KBO Predictions, Picks & Betting Odds [May 19]

• After their Monday break, KBO is back for week three action!
• NC Dinos lead the league with an impressive 10-0-1 record.
• With three teams – Doosan, LG, Lotte – tied for second place, a loss for any would shake up the rankings!

KBO TV and Live Streaming Info

Game Odds – Tuesday, May 19, 2020

NC Dinos vs Doosan Bears, 5:30 AM EST (ESPN)

Find the latest odds for NC Dinos vs Doosan Bears, below. For more sportsbooks options head to our sportsbooks review and choose the one that fits you best.

In a match between two of the strongest sides in the KBO, Doosan Bears hope to bring themselves closer to the top of the standings by handing NC Dinos only their second loss of the early season.

A win for Doosan Bears would bring them within two games of the top spot in the league.

A win for NC Dinos would give them a four-game lead on the second-place team in the KBO.

NC Dinos Team Notes

NC Dinos are a WAGON. Taking the league and the world by storm 🦖
pic.twitter.com/w2zV2xAUzs

— Starting 9 (@Starting9) May 13, 2020

Likely Pitchers: PARK Jin Woo, Won Jong Hyan,

NC Dinos are the top team in the KBO. After a week of matches, they have but a single loss to their name.

On the pitching side, KOO Chang Mo is leading the League in ERA at 0.00. KOO Chang Mo has also been excellent this season with 18 strikeouts. WON Jong Hyan is tied for first in the league in saves at 4.

KANG Jin Sung (.467) and PARK Min Woo (.432) have been their most dangerous options at bat so far this season. The pair has 18 runs batted in and four homeruns between them.

NC is average at bat as a team so far this season, hitting at .281. Good enough for fifth in the league.

Doosan Bears Team Notes

[선발투수 안내] 5/19(화) 잠실 NC전

– 두산: 이영하
– NC: 라이트#doosanbears pic.twitter.com/me8iuJ1lzG

— 두산베어스 Doosan Bears (@doosanbears1982) May 18, 2020

Likely Pitchers: LEE Hyun Seung, YOON Myung June, Park Chi Guk

Doosan’s pitching has left much to be desired, despite their second place ranking so far this season.

They are dead last in the league in pitching, allowing a 6.24 ERA.

Only LEE Young Ha is posting an ERA below 3.00 so dar this season.

Doosan Bears are second in the KBO, in large part owed to their top of the league batting average at .337.

Jose Fernandez has been fantastic at bat this season, leading the KBO at .479 with 12 runs, and two homeruns.

OH Jae Il has been almost as impressive with an average of .404 with 47 at bats and three home runs.

WSN’s Pick: NC Dinos def. Doosan Bears

Despite this match being between two of the top teams in the league, NC Dinos has shown they are the cream of the crop. Their top tier hitting spells disaster for bottom of the league pitching team Doosan Bears.

Lotte Giants vs Kia Tigers, 5:30 AM EST (Twitch)

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In this early KBO season, Lotte Giants, who are tied for second in the table, face of with Kia Tigers, who are ranked sixth in the KBO table. Lotte are one of the best hitting teams this early in the season. Kia on the other hand, are in the bottom half in hitting and pitching in their 12 games.

A win for Kia Tigers would only keep them sixth in the league at best.

A win for Lotte Giants could only bring them within 2.5 games of first place.

Lotte Giants Team Notes

What a start from Dan Straily of the Lotte Giants.

7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 11 K, 0 BB

He was electric today. Here’s all 11 strikeouts for the former MLBer. pic.twitter.com/ZvM7esALFJ

— Connor Newcomb (@ConnorNewcomb_) May 10, 2020

Likely Pitchers: PARK Jin Hyung, OH Hyoun Taek, Dan Straily

Dan Straily has been Lotte’s most frequently used pitcher so far this season. The former MLB journeyman is throwing a very passable 2.12 in three games with 287 pitches.

Closers PARK Jin Hyung and OH Hyoun Taek have fulfilled their role so far, posting a 0.00 ERA in 13 appearances between them.

Outfielder SON Ah Seop leads Lotte Giants in hit percentage at .405, ranking fifth in the KBO. With 11 runs batted in and one home run.

Infielder Dixon Machado is has batted in seven runs on top of a team-leading four home runs.

Kia Tigers Game Notes

Preston Tucker having a day! A base clearing double after hitting his 4th HR of the season. #KBO #KiaTigers pic.twitter.com/KOV1pVETMC

— KBO Collections (@kbocollections) May 16, 2020

Likely Pitchers: Aaron Brooks, YANG Hyeon Jeong

Pitchers Aaron Brooks and YANG Hyeon Jeong have racked up their appearances at the mound with more than 500 pitches between them within their first 12 games.

Backup pitcher PARK Jun Pyo has been a nice surprise with his efficiency.

Kia have been below average at bat so far this season, with a middle of the pack .261 average so far on the season.

Their 54 runs on this season is good enough for second worst in the league.

Outfielder Tucker Preston has been incredibly efficient though, with a .444 average on 44 at-bats.

