KBO Betting Odds and Predictions for April 21st

We fared well with the KBO picks last night, going three-for-five. SSG Landers covered the runline with a 10-7 triumph in a high-scoring affair against Samsung. The KT Wiz and NC Dinos combined for seven runs despite an over/under of 10.5. Hanwha picked up a 7-3 win over the struggling Kiwoom Heroes, as well.

The same five series matchups continue on Wednesday, April 21. MyBookie has fresh odds posted, so let’s get right to it!

SSG Landers vs Samsung Lions

SSG’s bats came out on fire against Lee Seung-min and the Lions last night, as they put 10 runs on the board in a game that turned into a slugfest. Former MLBer Shin-soo Choo paced SSG with a couple of home runs, while Yoo-seom Han and Jae-won Lee each had multiple hits.

Samsung is listed at baseball betting websites as a heavy -222 favorite to pick up the win in Wednesday’s rematch with David Buchanan set to take the mound. SSG will counter with Geun-wook Lee.

Buchanan was phenomenal in his first year with the Lions last year, posting a record of 15-7 with a 3.45 ERA in 27 games. The right-hander struggled in a loss in his first outing of the year against Kiwoom, but he has bounced back with back-to-back wins. Buchanan hasn’t allowed a run in either of his previous two starts while striking out 17 and walking just three. That includes an 11-strikeout showing last time out against Hanwha.

Lee went just 6-12 last year with a 5.68 ERA in his first full season in the KBO. He had only pitched in three games, all in relief, prior to 2020. He has pitched just three innings in each of his first two starts this year with a bloated ERA of 9.00. The right-hander has a lifetime 6.23 ERA in the KBO, as well.

The numbers say Samsung is a justifiable heavy favorite here. The pitching matchup is heavily lopsided in favor of the Lions. You aren’t betting on Samsung at -222 on the moneyline, but you can get decent -116 odds on the Lions to win by at least two runs. Given Lee’s struggles to contain opposing offenses over the course of his entire career, Samsung should be able to put some runs on the board.

Kiwoom Heroes vs Hanwha Eagles

Hanwha was a moneyline underdog last night against Kiwoom, which really didn’t make a lot of sense given the starting pitching matchup. Tonight, the Eagles are even bigger underdogs (+134) at home in a game with an over/under of 8.5 runs.

Tonight, Hanwha’s underdog status is justified because Kiwoom has Eric Jokisch toeing the rubber. Jokisch has become one of the league’s premier pitchers since debuting for the Heroes back in 2019. Over his two-plus seasons in Korea, Jokisch is 27-17 with a 2.67 ERA. He struggled in his last start, allowing five runs on six hits in a loss to LG, but he’s 2-1 overall with a 2.70 ERA so far in 2021.

Hanwha will counter with right-hander Min-woo Kim. Kim is off to a 1-1 start with a solid 3.31 ERA through three games against KT, Doosan, and Samsung. Kim hasn’t allowed more than four earned runs in any game this season, and the 25-year-old has shown steady progression over the years. Kim has a lifetime ERA of 5.89 in KBO play, but he posted a passable 4.34 mark in 26 games for the Eagles last year.

Hanwha was the most punchless offense in the league a season ago, and little has changed in that regard coming into this new season. Jokisch should have little trouble mowing these guys down tonight. Kiwoom would likely be bigger moneyline favorites than the current -188 number if they weren’t coming into this game in awful form, but I like Jokisch to get the Heroes back into the win column tonight. Given the way Kiwoom’s offense has fizzled lately, though, I’d rather bet on the under on 8.5 runs here at -133.

KT Wiz vs NC Dinos

The KT Wiz pulled off another upset last night with a 5-2 win over the Dinos. The Wiz got a nice showing out of starter Je-seong Bae, who held the Dinos’ potent offense to just a run on three hits in five solid innings of work. Wes Parsons struggled in his second start for NC as the Wiz out-hit the Dinos 10-5.

