KBO Picks & Odds (May 16): Doosan Bears Continue Dominating Over/Under Run Totals

• The Doosan Bears continue raking at the plate, and have now hit the over in eight of their nine games
• The NC Dinos remain alone in first after an extra-innings win over the last-place SK Wyverns
• See below for odds and best bets in the May 16th KBO games

Results alone can be deceiving, which is something bettors should be particularly cognizant of when it comes to placing wagers on the Korea Baseball Organization.

Since most KBO games happen late at night — or early in the morning, depending on one’s perspective — it’s easy to look at league standings to guide your decisions.

But consider Friday’s game between the NC Dinos (8-1) and the SK Wyverns (1-8). The Dinos won by four, but the game went to extra innings. Why? Because a Dinos pitcher walked four batters in the ninth to give the Wyverns’ the tying run.

How should bettors view the Dinos/Wyverns matchup on Saturday, among the other options?

Here’s a look at the entire slate of KBO games for Saturday, May 16th. Note that some games start at 1:00 a.m. ET (10:00 p.m. PT on Friday), while others start at 4:00 a.m. ET (1:00 a.m. PT).

KBO Odds: Saturday, May 16

Odds taken May 15.

Still The Best, Despite The Mess

The NC Dinos thoroughly outplayed the SK Wyverns on Friday (Dinos outhit Wyverns 11-2), but a quartet of free passes issued to the Wyverns in the ninth inning allowed them to tie the game.

Fortunately for Dinos fans, NC took care of business in the 10th. Still, it was a shakier result than anticipated.

The Dinos break away in the 10th and improve to 8-1! 🦕🦖🦕🦖#KBO | #NCDinos pic.twitter.com/fMMmBsIhxP

— taewoongi (태웅) (@taewoongii) May 15, 2020

The Dinos send 20-year-old starter Young-gyu Kim to the mound on Saturday, sporting a 5.30 ERA in 31 career KBO appearances. This is still a game in the Dinos’ favor, but with Kim on the mound, it’s safer to bet on the moneyline than runline.

Pick: NC Dinos moneyline (-140)

Doosan Dominates The Over

I’m running out of ways to say it: the Doosan Bears are an offensive machine right now.

The result has been that the Bears are hitting the over on their run totals almost every game (eight of nine) so far this season. Their runs scored (a league-high 72) plus runs against adds up to 133, which is an average of 14.78 runs per game. Yet they haven’t seen an over/under mark above 10.5 to this point.

I may be slightly biased, but this Kim Jae-hwan of the Doosan Bears has the best swing in the #KBO. Here is his 1st HR of 2020. A 410 ft. shot to right. #최강두산 pic.twitter.com/UQwvZ89tIL

— KBO Collections (@kbocollections) May 6, 2020

After beating the KIA Tigers 13-4 on Friday, the Bears/Tigers matchup for Saturday has an over/under of 9.5. Grab the over and the Bears, who’ve won four of five.

Pick: Doosan Bears -1.5 (+115); Over 9.5 (-115)

Strength Vs. Strength

Familiar faces headline Saturday’s game between the Lotte Giants and Hanwha Eagles, as pitcher Warwick Saupold starts for the Eagles while Dixon Machado leads the way offensively for the Giants.

Hanwha has the KBO’s best team ERA (3.14), while Lotte is third in the KBO in batting average (.300) and tied for second in runs (57).

Saupold and Machado spent parts of three seasons together with the Detroit Tigers (2016-18), so they’ll know each other well. With a 1.20 ERA and 0.60 WHIP in two starts with the Eagles, Saupold looks to take advantage of a Lotte team that has slumped a bit at the plate lately (five runs scored in the past two games).

Aussie and former Detroit Tigers righty reliever Warwick Saupold features a FB (87-92) CT (83-89) CH (80-84) KCB (75-83). He signed with Hanwha in 2019 after miring in Toledo with the Mud Hens and found success going 12-11 with a 3.51 ERA with 135 Ks in 192.1 IP. #KBO #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/W5EK2bzMpm

— 🐊 Adam Dubbin 🐅 (@AdamDubbin) May 5, 2020

We’ll give the edge to Saupold and the Eagles, which means the expectation is that runs will be at a premium.

Pick: Hanwha Eagles moneyline (-140); Under 8.5 (+100)