Israel vs. Puerto Rico: World Baseball Classic Odds, Picks and Predictions
Israel vs. Puerto Rico Odds
| Israel ML | *+425 |
| Puerto Rico ML | *-600 |
| Over/Under | 9.5 |
| Date | Mon, Mar. 13 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. |
| TV | FS1 |
Tonight, Israel and Puerto Rico will meet at loanDepot park. Israel won their opening pool play contest of the World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico enters action this evening 1-1 after losing to Venezuela on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on FS1.
Ahead of first pitch, oddsmakers have priced Puerto Rico as -600 favorites on the moneyline in this matchup, with over/under on the total set at 9.5 runs.
Israel
Gordon gets the start
Southpaw Colton Gordon will get the nod for Israel to start this contest. A former eighth round pick by the Houston Astros in 2021, Gordon impressed across four different levels of the minor leagues last summer – posting a 2.35 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 38.6% strikeout percentage, and a 4.0% walk rate.
Though he has only limited sample sizes at each of the levels he appeared in during the 2022 campaign, it was an encouraging sign that Gordon did not experience any stark platoon splits. He also did a good job keeping the ball in the yard, allowing only four home runs in a sample of 202 batters faced.
What to expect from Israel’s offense
In their opening contest against Nicaragua, Israel’s bats were only able to manage three runs, but they did have nine at-bats with runners-in-scoring-position. The primary issue was that they had only two hits in those situations, leaving 11 men on base overall.
Featuring Joc Pederson, Allex Dickerson, and Garrett Stubbs, this lineup has recognizable MLB names who are capable of doing some damage. Expect this group to be competitive on Monday evening.
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Puerto Rico
De Leon gets the ball
Following a disastrous showing from Jose Berrios in Puerto Rico’s second pool play contest, the team will turn to Jose De Leon tonight, hoping to get back on track. De Leon pitched at three different levels of the minor leagues in 2022, posting a 4.05 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 33.9% strikeout percentage, and a 13.6% walk rate.
“(player-popup #jose-de-leon)De Leon”:/players/jose-de-leon-35711’s biggest struggles came against left-handed hitters, who tagged him for two home runs and a .318 batting average in a limited sample size at AAA last year. De Leon was much tougher against righties, allowing only a .158 opponent batting average.
What to expect from Puerto Rico’s lineup
Puerto Rico scored nine runs in their first pool play game against Nicaragua, and six more runs in their second game against Venezuela. However, they were held to only one earned run by Pablo Lopez through the first 4.2 innings of the contest.
Fortunately for Puerto Rico, they have no shortage of right-handed hitters, each of whom has experienced success against left-handed pitching in recent seasons. This lineup could be poised for a quick start in this spot.
Israel vs. Puerto Rico – Picks & Predictions
In this matchup, Puerto Rico is rightfully priced as the favorite. Still, it is doubtful that they have the offensive firepower or the pitching dominance required to win this game by a wide margin. In baseball, it is extremely difficult to win games by substantial margins, especially in emotionally-charged environments such as the World Baseball Classic.
Underdogs have dominated this tournament to begin pool play. Expect that trend to continue on Monday evening between Israel and Puerto Rico.
PICK: Israel +3.5 (+105, Bet365)
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