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The USA advanced to the second round of pool play by going 2-1 in the first round. They defeated Colombia 3-2 (10 innings), lost to the Dominican Republic 7-5, and beat Canada 8-0 to finish in second place in Pool C. The top two teams from each of the four pools advanced to the second round, so the 16-team field was cut to eight teams.
Pool E has already wrapped up their competition, as Japan and the Netherlands moved on and Israel and Cuba were sent packing. Pool F consists of Puerto Rico, USA, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic, which is an extremely stacked field.
For the USA’s first game in Pool F, they will take on Venezuela. Despite their lineup being loaded with mashers, Venezuela was barely able to make it out of Pool D. They went 1-2 in their first three games, needing to pull out a 4-3 tiebreaker over Italy to advance.
As for tonight’s pitching matchup, Drew Smyly is set to start for the USA and Felix Hernandez will toe the rubber for Venezuela. Typically, when Smyly is healthy enough to take the mound, he pitches his ass off. But that was not the case last season, as the 27-year-old southpaw went 7-12 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.27 WHIP while striking out 167 batters over 175.1 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 30-year-old Hernandez wasn’t his usual dominant self in 2016, but he still had a pretty solid year. The veteran righty went 11-8 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.32 WHIP while striking out 122 batters over 153.1 innings for the Seattle Mariners.
Now that the stage has been set, let’s breakdown all of the different ways you can watch tonight’s game.
USA vs. Venezuela Viewing Details
Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Time: 6:00 P.M. EST
Location: Petco Park in San Diego, California
TV Channel: MLB Network
Spread: USA -1.5, O/U 9.5
How To Live Stream USA vs. Venezuela Online
Your best bet for watching the USA take on Venezuela via a live stream is through the MLB Network. Just plug in your cable or satellite information and you’re good to go.
You can also live stream the MLB Network online through DIRECTV NOW. DIRECTV offers a free seven-day trial, so you will receive a full week free before your paid membership begins. If you cancel your subscription within the seven day period, you will not be charged. DIRECTV NOW is available on Desktop, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast.
Watch USA vs. Venezuela On Phone, Tablet Or Mobile
If you can’t watch the WBC action on your TV or computer, the MLB Network has you covered with their At Bat app. The good news is that the app is available on a ton of different platforms, including iPhones, Androids, and Kindle Fires. The bad news is that the app will cost you $2.99 a month.
DIRECTV has a DIRECTV NOW app on App Store and Google Play where you can watch MLB Network for free, using your seven-day trial. You must cancel it before the trial period ends.
