Team USA will have a crucial fight against Canada on Monday night at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The USA defeated an overwhelmed team from Great Britain in Saturday’s WBC opener before losing unilaterally to Mexico in a much-anticipated game on Sunday. At 1-1, the USA need a win to position themselves better in Group C.
The Americans are guaranteed to play at least four games in the tournament, one against each team in their pool (Canada, Colombia, Great Britain, Mexico). After that, the top two teams in each pool will advance to an eight-team single-elimination tournament. The Americans are the defending WBC champions, having won the tournament when it was last held in 2017. Will the fate of this year’s squad be so kind? So far the answer has been “no”.
We’ll know more after Monday’s game. You can see the full tournament schedule by clicking here. Now let’s move on to how to watch the duel between Team USA and Canada.
Team USA vs. Canada how to watch
Date: Monday, March 13 | Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Jagdfeld (Phoenix, AZ)
TV channel:FS1 | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
Opportunities: US -500; SKILL +375; O/U: 11.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Starting pitchers: RHP Lance Lynn (USA) vs LHP Mitch Bratt (Canada)
to see players
Despite a quality squad, the key player to watch on Monday isn’t playing for the USA. It’s Bratt, Canada’s starting pitcher. Bratt, 19, was selected by Rangers in the fifth round of the 2021 draft and spent last season in the Single-A. He pitched 80 2/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 90 strikeouts. MLB.com ranks him as the #17 prospect in the Texas farm system. Here is a snippet of their scouting report:
Bratt is enjoying a lot of success pitching a low-90s fastball that hit 95 mph and plays better than his speed thanks to his carry-up in the zone and his ability to control it. All of his stuff is average at the moment, with some debate over whether his mid-70s curveball or low-80s switch, both of which have depth, is his best secondary pitch. He’s made encouraging progress with a low-80s slider that he added during the last Instructional League offseason… He’s cerebral and extremely advanced for his age, but he’s getting out with his fastball at the expense of the rest of his arsenal, and he’s me must use these offers more often to refine them. With his projectable stuff, flair for pitching and hill presence, he looks like a future No. 4 starter.
The WBC pitch limits (65 first-round pitches) ensure the bullpens matter Monday, and Bratt can only be asked to put up 3-6 outs. Still, Canada sends a 19-year-old boy up the hill against a strong US lineup. It feels like there are only two possible outcomes: Bratt gets wiped out, or he shockingly shuts down the US, with nothing in between.
Alongside Canada’s neophyte starter, Canadians Freddie Freeman and Tyler O’Neill will be needed to keep up with the US offense. The US has a day off Tuesday — every team has a scheduled day off in the first round — allowing manager Mark DeRosa to use his bullpen fairly aggressively if needed.
forecast
Team USA is heavily favored on Monday and while it would be a great story if Bratt did well against that lineup, I just can’t see it. USA’s lineup is too strong and they also have a deeper pitching staff. We’re going with the US.
Choose: Team USA 8, Canada 2