2026 World Baseball Classic Preview for Games on Saturday, March 14, 2026

By Frank Ammirante | Mar 14, 2026, 7:11am

It’s time for Day 2 of the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Saturday, March 14th.

We’ve got a pair of intriguing matchups with Puerto Rico vs. Italy and Venezuela vs. Japan.

On this page, we’ll dive into the full World Baseball Classic slate on Mar. 14. You’ll find a game preview for each of these matchups, along with best bets at the end of the page. Visit us daily as we’ll get you set each day of the World Baseball Classic with recaps, look aheads, and much more!

2026 World Baseball Classic Betting Resources

Saturday WBC Schedule

Puerto Rico vs. Italy (3 p.m. ET) (FS1)
Venezuela vs. Japan (9 p.m. ET) (FS1)

Puerto Rico vs. Italy Preview

Puerto Rico is in tough against the biggest surprise of the tournament so far. Italy won Pool B with a 4-0 record, knocking off both Mexico and USA. Led by Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, this is a potent lineup with lots of power. There’s also Pasquantino’s teammate Jac Caglianone, who looks poised for a massive breakout season.

Veteran righty Seth Lugo takes the mound for Puerto Rico. Lugo will have to turn in a strong outing, shutting down his teammates if Puerto Rico is to get it done here. As a dependable innings-eater, Lugo gives Puerto Rico the edge on the mound over Sam Aldegheri. While Aldegheri completely shut down Brazil, he’ll be in a tougher spot vs. Puerto Rico.

This should be a close game that comes down to the wire.

Puerto Rico vs. Italy Game Odds

Moneyline: Puerto Rico (-120), Italy (+100)
Run Line: Puerto Rico -1.5 (+130), Italy +1.5 (-165)
Run Total: Over 8.5 (-110), Under 8.5 (-110)

Puerto Rico vs. Italy Betting Pick

While Italy’s run throughout this year’s WBC has certainly been impressive, I’m giving the edge to Puerto Rico here.

Lugo has the ability to pitch five or six innings in this game. Then, you add the best closer in baseball in Edwin Diaz, locking down the ninth. That combination of pitchers could pose a problem for Italy.

While Aldegheri looked good against Brazil, he’s completely unproven in the big leagues. I need to see more from him to trust him against Puerto Rico.

I’m betting that this will be a close game in the late innings, where Puerto Rico has the advantage with Diaz. Italy doesn’t have any relievers in that tier.

The fact that Puerto Rico remains favored here despite Italy’s wins over USA and Mexico speaks volumes. The pitching edge for Puerto Rico is likely to be impactful here.

Best Bet: Puerto Rico ML to win 1 unit

Venezuela vs. Japan Preview

Venezuela is coming off a hard-fought loss to Dominican Republic, which is why they have the daunting task of taking on the defending champions, Japan. To make matters worse, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the mound for Japan here.

The good news for Venezuela is that they’re sending out their ace as well in Ranger Suarez, who is no stranger to big games, having postseason experience while pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Japan has a great lineup with Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki, Masataka Yoshida, Munetaka Murakami, and Kazuma Okamoto, but Venezuela has a strong offense of its own. You can legitimately argue that Venezuela has the third-best lineup in the tournament, behind USA and Dominican Republic.

With Ronald Acuña Jr, Jackson Chourio, and Eugenio Suarez leading the way, this game has the makings of a classic.

Venezuela vs. Japan Game Odds

Moneyline: Venezuela (+145), Japan (-180)
Run Line: Venezuela +1.5 (-150) vs. Japan -1.5 (+120)
Run Total: Over 7.5 (-120), Under 7.5 (-105)

Venezuela vs. Japan Betting Pick

At the beginning of the tournament, I picked Venezuela to get to the finals and take on Dominican Republic. I’m not going to back down from that pick now.

This is a fantastic offense. I’ve already mentioned Acuña Jr, Chourio, and Eugenio Suarez. But don’t forget about Willson Contreras, William Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, and Luis Arraez. It’s exactly the type of deep lineup that you need to pull off an upset over Japan.

Yes, Yamamoto is on the mound, and we know how dominant he can be, especially in big games. We saw that with his incredible run in the World Series. However, you’re unlikely to see him go more than five innings here.

