SUWON-SI, South Korea (Interstat) — The KT Wiz look to protect their perch atop the standings when they host the surging Kia Tigers in a key early-season series opener Tuesday evening at Suwon Baseball Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time under cloudy skies with temperatures around 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius).

The Wiz (13-6) enter with the league’s best record but are coming off a 3-1 home loss to the Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday. The Tigers (10-9), winners of six of their last 10, aim to bounce back after dropping two of three in Seoul against the Doosan Bears, including a 6-3 defeat Sunday.

The marquee matchup features a pair of veteran starting pitchers seeking consistency. Kia will send left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong to the mound. Yang (1-3) is coming off a tough outing against the Bears, where he allowed four earned runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in a loss. His season has been uneven, mixing a dominant six-inning, three-hit win over Kiwoom on April 14 with shorter, less effective appearances.

He will be opposed by KT’s Ko Young-pyo. The right-hander pitched well in his last start despite taking the loss, giving up two earned runs over six innings against the Heroes on April 19. However, he was tagged for seven runs on 12 hits by the NC Dinos in his start prior on April 14.

The series pits Kia’s potent offense, which has scored six or more runs in seven of its last ten games, against a KT squad that has shown both explosive scoring ability and resilience in close games.

Despite KT’s superior record, betting markets slightly favor the Tigers with a -1.5 run spread. The over/under is set at 10.0 runs. Statistical projections present a split view: Interstat’s game simulator predicts a narrow 6-5 victory for Kia, while its ELO rating system gives KT a 57.7% probability to win.

Following Tuesday’s contest, the two teams will meet again in Suwon on Wednesday and Thursday to complete the series. They are scheduled to face each other five more times in the next two weeks.