World Baseball Classic Best Bets Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (3/17)

The World Baseball Classic has reached the Quarterfinals. At this point in the tournament, every game is a must-win game, as every game from here on out is single elimination. Today’s only game is a showdown between Puerto Rico and Mexico. Both teams are coming off big wins as Mexico defeated Canada and Puerto Rico beat the Dominican Republic.

Despite coming off a huge win, it came with a cost for the Puerto Ricans. During the teams’ celebration, Closer Edwin Diaz hurt his knee and had to be carried off the field. After further evaluation, it was announced that the Mets’ closer tore his patellar tendon and is expected to miss 6-8 months. That will likely keep Diaz out for the entire MLB season.

How will Puerto Rico bounce back after an emotional loss to one of their leaders?

Friday’s Best World Baseball Classic Bet

I think this injury news weighs heavy on the shoulder of others on this team and may affect them in their matchup with Mexico. Mexico is cruising under the radar, led by Randy Arozarena and Joey Meneses. During this year’s WBC, Arozarena is batting .500 (7-14) with five doubles, one home run, and nine RBI. Joey Meneses is batting .474 (9-19) with two home runs and six RBI.

On top of having one of the hottest lineups in the WBC, they are calling on their ace and one of the best pitchers in the MLB, Julio Urias. The Dodgers’ star went 17-7 with a 2.16 ERA in 2022 and has already experienced the WBC in 2023 with a start against Colombia. At the time of write-up, the starter for Puerto Rico has not been decided, but it could be assumed it will be Marcus Stroman.

Bet: Mexico ML (-115 DraftKings)