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World Baseball Classic Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (3/14)

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Groups C and D resume play throughout the day as the Tuesday slate of World Baseball Classic games offers up a quartet of international matchups. 

There are plenty of different ways to bet on tonight’s action, but I’ve narrowed in on these two best bets. Let’s dive into each game and break down the matchups.

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Tuesday:

World Baseball Classic Best Bets

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Canada vs. Columbia

Arguably the biggest game on the docket today sees Canada (1-1) take on Columbia (1-1). Factor in that the USA is 2-1, Mexico is 1-1, and Great Britain is 1-2, and you can see that Group C is still completely up for grabs. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. 

This afternoon’s pitching matchup sees the Canadian’s Noah Skirrow square off against Columbia’s Adrian Almeida. Skirrow spent the bulk of his 2022 campaign with the Phillies’ AA program, the Reading Fightin Phils. In 21 starts with the club last year, the right-hander went 5-8 with a 4.65 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Almeida, on the other hand, hasn’t pitched much over the last couple of seasons, partially due to running into injury issues in 2022. With two clubs in the Mexican League last year, the southpaw went 0-3 with an 8.88 ERA and 1.97 WHIP. 

So, as you can tell, we’re certainly not getting the best cream of the crop in terms of pitching in this Group C showdown. Therefore, I’ll lock in the lofty over of 11.5 runs.

In two games so far, Canada has posted the highest OPS out of all 20 teams, sitting at 1.083. The inflated OPS is a product of an 18-8 barnburner with Great Britain on Sunday; but, if that game is any indication of what we’ll see here, we should have no issue clearing this total. 

As for Columbia, they’re slashing just .194/.256/.319 through two games. However, this is a potential breakout game against a Canadian pitching staff that owns a 13.85 ERA and has conceded 20 runs through two games. All things considered, I think we see both offenses feel pretty confident today. Let’s lock in the over. 

Bet: Over 11.5

Great Britain vs. Mexico

While not mathematically eliminated yet, Great Britain (1-2) is going to need some help if they want to punch their ticket to the quarterfinal round. Their path starts with taming a Mexican team that enters at 1-1, coming off of a huge 11-5 victory over the USA on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET from Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. 

Joseph King gets the nod for Great Britain while Mexico counters with Taijuan Walker in the nightcap. King, a 22-year-old from California, tossed 72.2 innings for Cal Berkley in 2022. The righty posted a 5-3 record to go along with a 3.72 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Opposing the ninth-round pick for the Cardinals will be Taijuan Walker, who is no stranger to the big stage. The veteran right-hander had a great 2022 season with the Mets, making 29 starts and going 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. 

I’ll go ahead and take the over in this Group C matchup as well. One clear area of concern with Great Britain is their pitching, which ranks 18th in the tournament with a 9.78 ERA. The staff has allowed 29 runs on 33 hits, with four of those being home runs.

It won’t get any easier tonight for the Brits, who are tasked with facing a Mexican team that’s slashing .296/.352/.457 with three home runs so far. With the way Mexico played in Sunday’s 11-5 victory against the USA, I’d have to say that the sky’s the limit for this squad. Look for another onslaught of offense from them in what should be a higher-scoring game. 

Bet: Over

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