WBC Odds Whos Still Alive To Bet On

To say that the World Baseball Classic betting has yielded a couple of surprises so far would be an understatement. The WBC odds on teams like the Netherlands and Italy contending for the second round were long at best. Meanwhile, did anyone think home field wouldn't be an advantage for certain teams?

Italy and Venezuela - Our own Jim Fester said the only way Italy lives to fight another day is if they get great pitching and that's exactly what they got on Monday night versus Canada. Beating the Canadians 6-2 in Toronto was a major upset. The loss sent Canada packing and gave Italy renewed optimism heading into their showdown with Venezuela. Incredible.For their part, Venezuela already put a thumping on Italy in game 1 and is a heavy favorite in this second battle. The Venezuelans are trying to prove it isn't just the Caribbean teams that can hang with the Americans and Japanese and another blowout versus Italy will certainly reinforce that though.

Netherlands and Dominican Republic - The Dutch squad gets another crack at the Dominican Republic on Tuesday with the winner advancing to the second round of WBC competition. Holland has surprised everyone with their stellar pitching while the Dominicans got their mojo going against Panama in their second game. A lot of pressure is on the Dominican team to avenge their game 1 loss to the Dutch. Meanwhile, the Netherlands also won a game in the 2006 classic, but a win here would really mean tremendous progress for their baseball program.

Australia and Cuba - The Aussies have a golden opportunity to shock the world and book their ticket into the second round of the WBC. They'll take on the Cubans in each squad's second tilt of the tourney. Australia brings heavy bats to the contest while Cuba counters with great pitching and solid fundamentals. It's a contest of contrasting styles of play.

Mexico - The Mexicans have been the Jekyll and Hyde team of the tournament, looking brilliant against the South Africans but pulling a no-show versus Australia. The Mexicans were disappointed with their 2006 performance and they will be rarin' to go against the loser of Australia and Cuba.

Japan - No surprise here that Japan has moved on to the second round. They returned many of their championship team from 2006 and were playing at home.  What is surprising is that they are only 1-1, setting up a nice rivalry with Korea going forward.

Korea - The Koreans flashed offense in their first game and tremendous pitching and defense in their 1-0 win over Japan. They are proving that their semi-final result in 2006 was no fluke.

USA - They could not look any better right now. The Americans were tested hard in the opener against Canada and then smoked a tough Venezuelan team in the second round. It's smooth sailing into the second round.