Australia vs Cuba Prediction – WBC Picks 3/15/23

Australia and Cuba face off on Wednesday morning in the World Baseball Classic at the Tokoya Dome. 

Australia Betting Preview

Australia played well in pool play, finishing with a 3-1 record, and that was enough for second place in Pool B. Australia beat the Czech Republic, Korea, and China, and the only loss came against Japan. On Sunday, Australia faced off against the Czech Republic, and they were able to secure an 8-3 victory. The bats were cold early in the game, but they scored seven runs in the last three innings on the way to the victory. Alex Hall had a strong game, finishing with two hits, two runs, and four RBIs. Even though the offense was good, they need the offense to get out to a fast start early in this game. If they get out to a slow start with the offense, they are going to open the door for Cuba. 

Cuba Betting Preview

On the other side of this matchup is Cuba, who finished in first place in Group A with a 2-2 record. Cuba opened up the World Baseball Classic with two losses, but they have now won two games in a row. On Thursday Cuba beat Panama 13-4 and on Saturday they were able to beat Chinese Taipei 7-1. Cuba scored 21 runs against Panama. In the last game against the Chinese Taipei, Cuba scored four runs in the first inning, and they never looked back on the way to the victory. Alfredo Despaigne had a strong game finishing with two hits, one run, and two RBIs in this game, if the pitching is good, Cuba will be in good shape to secure the victory. 

Shane’s Free Pick

There won’t be a lot of good pitching happening in this game. This Cuba offense has a ton of confidence heading into this game with the offense, and Australia in the last game scored eight runs against the Czech Republic. In this game, both offenses are going to run up the score early, and this game is going to go well over the posted total. I expect 16 or 17 runs are going to be scored in this game. Back the over.