KBO Picks & Odds (October 29): Rolling With Rucinski

• NC’s Drew Rucinski looks to rebound versus Lotte after allowing 13 runs in his last three starts
• Hanwha’s Dong Wook Oh will make his first career start after posting a 14.29 ERA in three relief appearances 
• Find odds and best bets for the KBO’s five-game slate on October 29th in the article below

NC may have already clinched first place in the KBO’s regular season standings, but it cannot afford to enter the playoffs with its ace struggling. Drew Rucinski, one of only two pitchers with 18 wins on their resume, is currently in the midst of his worst stretch of the year.

The right-hander has now gone three straight starts without a victory, his longest drought of 2020, and will look to turn things around on Thursday, at 5:30 am EST, versus Lotte.

 KBO Odds: Thursday, October 29th

Odds as of  Oct. 28th at FanDuel.

Naturally, the Dinos opened as a big favorite over a Giants team that hasn’t had anything to play for in a while. Lotte managed just one run and five hits in Wednesday’s 7-1 loss to NC, and have now scored three runs or less in four of its last five.

Rucinski Rebounds vs Lotte

Rucinski has surrendered 13 runs in his past three outings, by far the most in any three-start period this season. Last time out, Hanwha tagged him for seven runs and 10 hits over 4 innings, marking the third time in 2020 he’s allowed more than five runs.

With the postseason looming, he needs to right the ship quickly, and the Giants offense shouldn’t offer a ton of resistance.  As mentioned, they’ve struggled lately, and managed just two runs off Rucinski the last time they faced him.

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

Lotte has dropped four straight, and seven of its last eight, suggesting they have already checked out with only two games left. They’ll give the ball Seung Heon Lee, who gave up six runs to SK in his last start, and has surrendered nine runs and 11 hits to NC in 9.2 innings this season.

Pick: NC Dinos -2.5 (-108)

KT Wiz Cruises Past Hanwha

Elsewhere in the KBO on Thursday, KT Wiz can take over second place with a win versus Hanwha. The Suwon have won four of their last five, outscoring their opponents by 18 runs in the process.

#47 for @melrojasjr pic.twitter.com/GBq43pEgMg

— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) October 27, 2020

They’ll give the ball to rookie Heyong Jun So, who’s allowed more than two runs in just one of his last 15 appearances. One of those outings was against the Eagles, where he held them to two runs over 6.1 innings, while striking out nine.

So Hyeong-jun, Nasty Changeup getting a Taz🌪️ swing. pic.twitter.com/6blUFoqsKP

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 9, 2020

So was a standout for Korea at the U18 World Cup in 2019, and after a rocky first few weeks in the KBO has become one of the league’s most reliable rookies.

Hanwha meanwhile, will give Dong Wook Oh his first start of the season, and each time they’ve sent him to the mound in 2020 it hasn’t ended well. Oh has surrendered 13 runs in just 5.2 innings, while posting a 1-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was a 6th round pick in the 2019 draft, and bettors shouldn’t have any confidence that he’ll be able to neutralize the high powered KT Wiz offense.

Pick: KT Wiz -1.5 (-134)