KBO Picks & Odds (October 23): Aces Are Wild

•  Three of the top-six KBO pitchers by ERA and WHIP are featured on Friday’s slate
•  LG’s Casey Kelly is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA vs KIA this season
• Find odds and best bets for the KBO’s five-game slate on October 23rd in the article below

With the exception of a handful of aces, the KBO is not known for its pitching. How fortunate for baseball fans is it on Friday then, that three of the league’s top hurlers will toe the rubber.

NC’s Drew Rucinski, Lotte’s Dan Straily, and LG’s Casey Kelly will all lead their teams into action at 5:30 am EST, with Kelly pitching better than anyone in the league at the moment.

 KBO Odds: Friday, October 23rd

Odds as of  Oct. 22nd at FanDuel.

The right-hander has won seven straight decisions and not surprisingly his Twins opened up as a big favorite on both the moneyline and runline.

Casey in Total Command

Kelly has been flawless in each of his last two outings, shutting out first place NC and Friday’s opponent KIA. Last time out versus the Tigers, he scattered two hits over 6 scoreless innings, striking out seven Tigers’ along the way.

Great start from Casey Kelly today, throwing 6 shutout innings against KIA and keeping the Twins in 2nd place. Gives him just a 1.52 ERA over his last 53 IP. Here's his slider/curveball against Yoo Min-sang, highlighting their whiff potential and similarities #KBO #KBOLeague pic.twitter.com/qanuYCHUyQ

— Ben Howell (he/him) (@benhowell71) October 16, 2020

He’s been absolutely dominant in three starts versus KIA this season, allowing just two earned runs over 19 innings of work. He’s won all three of those outings, and hasn’t given up more than a single run in any of the games.

Casey Kelly vs KIA This Season

Since August 30th, he’s allowed more than two runs in an outing just once, and he has recorded a quality start in 13 straight appearances.

KIA meanwhile, will counter with Ki Hoon Kim, who was shelled by LG in his last start. He lasted just 3 innings versus the Twins, surrendering four runs and six hits, while walking four.

The 20-year-old has struggled with his command all season, which has translated into five home runs and 10 walks allowed over his past five outings. The Twins offense has scored at least six runs in four of their last five games, and are in a dogfight with three other teams for second place in the standings. The Tigers on the other have nothing but pride left to play for.

Pick: LG Twins -2.5 (-122)

NC’s Magic Number Sits at 2

Elsewhere around the KBO on Friday, the Dinos will look to move a step closer to wrapping up the KBO regular season crown. NC’s magic number to clinch is down to two, and they’ll be looking to improve to 13-3 against Hanwha this season.

The NC Dinos got back on track today, winning against the Lotte Giants thanks to a strong start from ace Drew Rucinski, who held the Giants to 2 runs in 6 IP. Here are some of his best whiffs from today's action #KBO #KBOLeague (slider/slider/curveball) pic.twitter.com/QHVe01kGMq

— Ben Howell (he/him) (@benhowell71) October 16, 2020

Drew Rucinski has been on the mound for two of those victories, and sports a tidy 0.64 ERA versus the Eagles this season. He’s allowed just one run in 15 innings of work against them, and should get plenty of run support.

That’s because NC will face Hanwha’s Warwick Saupold, a pitcher they roughed up for eight runs and 10 hits in their last matchup. The Dino bats have been clicking lately, scoring 53 runs over their past seven outings.

Saupold meanwhile, is fresh off surrendering four runs and 11 hits to Samsung, which marked the sixth time this season he’s given up double-digit hits. Look for NC to rough him up again on Friday.

Pick: NC Dinos -2.5 (-122)