(Interstat) — PREVIEW: Kia Tigers at Hanwha Eagles

DAEJEON, South Korea — The Kia Tigers visit the Hanwha Eagles on Wednesday evening at Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium, with first pitch scheduled under cloudy skies and a temperature of 72 degrees.

Kia (33-27-1) holds a three-game lead over Hanwha (30-28) in the standings entering the second contest of a two-game series. The Tigers defeated the Eagles 6-4 on Tuesday, with right-hander Hwang Dong-ha earning the win after tossing six innings of two-hit ball, allowing one earned run and striking out six.

Hwang has been a key arm for Kia this season. In his past five starts, he has posted a 1.84 ERA across 26.1 innings, allowing just 24 hits while striking out 20. His lone stumble came June 3 against Lotte, when he lasted three innings and surrendered four earned runs. Hwang has been especially effective against Hanwha, having limited the Eagles to one run on two hits over six innings Tuesday.

For Hanwha, relief pitcher Park Jun-yeong has been a steady presence out of the bullpen. Over his past nine appearances, Park has compiled a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings, striking out eight while walking none. He threw 1.2 scoreless innings against Kia on Tuesday, allowing one hit with one strikeout. Park has not allowed a run in five of his past seven outings.

The teams have split their season series thus far, with Kia winning four of seven meetings. The Tigers took three of four in Daejeon from April 10-12, while Hanwha won two of three in Gwangju on May 5-7. Tuesday’s result gave Kia consecutive wins in the series for the first time since April.

Kia enters the game having won five of its past six contests, with its only loss during that stretch coming June 6 in a 10-inning defeat to Samsung. The Tigers’ offense has been led by third baseman Kim Do-yeong, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in Tuesday’s win.

Hanwha has dropped two of its past three games but had won four straight prior. The Eagles are coming off a 4-6 loss Tuesday despite a strong relief outing from Park and a home run from shortstop Park Jung-hyun.

Wednesday’s game is the final contest between the two clubs before they meet again Thursday to conclude the series. Both teams then face divisional opponents: Kia hosts Doosan for a three-game weekend set, while Hanwha travels to Kiwoom.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is Hanwha 5, Kia 4. Interstat’s ELO system gives Hanwha a 53.60 percent probability of winning.