WBC 2013: Viewing Guide and Preview for Dominican Republic vs. United States

As expected, the Dominican Republic and the United States will battle for a spot in the World Baseball Classic semifinals on Thursday night. Both title contenders were expected to advance when the second-round bracket was determined.

The Americans reached the qualifying phase of the round with a convincing 7-1 win over Puerto Rico. David Wright, who's been living up to the moniker "Captain America," drove in five runs to lead the offensive charge.

The Dominican Republic faced a tougher challenge from Italy. The upstart Italians took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but weren't able to add to it before the powerful Dominican lineup mounted a comeback to earn the 5-4 win.

Here's a glance at all the key information for the anticipated matchup, followed by a preview and a prediction for which country will guarantee its trip to San Francisco.

Where: Marlins Park in Miami, Fla.

When: Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: MLB Network

Preview

Right off the bat, you have to give the starting pitching edge to the United States. The Americans are slated to send reigning NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to the mound against Samuel Deduno of the Minnesota Twins.

Dickey had a rough go of it in his first WBC outing, giving up four runs in four innings in the team's loss to Mexico. He never really gained full control of his knuckleball, but his track record over the past few seasons suggests he should bounce back strong.

Deduno made 15 starts for the Twins last season, posting a 4.44 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. So the suddenly hot-hitting Americans should be able to generate some scoring chances. Getting the players home from scoring position—an issue so far—will be the key.

Another good sign for the United States was the two hits from Giancarlo Stanton in the Puerto Rico game. If the team is going to make a run to the title, it needs Stanton to pick up the power slack. He seems to be finding his comfort zone in his home park.

The Dominican Republic will counter with a dynamic offense of its own. Robinson Cano, who's getting used to carrying an offense on his back before returning to the injury-plagued New York Yankees, has been on fire with a .632 average and two home runs.

Nelson Cruz and Jose Reyes are also playing well, but Hanley Ramirez and Carlos Santana will need to pick up the slack in order to make a serious run. If they all start hitting at the same time, even Dickey at his peak is going to have some issues.

Ultimately, it should turn out to be an exciting matchup between two of the tournament's top offenses. Look for a solid rebound outing from Dickey to keep the Dominican Republic under control long enough to let the Americans take and maintain a lead.

Prediction: United States 7, Dominican Republic 5