LG at KT

SUWON, South Korea (Interstat) — The LG Twins visit the KT Wiz on Wednesday afternoon at Suwon Baseball Stadium in a key KBO matchup between the top two teams in the standings.

LG (34-20) enters with the league’s best record after routing KT 10-1 on Tuesday. The Wiz (32-21) sit 1.5 games back in the standings, seeking to split the two-game set. First pitch is scheduled for the afternoon with a forecast of 89 degrees and cloudy skies.

Right-hander Im Chan-kyu will start for the Twins. Im is 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA over his last five starts, including the victory Tuesday against these same Wiz. In that outing, he threw six innings of four-hit shutout baseball with four strikeouts. Over his past three starts, Im has allowed just five earned runs in 18 innings.

KT will counter with reliever Han Seung-ju, who pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday with one strikeout. Han has limited appearances this season but could be used in a bulk role or multi-inning relief.

The head-to-head series has been tightly contested. The teams have split six meetings this season, with the Twins taking three of the last four. LG has outscored KT 25-17 in those games. The Wiz opened the season series by winning three of four, including a 6-5 victory in 10 innings on April 29.

LG is riding a hot streak, having won five of its last six games. In Tuesday’s win, center fielder Park Hae-min went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, while catcher Park Dong-won added a home run and two hits.

KT enters after dropping Tuesday’s game, but the Wiz had won seven of their previous 10 contests. The Wiz offense has been potent this month, scoring at least five runs in seven of their last nine games.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 final in favor of LG. The ELO system gives the Twins a 54.4 percent probability of victory.

Both teams face busy schedules ahead. The Twins travel to NC Dinos for a three-game series starting Friday, while the Wiz visit Shinsegae Landers for a three-game set beginning Friday.