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KBO Saturday betting preview: Yang Hyeon-jong to tame Bears

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In a tale as old as time, I faded the NC Dinos again on Friday, and, yet again, they ripped my heart out in dramatic fashion, winning in extra innings. Their luck will run out eventually, but the question now is whether I'll be broke from betting against them by the time it does.

The Bears won and the Heroes game was rained out, so we broke even with a 1-1 record on Friday. Free entertainment, right?

Forget that, let's rake it in on Saturday.

ESPN game: Doosan Bears (-145) @ Kia Tigers (+120)

Viewers are in for a treat as they'll get to watch Kia starter Yang Hyeon-jong work his magic. The 32-year-old has garnered plenty of MLB attention coming off an MVP-caliber season in which he posted a 4.94 K/BB ratio with a 2.29 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 29 starts.

Two of those starts came against the Bears, and he was absolutely dominant, allowing just three runs on 14 hits to go with his 14 strikeouts in 14 innings. That wasn't just a flash in the pan, either, as he was excellent against Doosan during a strong 2018 campaign, as well, posting a 2-1 record in three starts, allowing seven runs in 20 1/3 innings.

I feel very comfortably backing the underdogs here if Yang can put together even a decent outing, as they should give him plenty of run support with Lee Yong-chan starting for the Bears. Lee is a relatively average pitcher who allows a lot of baserunners and struggled in two starts away to Kia last season, allowing eight runs in 10 innings on 15 hits and six walks to go with no strikeouts.

(Pick: Tigers +120)

NC Dinos (-145) @ SK Wyverns (+120)

Would it really be a KBO betting preview if I didn't fade the Dinos and back the Wyverns? Stop me if you've heard this before, but this is the game in which the Dinos' luck begins to turn, and the Wyverns stop the bleeding.

The relatively inexperienced Kim Young-gyu toes the rubber for the visitors. He's set to make just his 12th KBO League start - to go with 20 relief appearances. He made five appearances against the Wyverns last season and was miserable during two of them, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits and four walks in just seven innings. He wasn't any better in three relief showings, either, as they tagged him for three runs on five hits and a walk in three innings.

His counterpart, Kim Tae-hoon, is a pitcher I can certainly get behind. Kim is in the rotation this season after a terrific campaign out of the bullpen in 2019, managing over a strikeout per inning and finishing with a very respectable 3.88 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He's coming off a strong start to life in the rotation, holding the Lotte Giants to two runs and two hits in six innings, and I like him to keep the momentum going here against a Dinos side that has to lose eventually, right?

Pick: Wyverns (+120)

Kiwoom Heroes (+100) @ LG Twins (-135)

This bet is for the opening game of the doubleheader, with first pitch set for 1 a.m. ET. It looks to be a fascinating pitcher's duel as Jake Brigham - 2.96 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 7.4 K/9 rate in 2019 - squares off with Casey Kelly - 2.55 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 6.3 K/9 rate last season.

In four starts against the Twins last season, Brigham was very impressive, allowing just four runs in 21 2/3 innings. Kelly was stellar in one start against the Heroes, holding them to two runs (one earned) across six innings, giving up six hits to go with five strikeouts and no walks, though he did pick up the loss.

The Heroes may be ranked toward the bottom of a number of major offensive categories right now, but this is a lineup that is too talented to hold down, armed with the likes of Kim Ha-seong, ByungHo Park, and Lee Jung-hoo. At plus-money, and with Brigham on the mound, I'm not thinking twice.

Pick: Heroes (+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.

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