwhile, is getting contributions from up and down their line-up, helping them upset defending champion Japan in the quarters, and then defeat Italy in the semis.
Maikel Garcia leads the WBC in hits, and has also scored 5 runs and recorded 6 RBI. Ronald Acuna Jr. has the ability to take over any game by himself, while Luiz Arraez is making an MVP case for himself with 8 hits and 10 RBI in 25 at-bats.
Venezuela also boasts power and speed with Jackson Chourio in the 9-hole, who helped orchestrate a 7th inning rally in the victory over the Italians.
Mets prospect Nolan McLean will take the ball for the Americans tonight, after multiple other options declined the opportunity. McLean struggled versus Italy in his lone WBC outing, coughing up 3 runs, and has just eight MLB starts under his belt.
That means we’ll see plenty of the USA bullpen, and although they pitched well versus the Dominicans, they’ve been inconsistent at best throughout the tournament.
It’s no surprise that the Americans are heavy favorites tonight, but the price on Venezuela +1.5 runs (+117) is simply too good to ignore. Their top players are operating at the peak of their powers, while their relievers have been lights out.
Contrast that with Team USA, who aren’t getting the type of production they expect from all of their stars, and are forced to start an inexperienced pitcher.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Venezuela pulled off the outright upset, but I’ll stick with their run line as my preferred wager.
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
