The Dominican Republic entered the World Baseball Classic as the favorite to win the tournament. However, the DR would likely fail to advance out of pool play with a loss to Nicaragua on Monday. Here are the best Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic picks for the WBC 2023.
Entering the tournament, the Dominicans were heavily favored to win the highly competitive Group D. Some sportsbooks had their odds as short as -300. However, after dropping their first game of the tournament to Venezuela, the Dominican Republic is suddenly in danger of being knocked out before the tournament really gets started.
Their second game is against Nicaragua who is already 0-2 in the World Baseball Classic. The Nicaraguans have been outscored 12-2 in their first two games, and they have already lost to Israel, the team considered to be the weakest other than Nicaragua in the Group.
Here is our best Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic WBC pick (odds via BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic pick: WBC 2023
Because the price for the Dominican Republic to cover the lopsided spread is so expensive (-8.5, -145), it might be tempting to take Nicaragua to cover. But the truth is, there is almost no value in doing so. Though the Dominican Republic lost its first game with its ace on the mound, the DR still has the deepest lineup in this tournament, and it is about to face the worst team in its pool.
After losing 3-1 to Israel, Nicaragua has all but confirmed that it's going to go winless in this bracket. Its remaining two games are against the two teams favored to get out of Group D at the beginning of the event in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
As is often the case with baseball games, teams are only as good as their starting pitcher. Sandy Alcantara simply did not have it in his first outing for the Dominican Republic. Add to that the offense's inability to hit, and it's no surprise the Dominicans lost to a solid team.
The good news for the Dominicans is that they have a loaded lineup of starting pitchers with Cristian Javier set to start Monday. He's going to shut down the Nicaragua offense, but the Dominicans will score enough to send this game into double-digits.
Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic best odds
| DraftKings | BetMGM | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|
| Over 11.5 | Over 11.5 | Over 11.5 |
| -105 | +100 | -110 |
This line is moving very quickly. After opening at 10.5, it almost immediately shot up to 11.5. Bettors are clearly expecting the Dominican bats to come alive, and we agree.
Do not wait for other sportsbooks to put out a line for this. Get in as soon as possible and ensure you get a total that the Dominicans can hit by themselves.
Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic odds analysis
These lines didn't come out until after 10 a.m. ET, and as soon as they hit sportsbooks, they started changing. The spread opened with the Dominican Republic favored by 8.5 at BetMGM, but that rose to 9.5 within 10 minutes. The price keeps dropping as well, as it was the Dominican Republic -9.5 at +100, but now it is -105.
As for the total, the number opened at 10.5, and it went up to 11.5 in no time. Origina lly, 11.5 was listed at a price of -110, but that changed to +105 before long. It has since gone back to +100.
All of this adds up to two things: the Dominicans are going to continue to see the run line move in their favor, and the total is going to continue to go up.
Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic game info
- Date: Monday, March 13, noon ET
- TV: FS2
- Location: loanDepot park, Miami, FL
- Weather: Indoors
Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic pick made 03/13/2023 at 8 a.m. ET.
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