KBO Picks & Odds (July 31): A Clash of the Titans

• The NC Dinos host the Doosan Bears in a clash of the KBO’s top-two teams
• NC’s Drew Rucinski is looking to become the first pitcher to reach 11 wins
• Find odds and best bets for the KBO’s five-game slate on July 31st in the article below

Turns out we we had too much confidence that the KBO would get all five scheduled games in on Thursday for just the second time in the last nine days. Rain washed away the NC versus Lotte tilt, meaning Dinos starter Drew Rucinski gets an extra day’s rest. The 31-year-old will head to the mound Friday at 5:30 am EST versus Doosan, looking to become the league’s first 11-game winner.

 KBO Odds: Friday, July 31st

Odds as of July 30th.

His Dinos have fared extremely well versus the defending champs this season, posting a 6-3 record. They opened as -170 favorites, in large part due to Rucinski’s recent dominance over the Bears.

Rucinski Has Dominated Doosan

Just over a month ago, Rucinski turned in one of his best performances of the year. He held the potent Doosan offense to just four hits over seven scoreless innings, en route to a 5-0 win.

Three series vs Doosan,
Three series wins vs Doosan!

The NC Dinos take care of business and beat the Doosan Bears again! Drew Rucinski with a gem of 7 IP, 4 hits, and 6 Ks and a Kwon Hee DINO Dong, Aaron Altherr, and Park Min Woo complete a 5-0 shutout win! pic.twitter.com/hsTbDcDr8m

— Daniel Greiss (@daniel_greiss) June 28, 2020

A few weeks prior to that, he also stymied the Bears, allowing just three hits over 6 innings. Those outings certainly weren’t a fluke as Rucinski has been dominating every offense in his path recently. He’s allowed just three earned runs in his last four starts, and now ranks top-three in wins, ERA, WHIP and quality starts.

The Bears will counter with Won Joon Choi, who’s also been fantastic recently, although mostly coming out of the bullpen. He’s made only three starts all season, but has allowed just one run in 15 innings of work as a starter. The concern here is that he’s never pitched beyond the 5th inning which means the Bears bullpen will see a lot of action. That unit currently owns a 5.39 ERA this season, and a 5.77 ERA on the road. Those aren’t the kind of numbers you want to have when facing the league’s number one offense.

Pick: NC Dinos -1.5 (-110)

Duelling Aces

Rucinski isn’t the only elite pitcher on Friday’s slate, as two of the league’s top hurlers square off in Lotte. KIA will send Aaron Brooks to the mound versus the Giants, while Lotte will counter with Dan Straily. Both aces have pitched phenomenally recently, especially Straily who’s allowed just one run in his last 28 innings.

Brooks vs Straily Statistics

KBO Lowest Hard-Hit Rate Allowed
1. Aaron Brooks
2. Drew Gagnon
3. Dan Straily
4. Yi-young Im
5. Jong-hoon Park

Top 12 (entering Monday) here pic.twitter.com/HaLv4GTFJz

— Sports Info Solutions (@SportsInfo_SIS) July 27, 2020

Brooks meanwhile, has won his last two decisions but hasn’t been nearly as dominant as his counterpart. Last time out, he held Samsung to two runs over 5.2 innings, and the outing prior to that he limited Doosan to two runs over 8 innings. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since May 17th, and he pitched well versus Lotte in his only meeting with them this season.

Nevertheless, these teams match-up quite evenly and I’m inclined to roll with the hotter pitcher at the moment. It also doesn’t hurt that Straily’s home splits are outrageous. The 31-year-old is 2-0 in five home starts this season, posting a 1.01 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP, while holding opposing batters to a minuscule .176 batting average.

Pick: Lotte Giants moneyline (-130)