Puerto Rico vs Mexico Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for World Baseball Classic Quarterfinal (Stars Come to Play)

Puerto Rico vs Mexico Game Info

  • 2023 World Baseball Classic Quarterfinal
  • Puerto Ric o (3-1) vs. Mexico (3-1)
  • Date:'Friday, March 17, 2023
  • Time:'7:00 p.m. ET
  • Venue:'loanDepot Park — Miami, FL
  • Coverage:'FS1

The 2023 World Baseball Classic continues on Friday with a great quarterfinal clash between Puerto Rico and Mexico. Puerto Rico finished second in Pool D with a 3-1 record, while Mexico finished first in Pool C with a 3-1 record. The winner of this contest will advance to face Japan in the semifinals.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico Odds & Spread

  • All'WBC betting lines, odds and prop bets'are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
  • Moneyline:'PR: (-102) | MEX: (-120)
  • Spread:'PR: -1.5 (+168) | MEX: +1.5 (-210)
  • Total:'7.5 — Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

Mexico enters this contest as a slight favorite on the moneyline per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 7.5 runs with -115 odds on the over and -105 odds on the under.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico Prediction & Pick

The injury suffered by Edwin Diaz during the celebration of Wednesday night's win over the Dominican Republic obviously serves as a big blow to Puerto Rico's chances here. The back end of the bullpen is in a vulnerable spot and that could cause starter Marcus Stroman's leash to be a bit longer in this one.

Stroman allowed 1 run over 4 2/3 innings against Nicaragua and is opposed by Julio Urias of Mexico. Urias allowed 3 runs on 3 hits in 5 innings against Colombia his last time out. These are two of the best pitchers in the WBC, which makes it worth diving into the two lineups involved in this showdown.

Puerto Rico rosters a ton of star power with Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez anchoring the top of a lineup that is hitt ing a ridiculous .450 (18-for-40) with runners in scoring position. Mexico has some power bats (Joey Meneses & Rowdy Tellez), but does not have the same kind of depth at the bottom.

Final Score Prediction:'Puerto Rico: 5 | Mexico: 4

Puerto Rico vs Mexico Best Bet

This game is a toss-up for a reason and shifting gears toward the run total, specifically the over, is a safe move as a result. The bats are going to be on fire once Stroman and Urias leave the game. These are two worn-out bullpens lacking big names outside of guys like Alexis Diaz and Giovanny Gallegos.

Six of the eight WBC games involving these teams have seen at least 8 runs put on the board as well, so back the Over.