20 nations entered this tournament. Two nations now remain for the coveted World Baseball Classic crown. The USA squeaked by the Dominican Republic on Sunday and then Venezuela came back late on Monday against Italy.
Venezuela will face the USA on Tuesday at 8:00 pm ET in Miami.
USA — listed as the home team — enters as a -280 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Venezuela sits as a +220 underdog.
Venezuela may not be as stacked as the Dominican Republic or the USA, but MLB’ers are populated up and down the roster as well as on the pitching staff. Ronald Acuna Jr. is the headliner while Jackson Chourio, who went 21/21 last season with the Milwaukee Brewers, bats ninth.
The offense didn’t lead the WBC in any category, but Venezuela was in the top 5 in every statistical category. The 55 hits were third-best while the 11 doubles were tied for the second-most. The eight stolen bases were the third-most. It wasn’t all slap-and-run, though, as the nine home runs were tied for fourth-most.
The pitching staff had a WHIP of 1.11, the fifth-best mark and the 55 strikeouts were fifth-most, but the 41 hits allowed were fourth-most and the eight home runs allowed were fifth-most.
Team USA has power up and down the lineup. The pitching staff is filled with flame throwers. That said, the offense was fourth with nine home runs, but the 56 hits were second-most and the 12 doubles were the most in the WBC. The 38 walks were second-most but the 48 strikeouts were third-most. The .272/.393/.461 slash was third-best.
As for the pitching, the average of .194 against was fourth-lowest and the 0.87 WHIP was tops in WBC. 11 home runs were allowed, the most, but the nine walks were the fewest while the 76 strikeouts were the most by a wide margin.
The marquee showdown will have Nolan McLean on the mound for the USA, while Venezuela has not announced their starter yet. McLean is a 24-year-old pitcher for the New York Mets. In 48 MLB innings last season, he posted a 2.97 FIP with a 30.3% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. He averaged 95.7 mph on the fastball. In his lone WBC appearance, McLean pitched three innings against Italy, walking two, striking out four and allowing three earned runs on two hits.
