BASEBALL PREVIEW: Kia at LG

SEOUL (Interstat) — The LG Twins host the Kia Tigers on Friday evening at 75 degrees with cloudy skies at Jamsil Stadium, the opener of a three-game series between the top teams in the KBO standings.

LG (30-20-1) holds a two-game lead over second-place Kia (28-22-1) in the overall competition table. The Twins have won four of the five head-to-head meetings this season, including a 5-3 victory in Gwangju on May 21. Kia, however, routed LG 14-0 two days earlier in the most lopsided matchup of the season series.

Players to watch

Kia right-hander Hwang Dong-ha enters on a five-start winning streak. In his most recent outing Thursday, Hwang threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out five in a 5-0 win at Kiwoom. Over his past five starts, he has compiled a 1.21 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

LG designated hitter Moon Jeong-bin went 1 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs in Thursday’s 8-5 loss at Lotte. Over his past nine games, Moon is batting .280 with two homers and eight RBIs, though he has gone hitless in two of his last three contests.

Recent results

Kia shut out Kiwoom 5-0 on Thursday, completing a three-game sweep. The Tigers have won eight of their last 10 games and 11 of 15 against LG this season.

LG dropped Thursday’s series finale at Lotte 8-5. The Twins had taken two of three in that series and have won five of their last seven overall.

Projections and odds

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is LG 7, Kia 6. Interstat’s ELO system gives LG a 59.00 percent win probability. The Twins are installed as -1.5 pregame favorites, with the over/under set at 9.5 runs.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday at Jamsil before both teams embark on six-game road trips beginning Tuesday. Kia visits Lotte while LG travels to KT Wiz.