AP Sports Preview

DAEGU, South Korea (Interstat) — The Samsung Lions host the Doosan Bears on Friday evening at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. under cloudy skies and 76 degrees.

Samsung (30-18-1) enters with the best record in the league, while Doosan (23-27-1) looks to halt a six-game losing streak. The Lions have won four of six meetings this season against the Bears, including two of three in Seoul from April 28-30.

Right-hander Gwak Been takes the mound for Doosan. He allowed one earned run over six innings Thursday against KT Wiz, striking out nine, but the Bears lost 11-3. Gwak Been has posted a 2.04 ERA over his last three starts, with nine strikeouts in each of his past two outings. He is 0-2 in those three appearances despite the strong pitching line.

Samsung counters with right-hander Choi Won-tae, who threw seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball Thursday at Shinsegae Landers in a 10-1 victory. Choi Won-tae struck out eight. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in three of his last four starts, with the lone exception coming May 17 against Kia when he surrendered seven earned runs over four innings.

Doosan lost 10-3 to KT Wiz on Thursday for its sixth consecutive defeat. The Bears have not won since May 21, when they beat NC Dinos 1-0. Doosan has lost nine of its last 11 games overall.

Samsung has won four straight games, outscoring opponents 29-10 in that span. The Lions scored 10 runs in consecutive games against Lotte and Shinsegae.

In the most recent head-to-head series, Doosan beat Samsung 8-5 on April 30 and 4-0 on April 29 before the Lions avoided a sweep with a 5-4 win April 28. Earlier, Samsung swept a three-game series in Daegu from March 31-April 2, outscoring the Bears 23-10. That series included an 11-inning 5-5 tie in the opener.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-4 Samsung victory. Its ELO system gives the Lions a 63.70 percent chance to win.

Doosan opened as a -1.5 favorite on the run line. The over/under is 10 runs.

The teams continue the three-game series Saturday and Sunday in Daegu. Doosan then returns home for three games against Hanwha starting Tuesday. Samsung hosts NC for three games beginning Tuesday.