Favorites cleaned up on Thursday, with a 5-0 day in the KBO whether on the moneyline or the run line; as they won each game by at least four runs.

NC Dinos vs. Hanwha Eagles

Probable Pitchers: NC Dinos (Mike Wright) vs. Hanwha Eagles (Shi-hwan Jang)

The KBO’s best team, the NC Dinos (20-6) and the worst team, the Hanwha Eagles (7-20) square off for a three-game series this weekend, with the Eagles coming into Friday on an 11-game losing streak.

Technically, Wright has struggled through his first five KBO starts, with a 5.18 FIP and .240 BABIP – suggesting that his 3.21 ERA is due for regression.

FIP or Fielding Independent Pitching measures what a pitcher’s ERA would look like if the pitcher experienced league-average defense and luck.

wRC+ or Weighted Runs Created Plus takes the statistic Runs Created and adjusts that number to account for critical external factors — like ballpark or era. It’s adjusted, so a wRC+ of 100 is league average, and 150 would be 50 percent above league average.

With a career 3.45 BB/9 at the MLB level, Wright’s command can come and go, and he has walked 12 batters in his first 28 KBO innings after a dominant preseason.

The 6’6 righty offers above-average velocity (94.5 mph fastball in 2019) for a KBO starter, with a wipeout slider; which returned a positive pitch value in two of his five MLB seasons

On Friday, Wright will get his second crack against the Hanwha Eagles, after beating them on May 24 (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K).

His opponent that day, Shi-hwan Jang (5 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 B, 7 K) has posted a 4.76 FIP over five 2020 starts, after recording a 4.30 FIP for the Lotte Giants in 2019, and a 4.94 FIP in 2018, and will get a chance for revenge against the Dinos.

Jang has some command issues and gets himself into trouble, recording a 4.2 BB/9 in 27 starts last season after transitioning from the bullpen.

He has walked 18 batters in 24.2 innings this season, but his strikeout rate (11.3 K/9) is also elite