All the stars are out Sunday night for a powerhouse World Baseball Classic matchup between Team USA and the Dominican Republic.
The D.R., behind stars like Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatís Jr. and Manny Machado, has dominated through the tournament so far, going 4-0 in pool play and beating Korea 10-0 in the quarterfinals to get here. The United States, meanwhile, has had a bit of a tougher go, including a stunning loss to Cinderella story Italy in pool play. Yet it’s hard to deny the talent on the roster, including Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson.
Reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes takes the mound for Team USA Sunday, while the Dominican Republic will send out Luis Severino. Winner moves on to face either Italy or Venezuela in the Championship Game. Loser goes home. It’s that simple.
World Baseball Classic/MLB
We’ll leave the playing to the professionals, so a few of your CBS Sports MLB experts will instead try to predict how this all winds up.
WBC quarterfinal picks
Axisa: I see no reason to pick against the Dominican Republic. Paul Skenes vs. Luis Severino is a major advantage to Team USA, but Skenes won’t throw a complete game, and USA’s bullpen will have to cover a good three or four innings against the Dominican lineup. I don’t love USA’s chances of holding a lead. Also, USA’s vibes have been off since the Italy game. There’s more enthusiasm in the DMV waiting room than there is in USA’s dugout. The Dominican Republic is just too good. I’m not picking against them. Prediction: D.R. 8, USA 5
Feldman: Paul Skenes may be able to hold down this imposing Dominican roster but it’ll only last for so long. The U.S. bullpen is penetrable and the lineup has yet to click in a way that’s convinced me there’s enough offense to make up for the pitching, especially with so many top arms going back to spring training between rounds. Prediction: D.R. 6, USA 3
Perry: Talk about a tough call. The guess here is that Skenes mostly keeps the big D.R. bats in check, while Team USA gets to Severino for an early lead. However, the D.R. offense mounts a comeback against the U.S. bullpen and wins a thriller to advance to the finals. Prediction: D.R. 4, USA 3
Snyder: This is amazing theater, and I can’t wait. I believe Paul Skenes vs. the Dominican Republic’s loaded All-Star cast of a lineup is the best thing this WBC has to offer and we’ll hopefully get about five innings of it. I took USA to win it all, so I’ll stick with that pick. I’ll say Team USA jumps on Luis Severino early and there are plenty of lead changes and fireworks late in the game. USA eventually prevails in a high-scoring affair. I’ll even say Mason Miller gets the final out with the tying run standing 90 feet away at third base. Prediction: USA 8, D.R. 7