Preview: Kia Tigers at Doosan Bears

SEOUL (Interstat) — The surging Kia Tigers will look to extend their winning streak when they visit the struggling Doosan Bears to open a three-game series at Jamsil Stadium on Friday evening.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit (23 Celsius).

The Tigers (9-7) enter having won three straight and seven of their last 10, including a 5-1 victory over the Kiwoom Heroes on Thursday. The Bears (5-10) have lost four of their last five, falling 2-1 to the Shinsegae Landers in their previous outing.

A key matchup will feature two pitchers coming off strong performances. Kia’s James Naile is expected to start after earning the win Thursday with five innings of one-run ball. Over his last four appearances, the right-hander has a 2.25 ERA, allowing six earned runs over 24 innings with 17 strikeouts.

Doosan will counter with Gwak Been, who was brilliant in a hard-luck loss Thursday. He struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing two runs. In his outing prior, he fired six shutout innings with nine strikeouts in a win over the KT Wiz.

Kia’s offense is powered by Harold Castro, who homered and drove in two runs in Thursday’s win. Doosan’s bats have been inconsistent, scoring three runs or fewer in eight of their 15 games this season.

According to Interstat, the Tigers are projected favorites with a 53.3% probability to win. The organization’s game simulator predicts a 6-3 victory for Kia.

Following this series, the Tigers will travel to Suwon for a three-game set with the KT Wiz beginning Tuesday. The Bears will head to Busan for a three-game series against the Lotte Giants starting Tuesday.