Back Defending Champion Doosan vs LG

Doosan's Jose Fernandez is hitting .486 and has a .500 OBP in 35 at-bats versus LG this season. Photo by @sung_minkim (Twitter).

• Doosan is 6-2 versus LG this season, outscoring them by 25 runs during that stretch
• Kiwoom’s Eric Jokisch has allowed one earned run total in his last three starts
• Find odds and best bets for the KBO’s five-game slate on July 9th in the article below

Defending champion Doosan has been treading water lately, posting five wins and five losses in its last 10 outings. The mediocre stretch has seen them slip into third place in the KBO standings, 5.5 games behind first place NC.

Fortunately for the Bears, Thursday’s opponent LG is someone they’ve had a ton of success against in 2020. They’ve outscored them by 25 runs in their eight meetings so far, and will look to improve to 7-2 against the Twins when they square off at 5:30 am EST.

 KBO Odds: Thursday, July 9th

Odds as of July 8th.

Bears Offense is On Point

Doosan leads the KBO in average, hits and doubles, and have crossed the plate 21 times in their last three outings. They’ll face LG’s Tyler Wilson on Thursday, who’s struggled mightily in his last two starts. The right-hander has allowed 12 runs in his last two outings, and owns a 5.09 ERA and 1.64 WHIP since June 13th.

Rough start to your day? Tyler Wilson knows the feeling. Here's how the first two batters of his outing went this morning. pic.twitter.com/c3j1gae6cT

— Tom Froemming (@TFTwins) July 3, 2020

The Bears will counter with Raul Alcantara, who’s tied for second in the league in wins and has allowed just five runs total in his last three starts. Last time he faced the Twins, he completely dominated, holding them to a single run over 8 innings, while striking out five.

Pick: Doosan Bears -1.5 (+130)

Trust Jokisch Every Time Out

In 11 starts this season, Eric Jokisch has allowed 10 earned runs total. He’s coming off back-to-back shutout performances and owns a 1.30 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. The guy is as good as it gets in the KBO.

Eric Jokisch

…that’s the tweet.

— Kiwoom Heroes (@KiwoomHeroes) June 27, 2020

He’s faced Thursday’s opponent Samsung twice already this season, and has allowed just a single earned run in 12 innings. Furthermore, only 10 Lions players have reached base against him and both of his starts versus Samsung have produced a total of 5.

That makes the under an appealing play here, but I’d rather take Kiwoom -1.5. They’ve been red-hot over the last month, and Lions starter Jung Hyun Baek has been super inconsistent. The 32-year-old gave up six runs in his last outing, and has allowed four or more runs in 44% of his starts this season.

Pick: Kiwoom Heroes -1.5 (-140)

NC and SK Go Over

It’s rare that we recommend betting an over in a game featuring the SK Wyverns, but Thursday’s matchup versus the first place NC Dinos features a pair of struggling starters.

NC will send Sung Young Choi to the mound, who’s allowed four or more runs in three of his past four outings. He owns a 5.70 ERA and every game he’s been appeared in this season has ended with a total of at least 10.

SK meanwhile, will give the ball to Ricardo Pinto, who hasn’t fared much better. He hasn’t lasted longer than 5.1 innings in any of his last three starts, and has allowed 10 runs over that stretch. He struggles mightily with his command, which will be a huge problem versus the Dinos.

The NC Dinos are such a legit wagon in the KBO that there needs to be a petition to have them replace the Orioles just for this 60-game season. pic.twitter.com/lsH9a8bdN4

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) July 5, 2020

NC leads the league in runs, home runs and extra-base hits, and will punish Pinto for each free pass he issues. Pinto surrendered five walks last time out (in addition to seven hits), marking the third time in seven starts he’s had more walks than strikeouts.

Pick: Over 10.0 (-120)

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