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The 2026 World Baseball Classic continues on Saturday. It was an exciting night on Friday, when the 2 two favorites were in action — as the Dominican Republic pulled away from Nicaragua late and the heavily-favored United States shook off pesky Brazil in Houston. The title-favored USA makes it second appearance in Pool B play at Daikin Park in Houston, normally the home of the Astros of Major League Baseball. This time it’s a rematch with Great Britain.
Let’s get into our World Baseball Classic best bets for Saturday, March 7, targeting USA vs Great Britain.
World Baseball Classic best bet: USA vs Great Britain USA -X.5 (-110)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook and available at time of publishing
The United States got off to a quick start in Friday’s 15-5 win over Brazil. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge swatted a 2-run homer in the first inning on a 3-0 pitch, and it looks like we might be in line for a laugher. However, Brazil was able to take that initial punch and avoid the knockout. In fact, at one point Brazil was down 7-1 but it had closed to within 8-5 heading to the ninth inning. We had Under 14.5, but that quickly disappeared as the Americans piled up seven runs in the top of the ninth against Brazil’s overmatched and beleaguered pitching staff.
The most surprising thing about USA’s opening match was the fact Brazil — a punch-and-judy smallball team — ended up hitting three homers, while the star-studded American side managed just one homer.
Great Britain opened with a disappointing 8-2 setback against Mexico. The score isn’t exactly indicative of how the game went, as Great Britain tied it up 1-1 after six innings, and that’s how it remained until the top of the eighth inning. But the GBR bullpen struggled in the final 2 frames, coughing up seven runs. If you had the Under, it was a major disappointment, too, as you were on the right side most of the evening.
Great Britain saw catcher Harry Ford swat a solo homer and collect a single in 3 at-bats, and he also had a walk. That was the good news. The bad news is that Jazz Chisholm Jr. was 0-for-5 with a strikeout at the top of the lineup, and that simply cannot continue if it is to advance past pool play.
These teams met in 2023 in Phoenix, with USA posting a 6-2 victory. Paul Goldschmidt, who is again on Team USA, was 1-for-3 with a single, a walk and 3 runs scored; Kyle Schwarber hit a 3-run homer against the Brits. For the losing side, Major Leaguer Trayce Thompson went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homer.
It’s going to be super tough for Great Britain to get untracked against the Americans, especially since it will have to deal with the filthy stuff of Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal — who makes his first start for Team USA. Don’t look for a lot of offense from the Brits, as Team USA looks for its second straight cover.
World Baseball Classic best bet: Kyle Schwarber to hit a home run (+165)
Odds courtesy of Bet365 at time of publishing
The Americans hit just a single home run against a Brazilian pitching staff comprised of minor leaguers, college players and even a high school pitcher — albeit one with MLB bloodlines.
Schwarber launched his first-ever WBC home run in 2023 against Great Britain, so we’re looking for lighting to strike twice here. At plus money, Schwarber is a strong play to hit a homer at Daikin Park in Saturday’s game. Playing Aaron Judge (+145) as the ‘chalk’ isn’t a terrible idea, either.
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