AP Sports Preview: KT Wiz at Shinsegae Landers

INCHEON, South Korea (Interstat) — The KT Wiz visit the Shinsegae Landers on Saturday for a 7 p.m. start at Munhak Baseball Stadium, with first-place positioning in the KBO standings on the line.

KT (16-7) enters with the league’s best record, while Shinsegae (14-8) sits just two games back. The weather forecast calls for clear skies and 76 degrees.

Right-hander Caleb Boushley (3-1, 1.93 ERA) takes the mound for KT, seeking redemption after a rough outing Friday against these same Landers. In that 5-0 loss, Boushley lasted five innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits. Prior to that, the 31-year-old American had won three consecutive starts with a 0.53 ERA over 17 innings, striking out 19 and allowing just one earned run.

Shinsegae counters with left-hander Kim Keon-woo (4-1, 2.64 ERA), who dominated the Wiz on Friday. Kim fired seven shutout innings, scattering three hits with seven strikeouts in a 5-0 victory. The 25-year-old has been stellar at home, posting a 1.13 ERA over his last two starts at Munhak.

Friday’s game was the most recent head-to-head meeting, with the Landers taking the series opener. Choi Jeong led the offense with two home runs and two RBIs. For KT, Ju Kwon tossed a scoreless inning of relief in a losing effort.

KT comes in having won five of its last six, including a three-game sweep of Kia earlier this week. Shinsegae has won eight of its last 10, taking two of three from Samsung after the sweep of KT.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 KT victory. The ELO system gives the Wiz a 50.10 percent win probability. KT is a slight pregame favorite at +1.5, with the over/under set at 9.0.

Following Saturday’s game, the teams meet again Sunday at Munhak. KT then hosts LG for three games starting Tuesday, while Shinsegae travels to Hanwha for a three-game series.