MLB World Classic: USA vs. Cuba predictions & odds for Sunday, 3/19
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The World Baseball Classic has reached the semi-finals, and if the games are anything like the quarterfinals, we are in for a treat. The four teams remaining are Japan, Mexico, Cuba and the USA. Our experts took a look at the semifinal game tonight; this article outlines their USA vs. Cuba World Baseball Classic predictions with odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, where you can bet $5 and win $200 guaranteed. We’ll outline the offer in full details below as well.
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It was a thrilling quarterfinal round for both teams. Cuba won Pool A and advanced to play Australia in a quarterfinal matchup that turned out to be a game decided by just one run. Meanwhile, the USA won their quarterfinal game in dramatic fashion, as Trea Turner hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning against Venezuela to secure the win for his team.
For Sunday’s semifinal matchup, Cuba will start Roenis Elías, and he will be countered by Adam Wainwright for the USA. With a great matchup ahead, let’s take a look at our experts’ USA vs. Cuba World Baseball Classic predictions.
Adam Wainwright faced a young, inexperienced Great Britain squad in his World Baseball Classic debut, giving up one run and five hits over four innings. Cuba’s lineup, however, is very different from that of Great Britain. After five games, Cuba has a team batting average of .311 and an OPS of .825. Due in large part to their offensive strength, the Cubans won Pool A and subsequently defeated Australia in the quarterfinals.
It wasn’t always like that though, as the Cuban squad had a relatively sluggish start to the tournament, scoring just five runs in their first two games. But in the following three games, Cuba has scored 13, 7, and 4 runs. In the World Baseball Classic, Cuba’s starting lineup has been dominating. Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert Jr, teammates on the Chicago White Sox, are two of the first five hitters in the Cuban lineup that have a combined batting average of .364.
Since the scouting report has gotten easier on Wainwright as he has aged, we’re optimistic that Cuba can grind out a few runs against him. A bullpen that just had to utilize six pitchers in high-stress situations last night will feel some pressure because Wainwright will likely only pitch for four innings at most. Cuba has at least four runs scored in each of the last three games, and they stand a good opportunity of doing so again against Wainwright.
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The USA are the favorites in tonight’s semifinal game. At DraftKings Sportsbook, their -1.5 run line has -210 odds. So, if you think the USA will win by two runs or more, a $210 bet on the Americans will win $100 if they do so. If you think Cuba can keep it close, their +1.5 run line has +175 odds. That means a $100 bet on Cuba to lose by one run or win outright would profit $175.
Finally, our USA vs. Cuba World Baseball Classic predictions of Cuba team total over 3.5 has +105 odds, meaning a $10 bet on Cuba to score four or more runs would win $105.
Tonight’s semifinal matchup marks only three games left in the World Baseball Classic. We laid out the schedule for the remaining games of the tournament below.
Sunday, March 19:
- USA vs. Cuba - 7 PM ET
Monday, March 20:
- Mexico vs. Japan - 7 PM ET
Tuesday, March 21 (Championship):
- Semi-final 1 winner vs. Semi-final 2 winner - 7 PM ET
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