World Baseball Classic betting - USA, Japan take over top contender status
The groups are set for the second round of the World Baseball Classic and WBC odds are pointing to a showdown between the United States and Japan while online sports betting players who picked the Dominican Republic are left wondering what went wrong.
WBC betting: USA, Japan favored heading into Round 2
- Dominicans upset
- Dutch shock the world
- Japan in fine form as defending champs
Japan and Cuba will face off in the first Pool 1 game in a rematch of the 2006 final, when the Japanese were victorious. Despite losing their final game 1-0 to Korea, the Japanese were still the dominant team of the first round, outscoring their opponents 18-3 in their three games. The Koreans will face Mexico in the second Pool 1 game, and the Mexicans are coming off a 16-4 trouncing at the hands of the Cubans. Japan has World Baseball Classic odds of +250 to win the tournament, and it doesn’t look like anyone in Pool 1 can stop it.
The Netherlands scored one of the biggest World Baseball Classic betting upsets in the short history of the tournament when it beat the heavily favored Dominican Republic not once, but twice in the first round. The Dutch are still online betting long shots to win the whole thing at +8000, but they should be ecstatic just to make it this far. As for the Dominican Republic, who was one of the pre-tourney favorites to win it all, a lack of timely hitting was its downfall, and many people that bet sports will wonder if the loss of Alex Rodriguez to hip surgery was the main culprit.
The Americans, who are the tournament favorites with WBC odds of +150, will face Puerto Rico in their first Pool 2 game, but they shouldn’t take the Puerto Ricans lightly. Puerto Rico went undefeated in the first round, outscoring the opposition 15-1. World Baseball Classic betting is about to take it to the next level
For more WBC betting insight as we head towards the final, bookmark the Betting Edge at betonline.com.
T.J. Kendrick is the biggest baseball nut and a brilliant MLB handicapper. His love of the game borders on obsession, and he takes every chance he gets to make excellent predictions, frequently contributing to industry handicapping sites as well as betonline.com. Thoughts or questions?
