Venezuela will turn to veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez with the World Baseball Classic on the line.
After Venezuela wrapped up a 4-2 win over Italy in Monday's semifinal, manager Omar Lopez told reporters that Rodriguez will take the ball against the United States in Tuesday's final (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+).
It will be Rodriguez's second appearance of the tournament after the 32-year-old started against the Dominican Republic in the round robin. In that game, Rodriguez took the loss, allowing three hits and three runs over 2.2 innings of work. He did, however, record five strikeouts, as well.
The 10-year MLB veteran is coming off a 2025 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, in which he carried a 5.02 ERA over 154.1 innings.
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On the other side of the matchup, the U.S. will send Nolan McLean to the mound, who will also be looking to bounce back for his country.
In his pool-stage start against Italy, McLean struck out four over 3.0 innings, but allowed three runs on two hits — both homers — which led him to the loss.
McLean burst onto the MLB scene for the New York Mets last summer. The 24-year-old right-hander became a stabilizing force for a struggling Mets rotation down the stretch, posting a 2.06 ERA and 57 strikeouts across eight starts and 48.0 innings.
