One semifinal down, one to go.<\/p>\n
The United States took down the Dominican Republic 2-1 on Sunday night to return to its third consecutive World Baseball Classic final. Italy and Venezuela will face off Monday with a trip to the final on the line. Get ready for some more action-packed baseball!<\/p>\n
Who has the edge in Monday night\u2019s showdown between the red-hot teams? And who are the X factors who will decide which moves on to Tuesday\u2019s championship? ESPN baseball experts Jorge Castillo, Alden Gonzalez and Jeff Passan weigh in ahead of the matchup — and we\u2019ve got you covered later with live updates from Miami as the game gets underway at 8 p.m. ET, as well as postgame takeaways.<\/p>\n
How excited should baseball fans be for this showdown?<\/p>\n
Castillo: Not as excited as for Sunday\u2019s heavyweight fight between Team USA and the Dominican Republic, unless you have a rooting interest. That doesn\u2019t mean it won\u2019t provide good entertainment. Italy has been the big surprise of the tournament, making its first WBC semifinal. Venezuela, meanwhile, is a baseball power that finally broke through the quarterfinals and qualified for its first Olympics. The crowd will undoubtedly lean heavily toward Venezuela in Miami. The atmosphere should be electric. The matchup just won\u2019t be as star-studded as Sunday\u2019s clash.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the biggest thing Venezuela must do to win?<\/p>\n
Castillo: Keider Montero<\/a> needs to give the Venezuelans some innings. Manager Omar Lopez had to turn to his bullpen earlier than he envisioned in the win over Japan after Ranger Suarez<\/a> logged just 2\u2154 innings. Six relievers held Japan without a run. The tournament\u2019s pitch count limitations won\u2019t prevent Lopez from using any of those relievers again against Italy, but he — and the pitchers\u2019 MLB clubs — would rather avoid overuse with a potential final Tuesday.<\/p>\n Montero tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Venezuela\u2019s win over Nicaragua in pool play. Monday will be his first start of the competition. With an 80-pitch restriction, Lopez will look for Montero to give him at least five innings against the tournament\u2019s second-highest scoring offense through the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n Gonzalez: Formulate a good game plan against Italian starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen<\/a>. Yes, that sounds obvious, but it\u2019s especially crucial here. Lorenzen dominated Team USA in pool play by pounding the strike zone and pitching aggressively with a seven-pitch arsenal. He generated swing-and-misses with six of them — the changeup, four-seamer, cutter, curveball, sweeper and slider. Venezuela needs to be strategic about hunting certain pitches in the right counts. If they don\u2019t, they\u2019ll be in for a long night.<\/p>\n Passan: Stop the potent Italian offense. From top to bottom, Italy\u2019s lineup gave fits to teams in Pool B and then did the same to Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals. The notion of an Italian baseball team as an offensive juggernaut remains somewhat confounding, but the bats have carried the Italians here with reason: They are patient, they are powerful, they are potent. And nobody — not even the American team that awaits the winner in the finals — has shut down the Italians yet. They\u2019re not big names. But they\u2019re young, hungry and convinced Venezuela is just another step on their way to a championship.<\/p>\n Who is the one player who must shine for Venezuela in the semifinal?<\/p>\n Castillo: Ronald Acuna Jr.<\/a> provided an immediate jolt against Japan with a leadoff home run on the second pitch of the game. He struck out three times in his final four at-bats, but he set the tone — and Venezuela needs him to continue doing that. Acu\u00f1a is as talented as any position player in the majors. His energy is infectious. A strong showing from him will make Venezuela difficult to beat.<\/p>\n Gonzalez: Jackson Chourio<\/a>. Outside of Acu\u00f1a, he is probably the most talented offensive player on this Venezuela team. But he hasn\u2019t done much since getting hit on the left hand in Venezuela\u2019s final exhibition game before the tournament began, going 2-for-9 with two walks and a couple of strikeouts. He is one of many — along with Eugenio Suarez<\/a>, Salvador Perez<\/a>, William Contreras<\/a>, Andres Gimenez<\/a>, Gleyber Torres<\/a> and others — who haven\u2019t done quite enough offensively yet.<\/p>\n Passan: Maikel Garcia<\/a> might be the most underrated player in baseball, and there\u2019s a reason he\u2019s batting No. 2 in the Venezuelan lineup: He has earned it. He and Venezuela captain Salvador Perez<\/a>, teammates with the Kansas City Royals<\/a>, also know Italy starter Lorenzen well, having spent the past two MLB seasons with him, so the scouting report on him will permeate the Venezuelan clubhouse and offer an advantage. Garcia has been clutch all tournament, including when he hit a big home run against Japan. Another blast Monday would be even bigger.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the biggest thing Italy must do to win?<\/p>\n Castillo: Italy needs to keep hitting. Michael Lorenzen<\/a> replicating his performance against the U.S. is a tough ask. Japan witnessed firsthand Venezuela\u2019s firepower. And Italy has some of its own, scoring 40 runs through five games and at least seven in each game. The Italians banged 12 home runs in the first four games — taking an espresso shot in celebration each time — but beat Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals without hitting a ball over the wall. Whatever it takes to keep up with the Venezuelans.<\/p>\n Gonzalez: Get the ball to Greg Weissert<\/a>. The Boston Red Sox<\/a> reliever has been lights out for Italy in this tournament, recording three saves, striking out five batters and not allowing a run in 3\u2153 innings. With Team USA rallying in the pool-play finale, Weissert came out of the bullpen to strike out Aaron Judge<\/a> and seal an improbable win. And with Puerto Rico rallying in the quarterfinals, Weissert recorded the game\u2019s final five outs, moving Italy into the semifinals. The team will need another standout effort from him.<\/p>\n Passan: Knock Venezuela on its heels early. It\u2019s what the Italian offense has done. Against the United States. Against Mexico. Against Puerto Rico. All good teams with good pitchers, and Italy — which has an average lineup age of less than 24 years old — has gotten after them early. The Italians\u2019 bullpen is susceptible, as Italy\u2019s relievers have also illustrated in nearly blowing some of the big leads. So the more leeway the Italians can give themselves for some late-innings drama, the likelier they are to advance.<\/p>\n Who is the one player who must shine for Italy in the semifinal?<\/p>\n Castillo: Vinnie Pasquantino<\/a> has four hits in this competition. Three were home runs in Italy\u2019s win over Mexico in pool play. Otherwise, the Italian captain is 1-for-16 with six walks. Italy obviously hasn\u2019t needed Pasquantino to shine in most games, but he\u2019s the most accomplished hitter in this lineup and teams need their best hitters to step up in the biggest games.<\/p>\n Gonzalez: For as much as Pasquantino has struggled in this tournament, Jac Caglianone<\/a>, the former two-way player and No. 6 pick in the 2024 draft, has surged, going 4-for-11 with two extra-base hits and, just as important, four walks. Italy has had a lot of unlikely stars in this incredible run. But at the end of the day, against the best competition, the two best hitters need to set the tone.<\/p>\n