AP Sports Preview: Doosan Bears at Hanwha Eagles

DAEJEON, South Korea (Interstat) — The Doosan Bears (22-23-1) visit the Hanwha Eagles (21-24-1) on Saturday afternoon at Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium, with first pitch set under cloudy skies and 77-degree temperatures.

Both teams sit near the bottom of the Korea Baseball Organization standings, separated by a single game. Doosan enters off a 5-3 loss to Hanwha on Friday, while the Eagles have won three of their last four.

The pitching matchup features two right-handers coming off strong outings. Doosan’s Gwak Been (0-0, 4.70 ERA in five May starts) worked five innings Friday against Hanwha, allowing one earned run on five hits with nine strikeouts in a no-decision. He has logged at least five innings in each of his last five starts, posting a 2-2 record.

Hanwha counters with Wang Yan-cheng (0-0, 3.86 ERA in five May starts), who earned the win Friday against Doosan with seven innings of two-run ball, scattering five hits and striking out six. Wang has won his last two starts and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last four outings.

Doosan’s offense has been inconsistent, scoring three runs or fewer in three of its last four games. The Bears averaged 7.7 runs over their previous seven contests but managed only three hits Friday. Kim Jeong-woo and Choi Jun-ho provided scoreless relief after Gwak’s exit.

Hanwha’s lineup showed life Friday, with left fielder Moon Hyun-bin going 2-for-4 with an RBI. The Eagles have scored at least five runs in five of their last six games, though they dropped two of three to Lotte earlier in the week.

The teams have met four times this season, with Hanwha winning three. The Eagles took two of three in Seoul in early April, outscoring the Bears 20-9, then opened this weekend series with Friday’s win.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 Doosan victory, while the ELO system gives Hanwha a 57.30 percent probability of winning.

Doosan hosts KT Wiz on Tuesday to open a three-game series, then travels to Samsung for three games. Hanwha visits NC Dinos for three games starting Tuesday before a three-game homestand against Shinsegae Landers.

Saturday’s game is the second of a three-game weekend set, with the series concluding Sunday afternoon.