KBO Picks & Odds (May 19): Doosan’s Jose Fernandez Looks To Stay Hot Vs. First-Place NC

• The NC Dinos have won six-straight, while the SK Wyverns have dropped nine in a row
• KT Wiz Suwon has a misleading 4-7 record, given its plus-12 run differential
• The odds and best bets for the KBO’s May 18th games can be found in the article below

After an off day, the Korea Baseball Organization is back in action on Tuesday with a new opponent for each of its 10 teams. Only one team is truly red hot (the NC Dinos, with six wins in a row), while another is ice cold (the SK Wyverns, with nine consecutive losses).

There are individual storylines to watch too, including the on-base streak of Doosan Bears infielder Jose Fernandez, which factors into how teams as a whole perform.

Here’s a look at the entire slate of KBO games for Tuesday, May 19th. Note that all games start at 5:30am ET (2:30am PT).

KBO Odds: Tuesday, May 19

Odds taken May 18.

The Dinos Are Hot, But…

Okay, hear me out. The NC Dinos have hit on the moneyline in six-straight games, but their win streak is less impressive than you might think.

Four of their wins have come by only one run, plus they had a 6-2 win that required extra innings. And these six wins have come against the SK Wyverns and KT Wiz Suwon, who have a combined record of 5-17 (though obviously the Dinos played a direct role in that record).

Today's #KBO K leader was Raul Alcantara of the #doosanbears

7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 9 K, 0 BB pic.twitter.com/6sTraE12CH

— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) May 17, 2020

On the other side, the Doosan Bears (7-4) have won three of four. And they possess the league’s hottest hitter in Jose Fernandez, who leads the KBO in average (.479) and on-base percentage (.519). Fernandez has reached base at least once in all 11 games this year.

Take the runs that oddsmakers are giving the Bears, and we’ll see if the Dinos’ streak can hold against a stronger opponent.

Pick: Doosan Bears, +1.5 (-160); Over 9.5 (-125)

Those Poor Wyverns

The SK Wyverns’ nine-game losing streak is difficult to stomach, especially considering their season is only nine games old. How did they get here?

Well, their batting has been awful (team average of .230, ninth in KBO); and their pitching has been awful (team ERA of 5.68, ninth in KBO). Given that hitting and pitching are the two primary activities in baseball, that should give you an idea.

LG Twins win it 9-5 over the SK Wyverns! pic.twitter.com/8KxzbvC6XE

— Locked On Orioles (@LockedOnOrioles) May 12, 2020

On Tuesday, they send Ricardo Pinto to the mound, after he allowed 10 runs in 4.2 innings his last time out. The Kiwoom Heroes counter with Won-tae Choi, who is 0-1 but sporting a 2.92 ERA in two starts.

Pick: Kiwoom Heroes, moneyline (-200)

Don’t Count Out KT Wiz

KT Wiz Suwon hasn’t impressed so far in the standings, sitting eighth in the 10-team league with a 4-7 record. But look closer, and you’ll see they have a plus-12 run differential, signifying that they might be better than their win/loss totals indicate.

😂😂😂 Imagine being a kt wiz fan 😂😂😂#KBO | #NCDinos pic.twitter.com/2MlI2R1o4a

— taewoongi (태웅) (@taewoongii) May 12, 2020

Oh, and they’re riding a three-game win streak, in which they’ve scored 33 runs and vaulted their team batting average up to .311 (second in KBO).

William Cuevas takes the mound for Suwon against the Hanwha Eagles, coming off a start in which he allowed just one run in six innings versus the first-place Dinos.

Pick: KT Wiz Suwon, -1.5 (-105); Over 9.5 (-115)