The Dominican Republic will try to earn its first Olympic medal in baseball when it takes on South Korea in the bronze medal game of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Saturday at Yokohama Baseball Stadium. The Dominicans are playing in the Olympics for just the second time. In their only other appearance, in 1992, they finished sixth. Meanwhile South Korea won the gold medal the last time that baseball was an Olympic sport, in 2008 in Beijing.
First pitch is set for 11 p.m. ET on Friday. South Korea is the -160 favorite (risk $160 to win $100) in the latest South Korea vs. Dominican Republic odds from Caesars Sportsbook while the Dominican Republic is the +140 underdog. The over-under for total runs scored is 8.5. Before finalizing any South Korea vs. Dominican Republic picks, be sure to check out the Olympics predictions and betting advice from CBS Sports baseball guru Matt Snyder.
A former player for Indiana University and a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Snyder has been a baseball writer with CBS Sports since 2011.
CBS Sports' longest-tenured baseball expert combines simple logic learned from his baseball-playing days with an extensive background in analytics. He went 26-18 on MLB picks in the 2020 MLB playoffs, including 8-4 on World Series bets.
Now, Snyder has set his sights on Dominican Republic vs. South Korea. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Here are the 2020 Olympics baseball odds and betting trends for South Korea vs. Dominican Republic:
- Dominican Republic vs. South Korea run line: South Korea -1.5 (-150)
- Dominican Republic vs. South Korea over-under: 8.5 runs
- Dominican Republic vs. South Korea money line: South Korea -160, Dominican Republic +140
- DOM: The Dominicans lead the Olympics in fielding (.994)
- KOR: South Korea leads the Olympics in batting average (.294) and slugging (.441)
Why you should back South Korea
The defending gold medalists will be getting their second look at Dominican Republic starter Raul Valdes. On Sunday the South Koreans put a lot of traffic on the bases with seven hits and three walks in 5.1 innings against Valdes but managed just one run. Seeing Valdes for the second time in seven days should work to South Korea's advantage.
In addition the South Koreans have been getting contributions up and down the lineup. Hyunsoo Kim, who played with the Orioles and Twins in the majors, has been the team's best hitter (.385 average, .731 slugging percentage, two home runs and six RBI). But Hae Min Park is batting .400 (fifth best in the tournament) and has scored a tournament-best six runs, while Ji Hwan Oh is slugging .684 with two home runs and five RBI.
Why you should back the Dominican Republic
The Dominicans have been the best fielding team in the tournament. They have committed just one error over five games and have a fielding percentage of .994. The combination of defense and strong pitching has helped them limit opponents to just 17 runs in Tokyo.
In addition the Dominicans have been the stronger pitching team so far in the tournament. They rank second in the field in ERA, at 3.56. By comparison the South Koreans have a 4.50 ERA over six games.
How to make picks for Dominican Republic vs. South Korea
Snyder has broken down this matchup, and one of his picks is under for the run total (8.5). But he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the money line. Head to SportsLine to see his analysis and top Olympic baseball picks.
So who wins South Korea vs. Dominican Republic? And where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to find out which wager in Dominican Republic vs. South Korea has all the value, all from the baseball expert who went 26-18 in the 2020 MLB Playoffs, and find out.
