Kia at Lotte

BUSAN, South Korea (Interstat) — The Kia Tigers visit the Lotte Giants on Saturday afternoon at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. under cloudy skies and a temperature of 73 degrees.

Kia (16-18-1) enters the game having won the series opener 8-2 on Friday, powered by a blistering performance from left fielder Park Jae-hyun, who went 3-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs. The Tigers have won four of their past six games overall, though their season has been marked by inconsistency. Park has been a central figure in that up-and-down stretch: He went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs in a win over Hanwha on May 5, but followed that with hitless outings in three of the next four games before his breakout Friday.

Lotte (13-19) has lost four of its past five games and sits in the bottom half of the standings. The Giants will look to right-hander Na Gyun-an to stabilize the rotation. Na took the loss Friday, allowing nine hits and three earned runs over 6 1/3 innings. In his previous start, he threw seven innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts in a win against Shinsegae. He has a 3.09 ERA over his past three outings, but the Giants have lost three of those five starts.

The teams have split the season series, with Kia holding a 3-1 edge in the past four meetings. The Tigers roughed up Lotte pitching for eight runs Friday, including a three-run homer from designated hitter Aderlin Rodriguez, who drove in three runs. Kia starter Hwang Dong-ha earned the win, allowing one earned run over six innings.

The Interstat game simulator projects a 4-2 win for Lotte, while the ELO system gives Kia a 53.4 percent probability of victory.

Saturday’s game is the second of a two-game set. The teams will meet again Sunday before Kia returns home to face Doosan on Tuesday. Lotte hosts NC in a four-game series starting Tuesday.