SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — The Doosan Bears host the Lotte Giants on Wednesday evening at Jamsil Stadium, with first pitch set under cloudy skies and 84-degree heat. Doosan (39-38-3) enters the series opener a game above .500, while Lotte (33-42-2) sits nine games below the break-even mark in the Korea Baseball Organization standings.

The Bears will send right-hander Choi Min-seok to the mound. The 26-year-old has been dominant in his past five starts, allowing only three earned runs over 32 innings while striking out 28. In his most recent outing Tuesday against Lotte, Choi tossed six scoreless innings, scattering seven hits with five strikeouts in a 5-0 victory. He also threw six shutout frames against Hanwha on June 24 and beat KT Wiz on June 18 with six innings of one-run ball.

Lotte counters with a bullpen-heavy approach, leaning on reliever Kim Gang-hyun. The right-hander has not allowed an earned run in 11 appearances since June 10, spanning 10 2/3 innings. He threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in Tuesday’s loss to Doosan and has posted zeros in each of his last 10 outings, striking out four over that stretch. Kim’s ability to neutralize the Bears’ lineup could be critical if the Giants’ starter falters early.

Tuesday’s game marked the most recent meeting between the clubs, with Doosan blanking Lotte 5-0. Shortstop Park Chan-ho drove in four runs with a home run, and reliever Kim Jeong-woo struck out two in a scoreless inning. Lotte’s offense managed only five hits and struck out nine times. The Giants have lost four of their past six games overall, though they took two of three from LG Twins over the weekend. Doosan has won five of its last seven, including a series victory over Kia.

The Interstat game simulator projects a 5-4 win for Lotte, but the ELO rating system favors Doosan with a 57.3 percent win probability. Both teams will face each other again Thursday before heading on the road for weekend series — Lotte visits KT Wiz, and Doosan travels to Kiwoom Heroes.

Key to the game will be whether Lotte’s hitters can solve Choi, who has held them to seven hits in six innings this year. Conversely, the Bears must find a way to get to Kim Gang-hyun, who has been nearly unhittable over the past month. A low-scoring affair seems likely given the recent pitching performances, but Lotte’s sporadic offense could tip the balance if Doosan’s starter cracks.