The 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) wraps up Tuesday night at loanDepot Park in Miami. First pitch for the 2026 World Baseball Classic Championship is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on FOX. Let’s build our bankroll with our best World Baseball Classic picks & predictions for Tuesday, March 17th.
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Tuesday’s Best World Baseball Classic Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Venezuela (+235) vs. USA (-295) | O/U 10.5 (-115/-105)
In a thrilling semifinal game on Monday night, Venezuela slipped behind 2-0 against Italy in the bottom of the second inning. Venezuela slowly chipped away, with Eugenio Suarez reaching the seats with a solo home run off of Aaron Nola to slice the lead to 2-1.
That’s the way things stayed through the sixth inning. However, in the top of the seventh, Venezuela thrilled the mostly pro-Venezuelan crowd with three runs to push ahead 4-2. While Michael Lorenzen dazzled in last week’s stunning victory against Team USA, he was tagged for three runs, four hits and two walks across 2.2 innings to take the loss in relief. He threw just 26 of his 46 pitches for strikes.
Venezuela’s Keider Montero really was struggling out of the gate, allowing two runs, two hits and three walks while retiring just four batters. He threw only 14 of his 34 pitches for strikes. However, the bullpen combined for 7.2 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. After Montero left, the relievers threw 68 out of 101 pitches for strikes.
Maikel Garcia of the Kansas City Royals continues to play well, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, and he is now slashing .435/.458/.652 in the WBC, while Gleyber Torres of the Detroit Tigers was 2-for-2 with a walk, and he upped his average to .308.
For Team USA, it edged the Dominican Republic in Miami on Sunday, winning 2-1 behind Paul Skenes. Roman Anthony launched his second homer of the WBC, as did 3B Gunnar Henderson. Will Smith, who replaced the hitless Cal Raleigh, went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. We’ll see if manager Mark DeRosa goes back to the Big Dumper, or if Smith is back behind the dish. He is hitting .300 in the WBC.
The bullpen was superb, allowing just two hits and one walk in 4.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts after Skenes left after 71 pitches.
For Venezuela, veteran Eduardo Rodriguez will make the start. He allowed three earned runs in just 2.2 innings in his most recent appearance against the Dominican Republic, so that’s concerning. However, he did strike out five batters.
The United States goes back to Nolan McLean for the title game. He was shaky against Italy in pool play in his only previous start, allowing three runs, two hits and two walks with two homers allowed and four strikeouts. He threw 34 of his 55 pitches for strikes.
It should be a pro-Venezuela crowd in South Florida despite the game being in Miami. Venezuela fans are rabid and will give their nation a little extra energy. When it comes down to it, though, Team USA is much stronger top to bottom, and McLean is fully expected to bounce back.
The pitching scales are rather even, and the bullpens have each done a good job in this tournament. We’ll back Venezuela +2.5, and we’ll go low on the total. The latter is, easily, the best play on the board. Runs should be at a premium, similar to how the under cashed for both teams in the semis.
Picks: Venezuela +2.5 (-138) & Under 8.5 Runs (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe