Previewing USA's WBC Semifinals Matchup Vs Dominican Republic

Team USA defeated Canada 5-3 to advance to the semifinals, but now they face their biggest opponent of the tournament as they face off against the powerhouse Dominican Republic. The DR has the most prolific offense in the 2026 version of the World Baseball Classic and it seems as though no one can stop them. That being said, USA has the team that could go toe to toe with anyone in the tournament as this looks to be the most exciting matchup.

Paul Skenes Must Throw His Best Stuff Tonight

It's a good thing that Paul Skenes is going against this juggernaut as his arsenal is exceptional. He throws seven different types of pitches and serious heat as his velocity reaches 97 miles per hour consistently. Dominican's lineup has been crushing starting pitching this entire tournament, but the highest velocity they've seen thus far is 93.2 MPH which isn't exactly overpowering. In fact, the starting pitchers they've faced so far had velocities as high as 92.4, 90.6, 88.9, 87.2, which isn't exactly fast and that's probably why the Dominican lineup has destroyed pitching in this tournament. Skenes can also use his breaking balls to keep the Dominican lineup on their toes and he will have to throw differently to each batter he faces. Skenes was probably going to be the best guy to throw out there as he throws the hardest and has a wide array of pitches he can use.

Limit The Damage From Dominican Republic's Lineup

While Skenes might be starting tonight, he won't be going deep due to pitch limits rules. So manager Mark DeRosa will have to be tactful with his bullpen and whom he sends out there. The Dominican lineup has hit 13 home runs and scored 51 runs thus far in the tournament, by far the most in the 2026 WBC. They are going to score runs in this game despite how good the USA pitching staff is. With hitters like Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Fernando Tatis Jr, Ketel Marte, Manny Machado, Julio Rodriguez, and Austin Wells, it's easy to understand why that lineup rakes. DeRosa will have to match as best as possible to limit the damage.

Score Runs Early Against Luis Severino

While Severino is a solid pitcher, he's not as strong as Skenes. USA's lineup can slug too, so score as much runs as possible in order to keep pace with the Dominicans. They'll do damage, so try to do as much as possible before Severino is taken out. The Dominican bullpen is pretty solid too.