Henry Roldán
The quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic kick off this Wednesday with a very interesting clash between Australia vs Cuba. The Australians surprised in Group B qualifying in second place over Korea, while the Caribbean team finished as the best in the world, occupying the first position in a Group A where all five teams finished with the same record. For that reason, everything was defined by the ratio of clean runs allowed between defensive outs.
Without further ado, at JefeBet we bring you the best preview of the stellar match between Australia vs Cuba.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Australia vs Cuba WBC Game on March 15, 2022
Where will Australia vs Cuba be played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic?
The game between Australia and Cuba for the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic will be played at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
When will Australia vs Cuba be played?
The game between Australia and Cuba for the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic will be played next Wednesday, March 15 at 6:00 AM E.T.
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Betting on Australia
- WBC 2023 Record: 3-1.
- Best position: 10th place (2017).
- Runline: (+1.5, +145).
- Moneyline: (+265).
- Over/Under: 9.5.
Australia is one of the pleasant surprises of the first round of the World Baseball Classic after qualifying from Group B by beating Korea and finishing behind Japan, the only team they lost to. Thanks to a strong attack, the Oceania team qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in its history, including in the first match of the tournament against their direct group rivals: South Korea.
In that match, they managed to win by 8-7 with six runs between the seventh and eighth episodes, while they scored 12 times against China and gave eight more runs to the Czech Republic. It is worth noting that is batting was only dampened by the Japanese pitching, which allowed only one run.
The offensive standout for Dave Nillson’s team was minor league second baseman Robbie Glendinning, who hit .375 (16-6) with two home runs and six RBIs. Waiter was supported by designated hitter Alex Hall, who also walked twice and drove in five teammates. This offensive performance will have to be maintained if Australia wants to stay on the warpath. In their first four games, their pitching left an effectiveness of 5.03 and a high number of tickets by giving out 19 in 34.0 innings of work.
Australia’s starting pitcher for this game is a faithful example of this, as Steven Kent was barely able to work one third of an inning against Korea, in which he gave up three tickets, three hits and allowed three runs.
Starting pitcher: Steven Kent (0-0, 81.00 EFE).
Betting on Cuba
- WBC 2023 Record: 2-2.
- Best position: Runner-up (2006).
- Runline: (-1.5, -170).
- Moneyline: (-320).
- Over/Under: 9.5.
Incredibly, Cuba ended up as the leader of Group A despite losing its first two matches of the championship against the Netherlands and Italy.
Thanks to their victories over Panama and Chinese Taipei, the Caribbean team was able to string together other results that left all the teams with two wins and two losses. With this five-way tie, Cuba benefited from having a better ratio of clean runs allowed between defensive outs.
The offense started the tournament rather slowly with only five runs scored in the first two games, but in the final stretch their bats woke up with 13 scores against Panama and seven more against Chinese Taipei’s pitching.
Yoán Moncada was extremely important for the team led by Armando Johnson after the White Sox player finished the first round with a .353 average (17-6), with a home run and five runs batted in, while the historic Alfredo Despaigne added six more hits with three runs batted in.
Cuba’s pitching was able to respond on the mound, and that was precisely the key to reach the quarterfinals. In 36 episodes of work, it allowed 13 clean runs for an effectiveness of 3.25 and only conceded one home run to his opponents.
As for their starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game, the Cubans will have one of their best arms in Yariel Rodríguez. The right-hander who pitches in Japan had a very good performance in his performance against the Netherlands by pitching four innings of three hits, one run, one walk and six strikeouts.
Starting pitcher: Yariel Rodríguez (0-0, 2.25 EFE).
JefeBet Prediction
Cuba comes into the game as the favorite to reach the semifinal, although it will need to continue with its effectiveness on the mound against a very complicated offense like that of Australia. The Oceania team surprised everyone with its offensive display during the first round, but against Japan, which has great pitching, it could only score one run.
That is the main reason why Cuba must pass this Wednesday. Yariel Rodriguez has experience in a complicated baseball like the Japanese and dominated a good pitching staff of the Netherlands in his only appearance in the tournament.
In addition, Cuba’s offense has been going from strength to strength and the Australian pitching is one of the best hitters of the classic despite facing unproductive offenses such as China and the Czech Republic.
Prediction: Cuba to win (AUS 3 – CUB 5).
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