KBO betting continues as the 2020 Korean baseball season closes out its latest weekday series. The Giants' Dan Straily is dealing, the NC Dinos are slumping and can the SK Wyverns not cough up a late lead to the KT Wiz?
We bring you picks for those games, and more, as we break down the KBO odds and bring you our best Korean baseball predictions for Thursday, June 18.
For more information on Korean baseball check out our KBO Betting Guide, and if you want to know who’s the favorite is to win this season's Korean Series, click here for the latest KBO title odds.
KBO Betting Odds
Here are the KBO odds for Thursday, June 18.
| Away Team | Odds | Home Team | Odds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Lions | +161 | Doosan Bears | -192 | 9.5 |
| LG Twins | -309 | Hanwha Eagles | +247 | 10 |
| NC Dinos | -168 | Kia Tigers | +142 | 9 |
| KT Wiz | -148 | SK Wyverns | +126 | 9.5 |
| Lotte Giants | -125 | Kiwoom Heroes | +107 | 9 |
KBO Picks
ESPN Game of the Day: KT Wiz (15-22) vs SK Wyverns (12-25)
Probable Pitchers: Odrisamer Despaigne (2-3, 4.60 ERA) vs. Jong-hoon Park (3-1, 3.83 ERA)
The SK Wyverns’ bullpen burned us yesterday, surrendering a tying run in the ninth before giving up two more in the 10th in an eventual 6-4 loss to the KT Wiz. Now, the Wiz go for the series sweep, but Game 3 should be closely contested once again with Odrisamer Despaigne going up against Jong-hoon Park.
Despaigne is in a slump, however, as the right-hander has been lit up for a 10.80 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP over his last three starts.
Park, on the other hand, has been a bright spot in what has been a disappointing Wyverns season to this point. The righty has allowed no more than four hits in each of his last four starts while racking up 25 punchouts over that span.
Twice now, the Wyverns have held a lead late in this series before the bullpen coughed it up. Let’s avoid that this time and take them on the 5-inning runline.
Pick: SK Wyverns -0.5 First 5 Innings (+171)
NC Dinos (26-11) vs Kia Tigers (21-17)
Probable Pitchers: Chang-mo Koo (5-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. Drew Gagnon (3-3, 3.57)
Well, it’s official: the NC Dinos are in a slump. They've dropped the first two games of their series with the Kia Tigers and five of their last seven overall. But what’s the best remedy for curing a slump? Handing the ball to your ace, which is exactly what the Dinos will do when Chang-mo Koo takes the mound.
Koo isn’t only the ace of the Dinos, he’s been the KBO’s best pitcher this season. The 23-year-old lefty, who is drawing comparisons to Hyun-jin Ryu, has allowed just four runs all season and has been nearly unhittable, as evidenced by his 0.69 WHIP.
The Tigers counter with Drew Gagnon, who while not as dominant as Koo, has settled in nicely in his first KBO season. The former New York Met has an almost-as-impressive 1.07 WHIP and is striking out batters left and right with 45 punchouts in 41.1 innings. Pitching will be the story early on.
Pick: Under 4.5 First 5 Innings (-113)
Lotte Giants (19-18) vs Kiwoom Heroes (21-17)
Probable Pitchers: Dan Straily (1-2, 2.08 ERA) vs. Seung-ho Lee (0-2, 6.09 ERA)
It’s a rubber match between the Lotte Giants and Kiwoom Heroes, as the Giants took the opener 7-5 before the Heroes responded with a 4-3 victory in Game 2 yesterday.
Import starter and former Miami Marlin Dan Straily gets the call for our favorite Waffles. After a rough start to his KBO career, Straily has been dealing, as he owns a 0.70 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP over his last four starts.
On the other side, Seung-ho Lee toes the rubber for the Heroes. Lee had generally been the Heroes' worst starter heading into his last outing, then he went and shut out the NC Dinos by allowing just four hits over six innings.
With the Waffles scoring at a more consistent rate lately, we’re backing the team with the red-hot starter. Oh, and screw the bullpens in this one too.
Pick: Lotte Giants -0.5 First 5 Innings (-108)
KBO Betting Record: 59-42-1, +12.86 units
KBO Betting Card for Thursday, June 18
- SK Wyverns -0.5 First 5 Innings (+171)
- NC Dinos-Kia Tigers Under 4.5 First 5 Innings (-113)
- Lotte Giants -0.5 First 5 Innings (-108)
Where can I bet on Korean baseball odds?
While not every online and casino sportsbook will carry odds for the KBO League, many do, especially those looking to take baseball betting action with the 2020 MLB season on hiatus. Check out the best sportsbooks available where you live and see what KBO odds they have available.
