Baseball Preview: NC Dinos at Kia Tigers

GWANGJU, South Korea (Interstat) — A clash of early-season opposites is set for Friday evening as the surging NC Dinos visit the struggling Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time under clear skies with a game-time temperature near 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius).

The Dinos (4-1) arrive riding high after taking three of four games in a series against the Lotte Giants, including an 8-4 victory on Thursday. NC’s bullpen shined in that win, with multiple relievers combining for five scoreless innings.

Conversely, the Tigers (1-4) are looking to halt a slide after dropping two of three to the LG Twins this week. They fell 2-1 on Thursday despite a quality start from right-hander Kim Tae-hyeong, who allowed two earned runs over five innings.

Kim is a player to watch for Kia. In his last outing, he held a strong LG lineup to three hits while striking out four. He will likely be called upon again, either as a starter or key reliever, as the Tigers seek to stabilize their pitching.

The teams’ trajectories have been starkly different. NC’s only loss came in a 9-6 result against the Doosan Bears on March 29, while they have outscored opponents 32-15 in their four wins. Kia’s lone victory was a 7-2 win at LG on March 31, but they have allowed 29 runs over their four defeats.

Despite the records, forecasting models present a mixed outlook. Interstat’s game simulator projects a decisive 8-3 win for the visiting Dinos. However, the same outlet’s ELO rating system gives the Tigers a narrow 50.9% probability to win. Kia has been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +1.5. The over/under for total runs is set at 8.0.

This game opens a three-game weekend series between the clubs. They will meet again at Champions Field on Saturday and Sunday before each embarks on a new series next Tuesday.

The Dinos will continue their road trip with a visit to the Samsung Lions next weekend, while the Tigers will host the Samsung Lions before traveling to face the Hanwha Eagles.