Lotte at Kia
GWANGJU, South Korea (Interstat) — The Kia Tigers look to complete a three-game sweep of the slumping Lotte Giants on Sunday afternoon at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.
First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. under clear skies with a temperature of 78 degrees.
Kia (12-12) has won two straight against Lotte (7-16) by scores of 4-0 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday. The Tigers outscored the Giants 4-3 in Saturday’s series opener, with left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong earning the win after allowing one run on four hits over five innings while striking out five.
Yang (2-3, 4.26 ERA) will start Sunday for Kia. In his past five outings, he has pitched to a 2-2 record with a 3.91 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs over 25 innings with 19 strikeouts. His most recent start came against the Giants on Saturday, his second victory this season.
Lotte counters with right-hander Park Se-woong (0-5, 5.96 ERA), who has lost all five of his starts this season. In his last five appearances, Park has allowed 11 earned runs over 26 innings with 29 strikeouts. Saturday’s loss to Kia was his most recent start, where he surrendered four runs on five hits over five innings.
The Giants have lost eight of their past nine games overall. Their only win during that stretch came Thursday, a 6-1 victory over the Doosan Bears.
Kia has alternated wins and losses over its past six games, including a 4-6 stretch in its last 10.
Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-1 victory for Kia, and the ELO system gives the Tigers a 60.8 percent probability of winning.
Following Sunday’s contest, Lotte returns home to face the Kiwoom Heroes in a three-game series starting Tuesday. Kia travels to NC Dinos for a three-game set beginning Tuesday.