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Steve Janik recommends betting picks for the KBO slate on 5/24/2020. He breaks down each team's roster and suggests the top picks on moneylines, totals, and runlines.
Another day, another sweep. I'll say it again and again; I'm not a professional and to be honest, I can't say much other than I don't know what is happening right now but this is a fun ride to start the baseball season. Now we head into a busy Sunday before the league takes Monday off.
- Saturday, May 23 Picks: 3-0
- 2020 KBO Season: 28-10
While we keep chugging along here through this fantastic run to open the season, I would like to say to step up on a soapbox for a second. For those of us in America, this is an important weekend. Please always remember our veterans, but especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. On this Memorial Day weekend, despite it being different than every year before it, it's more than just a day off work (if you're lucky enough) and barbecues. We're the lucky ones who get to live normal lives because they answered the call of duty.
Today, I'll be bringing you my KBO analysis, advice, and best bets for Sunday, May 24th at 1:00 am EST. If you haven’t already, check out www.mykbostats.com; it’s is a fantastic one-stop-shop for us in America to get our KBO fix. You can also check out our KBO DFS lineup picks article after this one. Also, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @RotoStevieJ to talk shop or chew me out if a pick loses.
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Kia Tigers (-159) at SK Wyverns
O/U: 9.5
Probable Pitchers
Kia: Min-woo Lee (2-0, 4.86 ERA)
SK: Ricardo Pinto (1-2, 6.32 ERA)
Kia continued their hot run by winning Saturday, making it five straight victories. The 8-3 total marked the most runs the Tigers have scored since May 19 but it was their 48th run in seven games. Sun-bin Kim drove in three while Preston Tucker added to his KBO leading RBI total, giving him 21.
Min-woo Lee will start for Kia and through three starts, he's been an "okay" mid-rotation Arm. He's earned wins over Hanwha and Doosan without doing anything spectacular, but the 27-year-old is in a great spot against SK Sunday. With just a 13/7 K/BB, he's more of a contact pitcher, which will benefit him as the Wyverns OPS is just .654.
SK was looking like they were rounding a corner towards consistency until Saturday came. They have just one win in their last 10 and have scored only 35 runs in that period. Their 36 extra-base hits are the fewest in the league and they're also the best rally killers in the KBO with 17 double plays hit into.
Ricardo Pinto is looking to get on track in his fourth start after stinking it up in his previous two outings where he gave up 18 runs, but only 10 were considered "earned." That's a tough break for a guy who was brought overseas to eat innings and win ballgames. That hasn't happened yet for Pinto, and while he didn't exactly have a distinguished minor league career in America, he certainly has more in the tank than this.
Pinto is the better pitcher in this matchup but has the tougher opposing lineup. I think after three starts he'll finally get it together. Meanwhile SK's offense will continue their struggles into the league-wide off-day. I'm targeting the under here because Kia struggles to score on the road with five unders and while SK struggles in general, they've had five totals go under at home.
Pick: Under 9.5
Hanwha Eagles at NC Dinos (-278)
O/U: 9 | ESPN at 1:00 am EST
Probable Pitchers
Hanwha: Shi-hwan Jang (1-2, 7.20 ERA)
NC: Mike Wright (2-0, 1.69 ERA)
Hanwha is in a spot to pick another series win against one of the top teams in the KBO. They took the Lotte series last week and a win on Sunday would give them the series over NC. After opening the series with a 5-3 win, they got shutout by Drew Rucinski Saturday, so they'll need the bats to return. However, they're not a big power team at the moment, registering the second fewest extra-base hits to go with a .678 OPS. Now that Jared Hoying is back from injury, this lineup has some work to do.
The 32-year-old Si-hwan Jang toes the rubber for the Eagles. He's an interesting arm as it wasn't until last year that he became a full-time starter when he went 6-13 with a 4.95 ERA.
NC even the series up by shutting out Hanwha 3-0 on Saturday, but it came at a cost when they lost star catcher Eui-ji Yang with a neck injury. Many would assume the top team in the league puts up big numbers every night, but that's not the case with the Dinos. Over their last 10 they've averaged just 4.9 runs per game but the pitching has held up it's end, allowing just 2.3 runs a game. Interestingly enough, they still lead the KBO with 22 home runs and their .815 OPS is third, so the lineup is still making things happen, it's just not producing big run totals. An interesting note is that Aaron Altherr got bumped down to the bottom third of the lineup as he's hitting just .204 with seven RBI.
Mike Wright has been one of the better arms this year but I'm still not sure we've seen his best. He's allowed just three runs over 16 innings but he struggled with control in his last outing, surrendering five walks. However, in his 258 major league innings, he averaged an 8 BB%, so it's not something out of the ordinary.
I look for Wright to correct his control issues from his last start and work over Hanwha at home. It's important to consider that both of these teams have had the most combined unders hit this season. NC has had the total go under nine times while it has gone under 12 times for Hanwha! NC can certainly explode at any time, but with an off-day on Monday, I think they'll get ahead early to try and cruise to victory.
Pick: Under 9
KT Wiz at LG Twins (-122)
O/U: 10
Probable Pitchers
KT Wiz: William Cuevas (1-1, 5.71 ERA)
LG: Chan-kyu Im (2-0, 3.75 ERA)
Well, the Wiz are now without two of their top run producers, Baek-ho Kang and Jae-Gyun Hwang, for an undisclosed amount of time. This is a big hit for an offense that's scored 112 runs already while leading the league with 63 extra-base hits. Mel Rojas Jr. is ready to pick up the slack though, as he hit two homers on Saturday and is now hitting .455 with 12 RBI.
Righty William Cuevas gets his fourth start Sunday and he's looking to build some consistency. He's given up 11 runs through three starts, but in those three starts is a six inning, one-run effort against the NC Dinos. The 29-year-old has struggled with control before, but with just three walks in 17.1 innings this year, he's on the right side of progression.
The bats were silent in game one of the series and things won't get easier against Cuevas. While the Twins have had a nice surge at the plate over the last week, they seem to go quiet when you might not expect it. Of course, when Roberto Ramos is in penciled, one pitch can mean a crooked number on the scoreboard.
Chan-kyu Im will toe the rubber for the third time in 2020 and he's been a great option for LG. He's 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA and a 13/1 K/BB. But is it legit? Last season, in 88.2 innings, he held an 18 K%, 11.7 BB%, and a 5.00 FIP so the 27-year-old is definitely pitching at a level above where he's been at before.
KT has earned just two of their seven wins on the road this season, while LG is 5-1 in their last six at home. However, I'm targeting Cuevas here as he's has shown more than how his numbers might portray him, whereas Im is pitching above his career numbers right now and a return to reality has to happen eventually. Why not now?
Pick: KT ML +105
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