KBO Weekly: Updated Power Rankings and a bat flip gone wrong

There are a few oddities around KBO these days -- the season's first tie came Saturday, and there is a full slate of games Monday instead of the usual league-wide off day because of five rainouts Sunday. But one thing we can count on is the dominance of the NC Dinos, who were 3-1-1 on the week.

Here's a look at the week that was and what's ahead in the KBO.

ESPN's KBO Power Rankings

1. NC Dinos: 39-17-1 (Last week: 1) -- The Dinos held solid atop first place, and NC's Aaron Altherr moved into the top spot on the RBI leaderboard with 55, knocking in seven runs in five games.

2. Kiwoom Heroes: 35-24 (2) -- Kiwoom's Eric Jokisch, who posted his league-high eighth win in beating Samsung on Thursday, took over as the ERA leader (1.41). Jokisch was 13-9 with a 3.13 ERA for the Heroes last season.

3. Doosan Bears: 34-24 (3) -- Doosan improved to 7-2 against LG this season and is 32-9 against the Twins over the past three seasons.

4. Kia Tigers: 30-25 (5) -- The Tigers have been riding a seesaw lately. They've won three in a row on the heels of a four-game losing streak, which came after three straight wins.

5. Samsung Lions: 30-29 (6) -- After moving a season-high five games over .500, the Lions have lost four in a row, allowing 29 runs in the four losses. Samsung has the second-best ERA in the league.

6. LG Twins: 30-27-1 (4) -- LG's struggles continued with a 1-3-1 week. On the bright side, Hyun-soo Kim, who played for the Orioles and Phillies, is red-hot with four home runs, 13 RBIs and a 1.352 OPS over his past seven games.

7. KT Wiz: 29-29 (7) -- With 10 wins in their past 13 games, the Wiz reached .500 for the first time this season and pulled within 1½ games of a playoff spot. Mel Rojas Jr. continues to tear it up, with four straight multihit games, giving him 29 in 58 games this season. He leads KBO with a .383 average, .728 slugging percentage, 90 hits and 21 home runs.

8. Lotte Giants: 27-29 (8) -- Former big leaguer Dan Straily picked up his first win in nearly two months, blanking Hanwha over seven innings Wednesday. It's not that Straily has pitched poorly -- his 2.29 ERA is fourth in the league, and he's second with 78 strikeouts -- but Lotte scored two runs or fewer when he was in the game in each of his nine starts between May 10 and July 8.

9. SK Wyverns: 18-40 (9) -- The KBO cellar dwellers -- SK and Hanwha -- split a pair of games, leaving the Wyverns 5-3 against the Eagles (and 13-37 against everyone else) for the season.

10. Hanwha Eagles: 15-43 (10) -- The punchless Eagles have just 33 home runs. Lotte is second-to-last in the league with 46.

(Selected by Joon Lee, Alden Gonzalez and Dan Mullen)

The week that was and what's ahead

One thing to know that happened last week: Former Cubs infielder Addison Russell arrived in Korea on July 8 and began his mandatory two-week quarantine. If all goes well, he could be ready to play for Kiwoom the last week or so of the month.

Addison Russell got his work visa and will be arriving in Korea on Wed. Upon arrival, he will be tested for COVID19 and will start 2 week quarantine immdely. #KiwoomHeroes rented a house w/ back yard and set up a make shift batting cage for Russell. #KBO pic.twitter.com/eSWFZyzu31

— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) July 6, 2020

One thing to watch this week: The Heroes have a chance to cut into the Dinos' lead with a three-game series beginning Tuesday (all on ESPN or ESPN2). NC has a 5½-game lead and has won four of six against Kiwoom this season.

Highlight of the week:

Bat flip of the week: When the bat goes flying off the screen -- that's a bat flip!

MyKBO's Jeon Jun-woo Home Run Bat-flip of the Day pic.twitter.com/CVwPIpTE7R

— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) July 8, 2020

Bat flip of the week, MLB division: If Tim Anderson's career with the White Sox ever goes south, there surely will be a KBO team knocking on his door.