Is there a clear favorite in the next WBSC group stage game between Puerto Rico and the Netherlands? A key question to which we will give a detailed answer in our prediction. The tournament started anything but ideal for both teams. Therefore the game is of enormous importance.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico shows worthy baseball in Mexico. However, the chances of getting into the next round are not that great. The team is struggling with discipline problems, making it difficult to achieve maximum efficiency in every game. Yesterday the boys suffered a bitter defeat against the hosts (5:7), before that they managed a sensational win against the Americans (1:0). Previously, Juan Gonzalez‘s team had a poor performance at the Central American & Caribbean Games and didn’t even make it to the play-offs.
Netherlands
The Netherlands also didn’t get going straight away and experienced significant problems in defense. The team’s pitchers are not known for fantastic performances, which did not allow them to immediately establish themselves at the top. As far as attack is concerned, the Europeans are doing relatively well, which is impressively proven by the statistics (22 hits in 2 games). In the future, the “three-colored” are unlikely to deviate from their usual style of play, since it is extremely rare to be able to switch at the push of a button.
Editor’s prediction
This game is most likely played in an open style. Both of the teams’ previous head-to-head meetings over the past decade have featured several breakout innings (4-3 and 7-11), and we don’t think anyone will show outstanding organization this time either. A bet on Over is the optimal option for this game.