With that in mind, the pitching edge for Japan matters less than it normally would. At +145 odds, I’m loving the value on Venezuela to pull off the upset here.

Best Bet: Venezuela ML (+145) to win 1 unit

2026 World Baseball Classic Betting Tracker

2026 World Baseball Classic betting tracker does not include Friday’s games, as this article was written before they were played.

Record: 5-3
Units: +0.35

2026 World Baseball Classic Betting Results

Moneyline (Favorite-Underdog): 29-10
Run Line (Favorite-Underdog): 21-18
Run Total (Over-Under): 17-22

Wednesday, Mar. 4

Chinese Taipei 0 vs. Australia 3 (+2.5) – Under

Thursday, Mar. 5

Czechia 4 vs. Korea 11 (-6.5) – Over
Czechia 1 vs. Australia 5 (-4.5) – Under

Friday, Mar. 6

Chinese Taipei 0 vs. Japan 13 (-4.5) – Over
Panama 1 vs. Cuba 3 (-1.5) – Under
Netherlands 2 vs. Venezuela 6 (-3.5) – Under
Great Britain 2 vs. Mexico 8 (-4.5) – Over
Colombia 0 vs. Puerto Rico 5 (-2.5) – Under
Nicaragua 3 vs. Dominican Republic 12 (-4.5) – Over
Brazil 5 vs. USA 15 (-9.5) – Over

Saturday, Mar. 7

Korea 6 vs. Japan 8 (-4.5) – Over
Colombia 2 vs. Canada 8 (-1.5) Over
Nicaragua 3 vs. Netherlands 4 (-2.5) – Under
Brazil 0 vs. Italy 8 (-4.5) – Under
Panama 3 vs. Puerto Rico 4 (-3.5) – Under
Israel 3 vs. Venezuela 11 (-5.5) – Over
Great Britain 1 vs. USA 9 (-9.5) – Under
Korea 4 vs. Chinese Taipei 5 (+2.5) – Over

Sunday, Mar. 8

Australia 3 vs. Japan 4 (-4.5) – Under
Netherlands 1 vs. Dominican Republic 12 (-4.5) Over
Colombia 4 vs. Cuba 7 (-1.5) – Over
Great Britain 4 vs. Italy 7 (-4.5) – Over
Nicaragua 0 vs. Israel 5 (+1.5) – Under
Brazil 0 vs. Mexico 16 (-7.5) – Over
Canada 3 vs. Panama 4 (+4.5) – Under

Monday, Mar. 9

Australia 2 vs. Korea 7 (-2.5) – Under
Panama 3 vs. Colombia 4 (+1.5) – Under
Israel 1 vs. Dominican Republic 10 (-7.5) – Under
Brazil 1 vs. Great Britain 8 (-2.5) – Under
Nicaragua 0 vs. Venezuela 4 (-6.5) – Under
Mexico 3 vs. USA 5 (-3.5) – Under
Cuba 1 vs. Puerto Rico 4 (-2.5) – Under

Tuesday, Mar. 10

Czechia 0 vs. Japan 9 (-2.5) – Under
Netherlands 2 vs. Israel 6 (+1.5) – Under
Puerto Rico 2 vs. Canada 3 (+1.5) – Under
USA 6 vs. Italy 8 (+5.5) – Over

Wednesday, Mar. 11

Cuba 2 vs. Canada 7 (-1.5) – Over
Venezuela 5 vs. Dominican Republic 7 (-2.5) – Over
Mexico 1 vs. Italy 9 (+1.5) – Over

Frank Ammirante

Frank Ammirante has been creating sports betting and fantasy sports content for 5+ years, specializing in baseball and football, but also writing about basketball, hockey, and soccer. He has also written online casino, sweepstakes casino, prediction markets, and news articles while working as a content editor as well. You may have seen his work at The Game Day, RotoBaller, FantasyPros, Deadspin, Casino.org, and much more. Frank started out in the fantasy sports space and has competed in popular industry events like Tout Wars. His work has recently been published in this year's Fantasy Index fantasy baseball magazine. As an avid Blue Jays fan, Frank is still mourning their World Series loss to the Dodgers, calling it "one of the biggest collapses in sports history."