Picks & Odds (Sep. 20): Can Bettors Still Rely On First-Place Dinos?

• Despite a loss Saturday, and a mediocre stretch in recent weeks, the NC Dinos remain favorites against the Lotte Giants
• The Samsung Lions have an intriguing pitching matchup, but are rightful underdogs vs. Kiwoom
• Check out the article below for all the odds and best bets on Sunday’s KBO games

Over their past 30 games, the NC Dinos are sixth in the 10-team Korea Baseball Organization. Over their past 20 games, they’re fifth — and over their past 10, they’re sixth.

What that spells out is a team mired in mediocrity right now, despite maintaining the top spot in the KBO standings. NC is favored in practically every game it plays, and on occasions such as Sunday, that could be a benefit to bettors seeking value.

Five KBO series continue across the league on Sunday, Sept. 20. Here’s a look at the odds for all five games, which start at 1:00 am ET (10:00 pm PT on Saturday).

KBO Odds: Sunday, September 20th

Odds as of Sept. 19.

Why Not Lotte?

As underdogs on Saturday, the Lotte Giants pulled off a 5-1 win over the NC Dinos. Who says the Giants can’t do it again?

As previously stated, the Dinos are scuffling. But they’re still receiving rather short odds on both the moneyline (-200) and the run line (-1.5 runs, -140).

On Sunday, NC starts Mike Wright (9-5, 4.33 ERA0, who is winless with a 5.45 ERA in two starts against the Giants this season. Lotte counters with 21-year-old Lee Seung-heon (0-0, 0.00), the third-overall pick from 2018 making only his second start of the year.

Lotte is not the better team in this matchup. But they’ve won four of nine meetings this year and might be catching NC at the right time.

Pick: Lotte Giants (+160)

Heroes Over Lions

The stat line of Samsung Lions starter David Buchanan (13-6, 3.59 ERA) might be enticing, but there’s more to this matchup than that.

Samsung has lost four games in a row (including Saturday vs. Kiwoom) and nine of 15 to Kiwoom this season. After yielding just one run in a recent three-game win streak, the Lions have turned around to allow 11 runs per game during the losing skid.

elite home run celebration from the Kiwoom Heroes 😂 #KBO pic.twitter.com/0Pjd4ocsx7

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 15, 2020

In his two most recent starts against Kiwoom, Buchanan has allowed 17 hits and 12 runs in 11.1 innings. Yikes.

Pick: Kiwoom Heroes (+125)

Odrisamer The Awesome

The ninth-place SK Wyverns have been a wise team to bet against throughout most of the season, and that certainly rings true Sunday when they face Odrisamer Despaigne and KT Wiz Suwon.

Odrisamer Despaigne, 94mph Fastball…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/bgnIDoT7so

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2020

Despaigne is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA against the Wyverns this season, last tossing eight innings of one-run ball against them earlier this month. His presence makes this a plus matchup for KT Wiz, not to mention the fact that SK has scored only five runs in its past three games.

Oh, and KT Wiz holds a 10-2 head-to-head advantage against SK this season.

Pick: KT Wiz Suwon (-245)