It’s a showdown tonight, a grudge match four years in the making. In one corner, the mighty Dominican, now by far the biggest fish in the increasingly small WBC pond. In the other corner, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the upstart amalgamation of the Netherlands, Curacao and Aruba. Four years ago, the Dutch upset the Dominican twice, and now the Dominican has a chance for revenge. They probably will get it, but as we saw in Puerto Rico-Japan (and Puerto Rico-USA, and Netherlands-Cuba, and… you get the idea), there are no guarantees in baseball.

Go below the jump for the tale of the tape:

Starting Pitching Matchup: Edinson Volquez vs. Diegomar Markwell. Markwell has done well in the tournament, but Volquez is a major league veteran and a former All-Star. Advantage: Dominican.

Bullpens: A big advantage for the Dominican here, with plenty of Major Leaguers and with Fernando Rodney anchoring it at the back. The Dutch have no way of matching that depth. However, if the Dutch are able to hold a lead until late, they could be in good shape, as Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen has joined the team, filling in for the injured Jonathan Isenia. Jansen, by the way, played for the 2009 Dutch team… as a catcher. However, despite the addition of Jansen, the Dutch still are at a disadvantage in the bullpen battle. Advantage: Dominican.

Hitting: Jurickson Profar may have joined the Dutch team (replacing the injured Yurendell De Caster), but the DR is still far and away the better hitting team, with few weak spots in the lineup and plenty of All-Stars, most notably Robinson Cano, who has a good chance of being the MVP of the whole tournament. Advantage: Dominican

Fielding: Something I forgot to mention in my preview of Japan vs. Puerto Rico, it would be foolish not to mention the great fielding that has been done by the Netherlands during the WBC. It’s part of the reason that they have made it this far turning opportune (and often highly skilled) double plays and showing good range in the field. If the Dutch have any area of advantage over the Dominican, it is in this. Advantage: Netherlands

Depth: The Dominican is made up almost entirely of Major Leaguers and players in the higher levels of the Minors. The Dutch are far more scattered as far as depth, and the addition of Jansen and Profar, while helpful, doesn’t close the gap enough. Advantage: Dominican.

Managers: Like with Japan-Puerto Rico, I don’t feel confident in making a sweeping judgment about whether Hensley Meulens is a better manager than Tony Pena or the other way around. Advantage: ????

Experience/Intangibles: A tough call. The Dutch are the more experienced team internationally, but the Dominican is the more experienced team overall. However, like the Japan-Puerto Rico game, there is the fact that the Netherlands hasn’t played a “real” game for awhile, while the Dominican has only had a day off since their last WBC game.  That means that the intangible rhythms and momentum are probably more with the Dominican than with the Dutch, and that given the fact baseball is so much about routine, that may give them an edge. Advantage: Dominican.

So, as you can see, the Dominican Republic has a definite advantage against the Netherlands. Of course, they had the same advantage against the Dutch in 2009, and look how that turned out. It should be a fun and well-played game.