Doosan at Samsung

AP Sports Preview

DAEGU, South Korea (Interstat) — The Samsung Lions host the Doosan Bears on Sunday evening at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, with the first-place Lions looking to snap a two-game skid against their division rivals.

Samsung (30-20-1) holds a comfortable lead atop the KBO standings, while Doosan (25-27-1) sits below .500 but enters on a high note after winning the first two games of this four-game series. The Bears took an 8-7 victory Saturday and a 9-7 win Friday, both at Daegu.

The pitching matchup has not been announced.

Players to watch

Doosan center fielder Jung Soo-bin has been a driving force in the Bears’ recent success. He homered in each of the first two games of this series, collecting four RBIs in Saturday’s win and one RBI on Friday. Over his past 10 games, Jung is batting .320 with two home runs and six RBIs.

Samsung first baseman Lewin Díaz will look to bounce back after going 0 for 5 on Friday. He rebounded Saturday with a 2-for-4 performance that included two home runs and two RBIs. Díaz is hitting .280 with three homers and six RBIs over his last 10 contests.

Series context

Doosan has won four of the past six meetings dating to April 28. The Bears’ sweep of Friday and Saturday follows a stretch in which Samsung took two of three in late April at Doosan. The teams also played an 11-inning, 5-5 tie on March 31.

Sunday’s forecast calls for clear skies and 87 degrees Fahrenheit at first pitch.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator predicts a 6-4 Samsung victory, and the ELO system gives the Lions a 62.1% probability of winning.

Upcoming schedules

Doosan returns home Tuesday for a three-game series against the Hanwha Eagles before hosting Kiwoom for three games next weekend.

Samsung opens a four-game home series Tuesday against the NC Dinos, followed by a road trip to Kia starting Friday.