It has officially been one full month since opening day of the 2020 CPBL season – one full month since Taiwanese professional baseball gave sports back to the world when we all needed it most. And while other leagues across the globe are slowly beginning to tippy toe back into the mix we remain transfixed by the CPBL, especially its league leader the Rakuten Monkeys who simply won’t relinquish their firm grip on the standings. There is one thorn in their side however – the Uni-President Lions, who took two games in a row against Rakuten towards the end of April. The Monkeys have a monkey to get off of their back in the form of the Lions but will they accomplish this task this Tuesday? Register below to make your wager and read below for our prediction.
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Betting Preview for the Rakuten Monkeys vs Uni-President Lions CPBL Regular Season Baseball Game on May 12 2020
Where: Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium, Taiwan
When: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 6:35 PM Taiwan (6:35 AM ET USA)
Broadcast: FREE live streaming on Eleven Sports Network
PBL Betting Odds:
Betting on the Rakuten Monkeys (odds)
14-4 Regular Season Record
The Rakuten Monkeys are coming out of a three-game weekend series against the Chinatrust Brothers. They went 2-1 in the series, only losing the first game and won the Mother’s Day game in dramatic fashion as pitcher Wang Yao-Lin dusted off a leadoff-double in the 9th for the win. They carry some momentum into their Tuesday meeting with the Lions, and they may need it because as mentioned above the Uni-Lions can boast one thing that no other team in the league can – they beat the Rakuten Monkeys twice in a row. Rakuten lost the first (April 25) by a score of 8-7, and the second (April 26) by a score of 12-5. The losses are fresh on the mind of team manager Tseng Hao-chu who will look to his starting pitcher and bullpen. 29 year old Ryan Carpenter is expected to start on the mound. The former MLB pitcher logged a 9-8 win against the Uni Lions in their season opener on April 15th.
Betting on the Uni-President Lions (odds)
8-13 Regular Season Record
Despite playing nemesis to Rakuten this season, the Uni-President Lions are the worst team in the CPBL with a sorrowful .381 win percentage. The Lions were on a 6-game losing streak until they snapped out of their funk on Sunday with a dominating 10-2 performance over the Fubon Guardians. They won’t be focused on the bad run they’ve had in May so far and will instead look to their recent win over this Tuesday’s opponent. In the one-sided 12-5 spectacle Kuo Fu-Lin was the game MVP, hitting two home runs and tallying three RBIs.
Chiu Hao-Chun may be considered as the starting pitcher for the Uni-Lions on Tuesday as he helped get the win against Rakuten in the 12-5 victory. However, he dropped the ball in two losses to Rakuten prior to that game, losing 14-4 (April 24) and 15-3 (April 16). The more likely starter will be Chen Yun-Wen who has pitched against Rakuten once this season, getting an 8-7 win in the process.
Writer’s Prediction
The Uni Lions don’t have the pitching staff to keep Rakuten’s heavy hitters at bay. The Monkeys win 12-4.
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