KBO Picks & Odds (October 24): A Showdown Between The Top-2

•  First place NC hosts second place LG on Saturday
•  Doosan’s Raul Alcantara seeks his league-leading 19th win
• Find odds and best bets for the KBO’s five-game slate on October 24th in the article below

Saturday’s KBO slate may only be three games, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of talent on the card. The day’s biggest contest features first place NC hosting second place LG, with the first pitch slated for 4:00 am EST.

 KBO Odds: Saturday, October 24th

Odds as of  Oct. 23rd at FanDuel.

Not surprisingly, the Dinos opened up as sizeable moneyline favorites, but there’s a strong case to be made for the underdog, especially on the runline.

LG Has NC’s Number in 2020

The Twins are 9-4-2  versus NC this season, winning each of the last four matchups. They’ve outscored the Dinos 25-8 over that stretch, and have done a number on NC starter Mike Wright this season.

The LG Twins tied the NC Dinos 6-6 today, but here's Hyun-soo Kim smacking an RBI double off of Mike Wright, which made us feel some Orioles-related emotions.#KBO #LGTwins #NCDinos pic.twitter.com/f5jVHRf3Wv

— Locked On Orioles (@LockedOnOrioles) July 11, 2020

LG racked up nine hits and four runs against the right-hander the last time they faced him, after chasing him after only 2.1 innings in their previous meeting.

Wright enters play on Saturday fresh off four straight losses, in which he’s allowed 22 runs over 17.1 innings. He’s surrendered at least seven hits in three of those outings, and has issued 7 free passes.

The Twins will counter with Chan Heon Jung, who’s 7-3 this season and has allowed just one run over his past 15 innings of work.

Jung Chan-heon, Fastball (called strike) & Curveball (Swinging K), Overlay synced at release. pic.twitter.com/nQ0QaHnfQx

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 4, 2020

He’s produced a quality start in 12 of 17 outings and has given up more than two runs just once since September 1st. Advantage LG.

Pick: LG Twins +1.5 (-128)

Alcantara On Fire

Speaking of elite starting pitching, Doosan’s Raul Alcantara chases his league-leading 19th win on Saturday versus a Lotte team with nothing to play for.

Raúl Alcántara had quite a game today for Doosan, holding Hanwha scoreless in 7 IP with just 83 pitches. Netted 8 strikeouts, with many coming on called strikes including these 5 that came on back-to-back Ks in nearly identical spots #KBO #KBOLeague pic.twitter.com/wKXJbrIJXf

— Ben Howell (he/him) (@benhowell71) October 13, 2020

The 27-year-old has surrendered just two runs over his last three starts, striking out 26 batters over 20 innings. He hasn’t allowed a home run in five consecutive starts, and has shutout his opponents in five of his past nine outings.

#KBO pitching: Raul Alcantara of the Doosan Bears pitched an immaculate inning in the 2nd inning vs. SK Wyverns. 3 batters, 3 strikeouts, 9 pitches. It's the 7th immaculate inning in league history.

— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) October 8, 2020

He’s been fantastic in three starts versus the Giants this season, posting a 2-0 record, with a 3.91 ERA. Lotte’s bats meanwhile, have been quiet lately, scoring three or fewer times in three of four games this week, including twice versus ninth place SK.

The Giants will send Se Woong Park to the mound, who’s been respectable against Doosan in 2020, but has been a complete disaster in October. The 24-year-old has posted an 0-2 record in three starts, allowing 14 runs in just 12.2 innings. He hasn’t made it out of the 5th inning in back-to-back outings, and could be in for a long day against the league’s second highest scoring team.

As mentioned, Lotte has been eliminated from postseason contention, while the Bears are in thick of a four-team race for second place. That extra motivation coupled with Alcantara on the mound makes the defending champs an easy play.

Pick: Doosan Bears -1.5 (-136)