LG (42-25-1) at Kia (35-32-1)

Gwangju, South Korea (Interstat) — A battle for first place in the Korea Baseball Organization standings takes place Thursday evening as the LG Twins visit the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. under a forecast of rain and 72 degrees. The Tigers will be seeking their second consecutive win against the league-leading Twins after a 5-4 walk-off victory Wednesday.

Kia’s Na Sung-bum was the catalyst in that win, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. The veteran right fielder has homered three times in his last four games and is 4-for-11 (.364) with four RBIs across the first two games of this series. He enters play with a .287 season average and 18 home runs.

Wednesday’s defeat snapped a three-game winning streak for LG, which boasts the KBO’s best record. The Twins’ offense has been potent, scoring 15 runs in a win over Shinsegae on June 11 and averaging 6.2 runs over their last 10 contests.

LG will rely on right-handed pitcher Jang Hyun-sik, who has been a reliable bullpen arm. Jang tossed 4.2 innings of two-run ball Wednesday in a no-decision, and he has allowed just two earned runs over his last 13.2 innings across four appearances, striking out nine. He has not allowed an earned run in three of his last four outings.

The teams have split the first two games of this four-game series. LG won 8-2 on Tuesday, and the Twins took two of three from Kia during a May series in Seoul. The Tigers have dropped six of their last nine games overall and sit in fifth place.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-3 LG victory, giving the Twins a 57.1 percent probability to win.

Following Thursday’s game, LG returns home to host the Doosan Bears for a three-game weekend series. Kia travels to Suwon for a three-game set against the KT Wiz.