Japan vs. United States
August 7, 2021 6:00 am EDT
The Line: USA +165 / Japan -195 Total: 8.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The United States and Japan face off on Saturday morning in the Gold medal game of the Olympic baseball tournament. These two teams faced off earlier in the Olympics and it was Japan that came away with the victory.
The USA was leading heading into the 9th inning, but Japan made the comeback, and that led to Japan coming away with the victory.
The United States has looked good so far in the Olympics with that only slip up coming against Japan. In the last game against South Korea, it was a combination of the offense and pitching that was the difference. The offense for the USA scored seven runs and that led to a 7-2 victory. The USA scored five runs in the sixth inning. Jack Lopez was the best player in the last game finishing with two hits and two RBI’s. Tyler Austin also had a big game finishing with two hits and two RBI’s. In this game for the USA, the pitching staff is going to need to be really good, and slow down Japan.
On the other side of this matchup is Japan who is coming off a 5-2 win against South Korea. Japan is the favorite in this game but they also have all the pressure of the country on their shoulders, and that is something that could prove to be too much. Tetsuto Yamada’ was a star in the last game for Japan as he drove in three runs on a double in the 8th inning that opened up the game won. In the first game against the USA Japan’s pitching wasn’t great and they need to be better in this game.
The United States is the underdog, but they are going to get the job done in this game. Look for the USA to find the offensive success early, and that will be the difference as the USA gets the job done.
