WBC Pool C Betting Action - Venezuela vs. USA

Team Venezuela will square off against Team USA at Rogers Centre tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET to determine the winner of Pool C at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The matchup is the final first round game played in the in Toronto and also a rematch of Sunday's 15-6 win by Team USA.

In that contest Team USA scored 13 runs off the Venezuelan bullpen with four of those runs coming against MLB reliever Victor Zambrano.

Oddly enough, Venezuelan manager Luis Sojo has named Zambrano as the starter for Wednesday's finale.

"He's got experience in the big leagues," said Sojo. "This guy's got good pitches. He's got a sinker, slider and a changeup, but if you don't locate your pitches the way you want, you are going to have problems.

"And I think that was the key for the United States in the past game. So, I think it's going to be a big game for him, and we look forward to seeing that."

One thing to remember about the Wednesday finale is that both teams are already assured of a trip to Miami for the second round of the Classic. This means that there is not much pressure to secure a victory.

"Well, we want to win," said Ted Lilly, Team USA's starting pitcher for Wednesday. "Even though we don't have to win, we want to play well. It's not a must win, but we're going to go about it as we did the other games. And I'm sure once it gets going, it's going to be competitive. It will be fun."

WBC Odds

Venezuela +250

USA -400

Over 11½ -110

Under 11½ -110

Analysis: Simple and plain Team USA is the easy pick in this contest. Expect these two teams to top the 11½-run mark as Team US ekes out a narrow victory.

WBC Free Pick: USA 8 Venezuela 5