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The first week of the KBO League season was a smashing success.
Baseball fans around the world were swept up in the excitement, with North Americans getting their first real taste of the personality-filled league with one game per night being broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Following the first day off of the season - which is the case every Monday - Week 2 picks up Tuesday morning, with all five games commencing at 5:30 a.m. ET, and I've already got a fair bit of money down in anticipation.
ESPN game: KT Wiz (+110) @ NC Dinos (-140)
Coming off of their first loss of the season, the Dinos remain at home for a three-game set against the Wiz. Drew Rucinski gets the nod for the Dinos after pitching six scoreless innings in his first start of the campaign versus the Samsung Lions, though he allowed three hits and four walks. Rucinski enjoyed a strong first season in the KBO, posting a 3.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, but he allows a lot of contact and relies heavily on a high strand rate.
After shutting out arguably the league's worst offense in the Lions, this is a bit of a step up for Rucinski, as he recorded a 4.44 ERA and 1.42 WHIP against the Wiz last season. He also allowed six runs on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings in his only home start against them.
Odrisamer Despaigne, who's coming off of a terrific KBO debut, will toe the rubber for the visitors. Despaigne allowed just one run on four hits in six innings against the first-place Lotte Giants, registering eight strikeouts and no walks. There's too much value in backing Despaigne at plus-money in this spot for me to pass up.
Pick: Wiz (+110)
Samsung Lions (+145) @ Kiwoom Heroes (-175)
I'm all over the Heroes here. Eric Jokisch, an incredibly crafty pitcher, starts for Kiwoom. He's coming off of an impressive debut season in which he posted a 3.13 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 30 starts. He enjoyed a strong beginning to the 2020 season against the Wiz and now makes his first home start against a struggling Samsung offense.
The Lions' lineup is even worse this season than last year after losing top hitter Darin Ruf. Jokisch was lights out in two home starts against them in 2019, allowing just three runs in 14 innings, with eight strikeouts to just one walk.
He'll face Ben Lively, who starts for the Lions. Lively was mediocre in his first start this season, allowing four runs in six innings, and he struggled mightily in his only previous start against the Heroes, allowing nine runs on seven hits and two walks over two innings. Kiwoom has what I firmly believe to be the league's best offense, and I expect them to find success here while Jokisch takes care of business on the mound.
Pick: Heroes (-175), Heroes -1.5 (-110)
SK Wyverns (-130) @ LG Twins (+100)
After experiencing some growing pains in his KBO debut, Nick Kingham makes his first away start as he leads the Wyverns into Seoul. Kingham wasn't effective in his season debut against the Hanwha Eagles, as he failed to miss many bats and was issued the loss.
He faces a step up in class here against the Twins, who will send Cha Woo-Chan onto the mound. The 32-year-old is in his 15th season in the league, and while his overall numbers last season weren't inspiring (4.12 ERA, 1.43 WHIP in 28 starts), he had success against the Wyverns. In three starts against them in 2019, he was 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, with 18 strikeouts to just four walks. I'll take those numbers at this price all day.
Pick: Twins (+100)
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
