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KBO Playoff Picks and Odds (Nov. 13): Offense Comes Alive

Chris Amberley

by Chris Amberley in News

Updated Mar 5, 2021 · 8:19 AM PST

Doosan Bears stadium in Seoul
The Doosan Bears stadium in Seoul. Photo by Johnny Silvercloud (flickr)
  • KT Wiz clashes with Doosan on Friday in Game 4 of the KBO Playoff
  • The Bears lead the best-of-5 series 2-1, and can advance to the Korean Series with a win
  • Find odds and best bets for the KBO’s one-game playoff slate on November 13th in the article below

KT Wiz staved off elimination on Thursday, scoring five times in the 8th inning to hand Doosan its first defeat of the 2020 postseason.

The Bears still lead the best-of-5 series 2-1, and get another crack to advance to the Korean Series on Friday, at 4:30 am EST.

 KBO Playoff Odds: Game 4

Team Moneyline Runline Over/Under Run Total Game Time (Eastern)
KT Wiz Suwon -104 -1.5 (+146) Over 9.5 (-122) 4:30 a.m.
Doosan Bears -118 +1.5 (-190) Under 9.5 (-106)

Odds as of Nov. 12th at FanDuel.

The defending champs opened as a small moneyline favorite, in a game that features an over/under of 9.5. The total for Game 4 seems a shade low, despite the under hitting in each of the series first three games. That’s because unlike the previous games, neither team is trotting out one of their elite arms.

KT Wiz Owns Hui Kwan Yu

Doosan starter Hui Kwan Yu just wrapped up one of his worst seasons ever in the KBO. He compiled a 5.02 ERA, and a career-worst 1.68 WHIP. He suffered 11 losses for the first time, and failed to post at least a .500 record for the only time in 10 seasons.

He struggled badly versus KT Wiz in 2020, posting a 1-3 record with a 6.45 ERA. He made it out of the 6th inning in just one of five starts, and the only time he allowed fewer than seven hits was when he was yanked after just 1.2 innings.

Reigning home run King Mel Rojas Jr. crushed versus Yu this season, going 6-for-8, with 2 home runs and 2 doubles.

The KT Wiz bats have performed well against left-handers all season, and with their season on the line I’m willing to bet they hit Yu hard once again.

Doosan Bats Bounce Back

After racking up a postseason-low four hits on Thursday, the Bears bats will be looking to bounce back in Game 4. Doosan, who ranked top-three in almost every key offensive category in 2020, has been relatively quiet at the plate all postseason, scoring more than four runs in only one of five contests.

They’ve been winning games thanks to their pitching, but if Yu struggles on Friday like we expect, the offense is going to have to pick up the slack.

Fortunately for them, the matchup versus KT Wiz starter Je Seong Bae is relatively favorable. Bae was inconsistent down the stretch, losing three of his final four outings, failing to make it out of the 4th inning in each loss.

The 23-year-old is extremely talented, but has serious command issues. He struck out just seven more batters than he walked over 141.1 innings, and was not sharp in his lone start versus Doosan.

Back in September, he allowed four runs and six hits to the Bears en route to an 8-0 defeat.

Over and Out

It’s slightly concerning that each of the first three games of the series have stayed under the total, but these offenses are too strong to contain forever.

Neither one of the starting pitchers is likely to neutralize the opposing team’s lineup, and if the defending champs want to avoid a win or go home scenario in Game 5, they’ll need the bats to step up on Friday.

Pick: Over 9.5 (-122)

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