The Dinos are -140 favorites to bounce back with a win on Wednesday. Young-kyu Kim will take the mound for the defending champs, while KT will have William Cuevas on the hill. Kyu is a 21-year-old still looking to find his footing at this level. The southpaw is off to an 0-1 start after allowing three earned runs in each of his first two outings of the new season. Kim took a no-decision in his first start against Lotte before taking a loss in his last game against SSG Landers. Kim has a career 5.50 ERA in the KBO across 52 games with the Dinos.

Cuevas allowed a couple of earned runs on three hits in four innings in his 2021 debut against Doosan last week. The right-hander has fared well in the KBO since joining the Wiz in 2019, with a career 23-18 record and a 3.85 ERA. The 30-year-old isn’t much of a strikeout pitcher, though, and he’ll have to deal with a Dinos offense that features no shortage of star-level talent. Sung-bum Na, Eui-ji Yang, and Aaron Altherr give NC one of the most fearsome lineups in the league.

Kim hasn’t been a consistent pitcher at all for the Dinos, though, which is why KT looks like a solid bet to win this one at +100. Betting against the Dinos may not be a consistently profitable endeavor over the course of a full season, but we can pick and choose our spots. Take the Wiz at even-money.

Kia Tigers vs LG Twins

The Kia Tigers doubled up the LG Twins last night by a score of 6-3. Aaron Brooks stifled the Twins’ offense through six innings without allowing an earned run, while the Tigers teed off on Chan-heon Jeong. Hyoung-woo Choi homered twice for Kia in the victory.

LG is a hefty -156 favorite to even the series tonight. The Twins will have Deok-ju Ham on the mound at home, while the Tigers will throw right-hander Yu-sin Kim.

Ham, a left-hander, is 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA through his first three games with LG. The 26-year-old has been impressive over the past few seasons with the Doosan Bears, though he did most of his work out of the bullpen. The Twins still aren’t letting him go too deep into games, as he’s topped out at three innings and 72 pitches through his three outings to begin the year. Ham has a 3.77 ERA all-time.

Kim is a 21-year-old set to pitch in his first game since 2018. He made 10 appearances in ’18, including a couple of starts, and finished with a 9.69 ERA. He’s a bit of a wild card considering he hasn’t pitched in the league in three years, though, which probably helps explain why the Twins are so heavily favored tonight.

Kim could certainly come out fresh and pitch well in this one considering the opposing hitters haven’t seen much of him, but it’s not like he flashed any impressive form as a rookie several years ago. Betting the over on 9.5 runs isn’t a bad option given the vulnerability of both starters, but I’d rather take a shot on LG to cover the runline betting option at +123.

Doosan Bears vs Lotte Giants

The Giants picked up a 10-5 win at home over the Doosan Bears last night, The 1-through-7 hitters in the Lotte lineup all collected hits, while Chi-hong An hit a grand slam. The Giants are -147 favorites to go back-to-back against Doosan on Wednesday, when Jin-uk Kim takes the mound. Doosan will start left-hander Hee-kwan Yoo.

Kim is an 18-year-old rookie off to a rough start. The lefty allowed six runs on six hits with four walks in his debut against Kiwoom. He followed that up with five runs on three hits and six more walks last time out against Kia. The Doosan lineup may be off to a quiet start, but Kim certainly seems to be quite the work-in-progress for Lotte.

Yoo is at the other end of his career. The 34-yaer-old has been with Doosan since 2009, but his 2021 campaign hasn’t started much better. Yoo was touched up for six runs on nine hits by the Eagles in his first start before allowing another three runs on five hits in just two innings against KT. He had an ERA north of 5.00 in 27 starts last year, and he seems to be well past his prime at this point.

We’ve got a couple of struggling pitchers on the mound in this one, which is likely why the total for this game (10.5) is tied for the highest on the night. Frankly, it’s probably not high enough. Neither guy has been able to prevent runs at all in the early going, so I think the over here is easily the right call. Take the over on 10.5 at -136 in this one.