Samsung Lions Favored Against Visiting Shinsegae Landers

DAEGU, South Korea (Interstat) — The first-place Samsung Lions host the Shinsegae Landers on Tuesday night at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in a key early-season KBO series opener.

The Lions (12-5-1) enter with the league’s best record and have won six of their last eight games. The Landers (10-8) look to rebound after a 9-2 loss at NC on Sunday.

A pitching matchup of right-handers trying to find consistency highlights the evening forecast of 63 degrees and cloudy skies.

Shinsegae’s Jang Ji-hun will take the mound. Over his last four relief appearances, Jang has a 3.86 ERA across 8 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs. He pitched three innings, allowing two earned runs, in Sunday’s loss.

Samsung will counter with Won Tae-in. The veteran is coming off a tough outing where he allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 5-0 loss to LG on Sunday. Prior to that, he threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings in a win over NC on April 12.

The Lions’ offense has been potent, scoring six or more runs in seven of their last ten contests. Samsung took two of three from LG over the weekend before the shutout loss.

Shinsegae’s form has been mixed, with a three-game winning streak last week followed by two losses in their last three games.

According to Interstat, the Lions are projected to win with a 58.7% probability. Their game simulator predicts a 7-2 Samsung victory.

The series continues in Daegu on Wednesday and Thursday.