This article is part of our KBO Power Rankings series.
As was the case last week, nine of the 10 KBO teams have won between four and six of their last 10 games (or nine of the nine teams if you believe the Eagles should be considered a minor-league side). That's partially due to the high number of rainouts this past week, as no team played more than four games, but it's also due to the parity that has continued to rule the league of late. The teams in the middle of the pack continue to beat each other up, which led to plenty of movement in these rankings, though the gaps between the mid-tier teams this week are as close as ever.
1. NC Dinos
Last Week: 1
Record: 44-21-2
Run Differential: +105
The Lowdown: The Dinos dropped a pair of games to the Wiz as part of a week in which they went a modest 2-2, but one seems to be banging on the door to challenge their superiority any time soon. Their upcoming weekend series against the Bears could change that, though they've gone 6-3 in the season series against the defending champions thus far.
DFS Name to Know: Jin Sung Kang was a surprising breakout start early in the season before an extended slump sent him crashing back down the order, but he's climbed back up to the number five spot in each of the last three games after hitting .400 over his last nine contests, bringing his season slash line back up to .349/.386/.561.
2. Doosan Bears
Last Week: 3
Record: 40-28
Run Differential: +44
The Lowdown: The Bears' rise this week has nothing to do with their own performance, as they went just 2-2 while dropping a series to the rival Twins, but the Heroes' continued slump sees them move into the second spot by default. They have a tough week coming up if they're to maintain that spot, as they'll take on the Heroes and Dinos, a pair of teams against which they've gone 5-8 this year.
DFS Name to Know: Jose Fernandez remains as difficult as anyone in the league to retire, recording six multi-hit games in his last nine contests, a stretch in which he's hit .371 with a .450 on-base percentage.
3. Kiwoom Heroes
Last Week: 2
Record: 38-28
Run Differential: +34
The Lowdown: The Heroes followed up their 19-6 June by going 8-13 thus far in July. There's certainly an argument for dropping them even further, as they've been caught by the Tigers in third place and have fallen to fourth in run differential, but I'll give them one more week in the top three based on their performance for much of the year, especially with Addison Russell's debut imminent.
DFS Name to Know: Dong Won Park homered in his first game back from a trip to the injured list with back issues Friday and has been one of the best offensive catchers in the league all season, hitting .281/.348/.523 with 11 homers in 60 games.
4. Kia Tigers
Last Week: 6
Record: 37-29
Run Differential: +39
The Lowdown: The Tigers have surged to a 10-4 record over their last 14 games, going 4-0 against the Lions and Eagles this week. They still sit seventh in scoring, but their strong pitching staff has carried them all year and continues to do so, as they've held opponents to two or fewer runs in five of their last nine games.
DFS Name to Know: Aaron Brooks, who owns a 2.54 ERA on the season, has allowed more than three runs in just one of his 14 starts this season, and that came all the way back in his third start of the year.
5. KT Wiz
Last Week: 5
Record: 34-33-1
Run Differential: +14
The Lowdown: The Wiz bounced back from a poor showing against the Dinos last weekend to take two of three from them this time around. There's a case for putting them as high as third, as they've now gone 13-6-1 in the month of July.
DFS Name to Know: Mel Rojas Jr. posted an OPS over 1.000 for the 10th straight week and now has a 1.195 mark in that category, 182 points ahead of Jung Hoo Lee in second place.
6. LG Twins
Last Week: 7
Record: 36-31-1
Run Differential: +23
The Lowdown: The Twins finally won a series against a team that isn't the Giants, Wyverns or Eagles by taking two of three from the Bears over the weekend, something they hadn't accomplished since May. They've won five of their last seven and aren't likely to be tested much this week in their upcoming matchups against the Wyverns and Eagles.
DFS Name to Know: Hyun Soo Kim is riding a nine-game hitting streak, a stretch in which he's hit .457/.525/.771 with three homers and 12 RBI.
7. Samsung Lions
Last Week: 4
Record: 34-34
Run Differential: +21
The Lowdown: The Lions' three-spot drop looks quite dramatic on the surface, but it's more a reflection of how tight the middle of the standings are than a punishment for losing all three of their games in a rain-shortened week. They've been struggling for quite some time, though, losing 9 of their last 13, and will reportedly be without a foreign hitter for quite some time as Daniel Kim of DKTV reports that they're set to replace the oft-injured Tyler Saladino with Daniel Palka, who would have to go through a quarantine process before being eligible to take the field.
DFS Name to Know: Ben Lively has looked quite good in two starts since returning from a side injury, allowing just three runs on nine hits in 11 innings while striking out 10 and walking three.
8. Lotte Giants
Last Week: 8
Record: 32-34
Run Differential: -17
The Lowdown: The Giants, who finished 8.5 games behind the Eagles last season in last place, continue to battle admirably to stay in striking distance of the playoff picture, taking two of three from the slumping Heroes over the weekend. They could catch the Lions in these rankings soon, though they could be hard-pressed to do so this week with upcoming series against the Dinos and Tigers.
DFS Name to Know: Dan Straily again occupies this space, as he's now allowed just a single run across his last four starts, striking out 26 in 28 innings while allowing just 12 hits and five walks.
9. SK Wyverns
Last Week: 9
Record: 24-44
Run Differential: -82
The Lowdown: The Wyverns won all three of their games this week, albeit against a pair of bottom-three teams in the Giants and Eagles, but any signs of life are certainly a positive given how the season has gone for the team from Incheon. It would take quite a charge for them to make up the 12.5-game gap that separates them from the final playoff spot, but they'll at least become more interesting to watch once Tyler White joins the team in a few weeks.
DFS Name to Know: Dong Min Han has homered three times in his last six games, giving him nine on the season in just 27 contests in a year in which he missed nearly two months with a lower-leg injury.
11. Hanwha Eagles
Last Week: 10
Record: 17-52
Run Differential: -178
The Lowdown: It's time to move the Eagles back down to 11th out of 10, as they've now lost eight games in a row. While that's still 10 games shy of their worst streak of the season, they now own a pitiful 24.6 percent winning percentage. To put that in context, that would round to 40 wins in a typical 162-game MLB season, which would tie them with the 1962 Mets as the worst team of all time.
DFS Name to Know: Brandon Barnes remains the only interesting Eagle, though he seems to be adjusting well to life in Korea, going 6-for-22 with a homer and three doubles through his first six games.
