KBO baseball: Picks, predictions and best bets for Wednesday, May 18

Former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig of Kiwoom Heroes gestures during the opening game of the 2022 regular season for the Korea Baseball Organization between Lotte Giants and Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 2, 2022.
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Matthew Lowrimore

KBO

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Matthew has been with Pickswise for a while now, covering a wide variety of sports. His main passions are college football and UFC, and those are the sports he has covered the most. Matthew uses a variety of methods to handicap games, including stats, trends, injuries, and situational factors. His goal is to consistently give out winners and will put in the research to try and achieve this. For Matt Lowrimore media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.
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The KBO season rolls on this week and our experts are back to help you find the best value on Wednesday’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 Wednesday morning.

KBO betting odds

Here are the KBO betting odds for Wednesday, May 18th courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

  • LG Twins (-138) vs KT Wiz (+114), O/U 8.5
  • Kia Tigers (+178) vs Lotte Giants (-225), O/U 7.5
  • SSG Landers (-110) vs Doosan Bears (-110), O/U 7.5
  • Kiwoom Heroes (-106) vs NC Dinos (-116), O/U 9.5
  • Samsung Lions (-140) vs Hanwha Eagles (+114), O/U 8.5

KBO picks and predictions

Wednesday’s slate features plenty of opportunities for value. Let’s dive into the day’s best bets.

Kia Tigers vs Lotte Giants ML (-225)

The Kia Tigers opened the week with a win over the Lotte Giants on Tuesday, beating them 4-3 in what was a tight game. The Tigers are back to .500, sitting at 19-19 and they are currently in 7th place. They will start Han Seung-Hyuk on Wednesday morning, who has a record of 2-0 and his ERA is 2.52. In 6 starts this season, Seung-Hyuk has allowed 10 earned runs over 35.2 innings.

With a loss on Tuesday, the Giants have now dropped 2 games in a row to fall to 20-17-1. They are currently sitting in 4th place, but have a great opportunity to get back into the win column with Charlie Barnes taking the mound on Wednesday morning. Barnes is 6-0 for the 2022 campaign and has an ERA of 1.26. In 9 starts, Barnes has allowed just 8 earned runs over 57.1 innings.

This is a great pitching matchup on paper, but Barnes has been far too strong to fade. He almost always gives his team a chance to win, therefore backing the Giants will be the play.

Samsung Lions ML (-140) vs Hanwha Eagles

The Hanwha Eagles managed to beat the Samsung Lions on Tuesday, winning by a score of 4-3. The Eagles have now won 2 games in a row and are 9th place in the league standings. The Eagles will look for a 3rd win in a row by starting Kim Min-Woo. He is 2-5 this year and has an ERA of 8.10. In 8 starts, Min-Woo has allowed 33 earned runs over 36.2 innings.

With the loss on Tuesday, the Lions are now 20-18 on the season and are in 6th place in the standings. They are in a great bounce back spot, as they will start Hwang Dong-Jae. He is 1-0 and his ERA is 2.49. In 5 appearances (4 starts), Dong-Jae has allowed 6 earned runs over 21.2 innings.

Min-Woo has been awful this season to say the least. He consistently has been getting rocked, so for that reason backing the Lions will be the play.

SSG Landers vs Doosan Bears ML (-110)

The SSG Landers and Doosan Bears played to a 9-9 tie on Tuesday morning, but not before a furious comeback from the Bears. The SSG Landers held an 8-1 lead after 2 innings but their bullpen collapsed, allowing 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th to let Doosan even things up. The SSG Landers will look to get back into the win column by starting Oh Won-Seok on Wednesday. He is 3-3 on the season and has an ERA of 4.86. In 7 starts this season, Won-Seok has allowed 20 earned runs over 37.0 innings.

Even though the Bears did not win on Tuesday, their comeback had to have given them some confidence. The Bears are now 20-16-1 on the season and are sitting in 3rd place. They will counter with Gwak Been, who is 1-4 and has an ERA of 2.78. In 6 starts, Been has allowed 10 earned runs over 32.1 innings.

As good as the SSG Landers have been so far this season, their bullpen is a liability right now. Been has been more consistent than his counterpart, so backing the Bears on the money line looks to be worth a play.

Looking for a bigger payout? Play these picks as a 3-team parlay — which pays out at odds of +372.

Make sure you check out all of our picks for KBO action every single day!

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