Matthew Lowrimore
Show Bio
The KBO season rolls on this week and our experts are back to help you find the best value on Friday’s slate. Whether you are looking for a single money line pick or a KBO parlay, we have you covered. Note that all these games start at 5:30 am ET on Friday morning.
KBO betting odds
Here are the KBO betting odds for Friday, May 20th courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Hanwha Eagles (+170) vs Kiwoom Heroes (-210), O/U 7.5
- KT Wiz (+166) vs Samsung Lions (-205), O/U 8.5
- LG Twins (+140) vs SSG Landers (-172), O/U 7.5
- Lotte Giants (+146) vs Doosan Bears (-178), O/U 6.5
- NC Dinos (+118) vs Kia Tigers (-144), O/U 8.5
KBO picks and predictions
Friday’s slate features plenty of opportunities for value. Let’s dive into the day’s best bets.
NC Dinos vs Kia Tigers ML (-144)
The NC Dinos went back to losing on Thursday, falling to the Kiwoom Heroes by a score of 3-1. They are now 13-28 on the season and are back tied for 9th place. They will open their series against the Kia Tigers on Friday by starting Lee Jae-Hak. He is 0-3 on the season and has an ERA of 7.50. In 5 starts this season, he has allowed 15 earned runs over 18.0 innings.
The Kia Tigers ended their series against the Lotte Giants with a 4-2 win, which moved them to 21-19 on the season. This was their 3rd win in a row and they are now 6th in the league standings. Looking to make it 4 wins in a row will be Sean Nolin on Friday morning. He is 1-5 on the season and has an ERA of 3.86. In 7 starts this season, Nolin has allowed 16 earned runs over 37.1 innings.
While this is not a matchup of high magnitude, the Tigers look to have a clear edge in terms of starting pitching. For that reason, backing the Tigers looks to be worth a play.
Lotte Giants vs Doosan Bears ML (-178)
The Doosan Bears are going through a rough stretch right now, losing their 4th game in a row on Thursday morning. This was a loss to the SSG Landers and puts the Bears at 20-18-1 on the season. The Bears are also down to 6th placed with the loss and need to stop the bleeding when they open a series against the Lotte Giants on Friday. The Bears will start Robert Stock on Friday, who is 4-1 on the season and has an ERA of 2.15. In 8 starts this season, Stock has allowed 12 earned runs over 50.1 innings.
The Lotte Giants also lost on Thursday, which marks their 4th loss in a row too. That loss came against the Kia Tigers as they fell by a score of 4-2. The loss drops the Giants to 20-19-1 on the season and they are now 7th place in the league standings. They will counter with Na Gyun-An, who has not recorded a decision, but has an ERA of 1.80. In 11 relief appearances, he has allowed 5 earned runs over 25.0 innings.
The starting pitching matchup is fairly even here, but Stock looks to have the edge because he has a significant edge in starting experience. Gyun-An has not started a game this season, therefore backing the Bears to snap their losing streak will be the play.
LG Twins vs SSG Landers ML (-172)
The LG Twins ended their series against the KT Wiz with a 7-3 win on Thursday morning to make it 2 wins in a row. They are now 25-16 on the season and are in 2nd place in the league standings. Starting on Friday, they will take on the SSG Landers and will have a chance to close the gap their 1st place standing. The Twins will start Adam Plutko on Friday, who is 3-2 on the season and has an ERA of 3.09. In 8 starts this season, he has allowed 19 earned runs over 46.2 innings.
The SSG Landers finished off the Doosan Bears on Thursday with a 9-3 win to move to 27-12-2 on the season. They still hold 1st place, but again, this series against the 2nd placed Twins could reduce their leading significantly. The SSG Landers will counter with Kim Kwang-Hyun, who is 6-0 on the season and has an ERA of 0.60. In 7 starts this season, he has allowed just 3 earned runs over 45.0 innings.
This is sure to be a great series, but the game on advantage on Friday is with the SSG Landers. Kwang-Hyun has been nearly impossible to score runs against, therefore backing them behind their ace will be the play.
Looking for a bigger payout? Play these picks as a 3-team parlay — which pays out at odds of +318.
Make sure you check out all of our picks for KBO action every single day!
