3 bold WBC predictions for USA vs. Dominican Republic

The United States has come to the World Baseball Classic with the intention of winning the championship and it has a loaded lineup that includes Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber. The Americans hope to advance to the championship game of the tournament when they face the powerful bats of the Dominican Republic. The two teams will meet Sunday at loanDepot Park in Miami (8 p.m. ET, FS1).

While the U.S. lost a round robin game to Italy and was pushed hard by Canada in the quarterfinals before gaining a 5-3 victory, the Dominican Republic has been dominant. The DR comes into the semifinal game with a 4-0 record and they have overpowered the opposition by a 41-10 margin. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Ketel Marte have battered opposing pitchers in the first four games of the tournament.

Skenes will set the tone for Team USA

This will clearly be the most intimidating lineup that the United States has faced to this point in the tournament. Manager Mark DeRosa is sending out his best pitcher in an attempt to keep the Dominican Republic offense in check. Paul Skenes will be on the mound for Team USA and he is going to have to be in top form if he is going to slow down the Dominican offense.

Skenes was utterly dominant in his previous start for Team USA. He shut down Mexico and did not allow a run in his 4 innings of work while striking out seven batters. While the Dominican Republic has a more powerful lineup than Mexico, it will not be easy for that team to mount an attack against the 2-time All-Star and Cy Young Award winner.

Slowing down the Team USA offense will not be easy for the Dominican Republic. Manager Albert Pujols is trusting starting pitcher Luis Severino to shut down the Americans as they attempt to put early runs on the board. Severino allowed 1 run and 3 hits in his previous outing against the Netherlands. He also struck out 5 batters.

Skenes may be able to pitch 5 innings against the Dominican Republic, and he will hold Guerrero & Co. to one run.

Dominican bats will come alive against bullpen

While Skenes is clearly one of the best pitchers in the sport, the United States bullpen has not been in top form in the WBC. As a result, the Dominican Republic will be content to get through Skenes’ innings and then get the offense going against DeRosa’s relievers.

It will be very difficult to slow down the Dominican bats. The best that Team USA can hope for is that their defensive skills will be apparent as shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and third baseman Alex Bregman make a series of eye-catching plays on hard hit balls to the left side of the infield. The Americans will also need centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to run down balls in the power alleys.

Look for Guerrero, Soto, Machado and Tatis to lead the attack for the Dominican Republic. They should be able to get their offense going in the mid-to-late innings once Skenes leaves.

It would not be a surprise to see the Dominican Republic blast three home runs and take the lead in the sixth or seventh innings.

Late thunder for Team USA will be decisive

The United States knows it can deliver an explosive offense as well, but they have been a bit more inconsistent than their Dominican counterparts. They were able to do a lot of late scoring in the round robin portion of their schedule, but they were held in check in many of the early innings.

In the win over Canada, the U.S. built a 5-0 lead and held on for the victory. The U.S. may need more consistent production against this powerful opponent. If they can’t build a fairly sizable lead when Skenes is pitching, Team USA could be in trouble.

Look for Judge and Schwarber to set the standard for the American attack in the early going. The belief is that Team USA will build an early lead, but will also need some key late-inning runs after the Dominican Republic responds against the bullpen.

DeRosa would love to see Harper come through with a big hit and show that he is worthy of his spot in the lineup. Roman Anthony had a home run earlier in the WBC and was impressive with his power. He has a magnificent eye for a young player and could deliver another big hit in this game that could prove decisive for Team USA.

Team USA should advance to the championship game as it survives against the Dominican Republic with late offense off the bats of Harper, Anthony and Raleigh.

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