KBO Picks & Odds (August 16): Lions Look to Feast on Saupold and the Eagles

• Hanwha’s Warick Saupold has allowed five or more runs in five of his last seven starts
• SK’s Ricardo Pinto has lost four straight decisions, giving up 22 runs in those outings
• Find odds and best bets for the KBO’s five-game slate on August 16th in the article below

The final slate of the KBO week goes down Sunday at 4:00 am EST, and one of our favorite targets to pick on will be taking the mound.

Hanwha’s Warwick Saupold, loser of five straight decisions, will toe the rubber versus Samsung, hoping to make it out of the 5th inning for the first time in three starts.

 KBO Odds: Sunday, August 16th

Odds as of Aug. 15th.

The Lions took game two of this series, extending the Eagles’ losing streak to four in the process. With Saupold getting the ball on Sunday, the outlook for Hanwha snapping its skid does not look promising.

Saupold Lacking Success Recently

Saupold has been a disaster for the last month and a half, failing to record a win in his last seven starts. He’s given up at least five runs in five of those seven innings, and has seen his ERA ballon to 5.12.

Warwick Saupold – Last Four Starts

Last time out, he lasted just 4 innings against Kiwoom, and the start before that he went only 3.1 innings versus LG. The right-hander is supposed to be the Eagles’ ace, yet is the only KBO pitcher with nine losses on his resume.

Samsung meanwhile, will send Tae In Won to the mound, who’s also had his fare share of struggles recently. The 20-year-old has surrendered eight runs in his last 11.1 innings, and was pulled after just 2 innings in his last start against Hanwha.

Pick: Over 8.5 (-115)

Pinto’s Struggles are a Problem

Speaking of struggling pitchers, SK’s Ricardo Pinto’s performance has fallen off a cliff. The 26-year-old allowed three runs or fewer in six of his first eight starts, but since then has given up at least four runs in six of nine outings.

https://youtu.be/LkzDPlVY5B4

He’s lost three straight starts, and four straight decisions overall, and has given up 26 runs in the last month. He’s failed to make it out of the fifth inning in two of his last three outings, and owns an ERA north of 8.00 on the road this season.

KIA meanwhile, will give the ball to Hyun Jong Yang, who has pitched very well in his two starts versus the Wyverns this season. Last time he faced them, he held SK to two hits over 7 innings, and back on May 22nd, he allowed just a single run in 6 innings of work.

Yang Hyun-jong also had arguably his best outing in a game he got a ton of run support as well. He went 6 innings giving up only one run while striking out 8 batters and only giving up a walk. By far one of his best starts in a roller coaster of a season for him.

— KIA Tigers English (@KiaEN_) August 11, 2020

Yang was excellent in his start earlier this week, holding LG to a single run, while striking out eight over 6 innings. KIA is 6-2 against SK this season, and all the signs point to them making it 7-2 on Sunday.

Pick: KIA Tigers -1.5 (+100)