WSN’s Pick: Kia Tigers def. Lotte Giants

We’re giving the edge to Kia Tighers as their early season form greatly overcomes Lotte Giant’s early struggles. Kia Tigers will be too much to handle at bat.

Hanwha Eagles vs KT Wiz, 5:30 AM EST, (Twitch)

Tied for sixth place Hanwha Eagles take on eighth ranked KT Wiz. KT Wiz has found their hitting range in this early season, ranking second in the league in runs. Their other side leaves much to be desired though, as they’ve allowed 64 runs.

Hanwha are struggling with their hitting as of late though, ranking in the bottom half of the league in both runs.

Hanwha Eagles Team Notes

The Hanwha Eagles win in extra inning on a balk-off. #KBO #HanwhaEagles #LotteGiants pic.twitter.com/Lef06BCr5o

— KBO Collections (@kbocollections) May 17, 2020

Likely Pitchers: Warwick Saupold, Kim Min Woo, JANG Si Wan

Between their pitching and their excellent fielding ability, Hanwha have done well to keep their opponents off the board so far this season.

In 12 matches, Hanwha Eagles have allowed only 42 runs. Good enough for second best in the KBO.

Pitcher Warwick Saupold is the league WHIP leader, with an impressive 0.60.

Hanwha Eagles have one of the worst batting averages in the league at .358. Their 38 runs are good enough for second-last in the KBO.

OH Jin Sun and HA Ju Suk are their most consistent hitters of the season so far.

Hanwha Eagles will have to show some tremendous fielding ability when they face the second best hitting team in the league.

KT Wiz Team Notes

Likely Pitchers: Odrisamer Despaigne, SO Hyeong Jun, William Cuevas

KT Wiz haven’t been consistent from the mound so far this season, with an average 3.85 ERA between their three most frequent pitchers.

William Cuevas in particular hasn’t inspired regular confidence as he’s posted a 5.73 ERA over only two games and 186 pitches.

With seven KT Wiz players posting a batting average above .300, you can see how they’ve been able to make up for some sketchy pitching.

Outfielder KANG Baek Ho is leading the team with four homeruns to go with nine runs, and 11 runs batted in.

JANG Sung Woo may not be hitting the big one, but his 12 runs batted in speaks to his timeliness and ability.

WSN’s Pick: KT Wiz def. Hanwha Tigers

This one is a toss up. We’re giving the edge to KT Wiz due to their recent batting form, despite Hanwha’s impressive pitchers.

SK Wyvrens vs Kiwoom Heroes, 5:30 AM EST (Twitch)

Bottom of the table SK Wyvrens hope to get only their second win of the season when they face Kiwoom Heroes who rank fifth in the KBO table.

SK find themselves at the bottom of the table due to their inability to find their swing or properly field the opposition.

Kiwoom Heroes on the other hand owe their position to their excellent pitching, despite poor hitting on their own end.

SK Wyvrens

The Lotte Horror Picture Show: On July 4th, Lotte was beating SK 7-2 going into the bottom of the 7th inning. They then proceeded to give up 7 runs thanks to home runs by SK’s Jamie Romak, Lee Jae-won and Han Dong-min. Lotte ended up losing the game 9-7.#LotteCinema pic.twitter.com/QSqgQhbc9r

— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) July 5, 2019

Likely Pitchers: Pinto Ricardo, PARK Jong Hun, MOON Seung Won

Bottom of the league SK Wyvrens are having some trouble with their pitching.

Ranking second-last in the league with a 5.68 ERA and 106 hits allowed, SK aren’t saving their inaccurate hitters – or vice versa.

With a .230 batting average, SK Wyvrens also find themselves near the bottom of the league in batting stats as well.

HAN Dong Min and Jamie Romak are their only hitters with an above .300 average with over 40 at bats.

With the remainder of the team hitting below .300 for players with 11 or more at bats, SK Wyvrens don’t seem to have the solution at the plate.

Kiwoom Heroes

1st step: HR

Kiwoom Heroes C Dong-won Park 😛
1/2#KBO #KiwoomHeroes pic.twitter.com/VxfQbDL5ep

— Jake Tillinghast (@JTillinghast27) May 17, 2020

Likely Pitchers: Eric Jokisch, Jake Brigham, CHOI Won Tae

Kiwoom’s pitching has been excellent so far this season. With an ERA of 3.60, Kiwoom Heroes are ranked third in the KBO.

With five saves on the season, Kiwoom Heroes’ relief pitchers are doing more than enough to make up for their below averaging hitting.

Kiwoom are currently eighth in the KBO in batting average, hitting a mere .248 in their 12 matches.

Despite 52 RBI’s they’ve not been able to capitalize due to their lack of hitting consistency.

WSN’s Pick: SK Wyvrens defeat Kiwoom Heroes

Considering Kiwoom’s struggles at bat, it very well may be a battle of attrition between these two sides. SK Wyvrens could fulfill their role as a strong underdog, due to Kiwoom’s struggling to get consistent runs.