SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — The Doosan Bears visit the Gocheok Sky Dome on Friday evening to begin a three-game series against the Kiwoom Heroes, a matchup of teams trending in opposite directions in the Korea Baseball Organization standings.

Doosan enters the game at 40-39-2, hovering around the .500 mark and seeking consistency. The Bears have won two of their last three, including an 8-3 victory over the Lotte Giants on Thursday. Right-hander Gwak Been has been a stabilizing force on the mound, winning his last two starts. On Thursday, he tossed six innings of two-hit shutout ball with five strikeouts. Over his previous five outings, he has posted a 1.29 ERA across 29.1 innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out 30.

First baseman Kang Seung-ho provided the offense in Thursday’s win, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.

Kiwoom, meanwhile, is mired in last place at 28-53-2. The Heroes have lost five of their last six, including a 7-5 defeat to the LG Twins on Thursday. Reliever Park Ji-sung worked two innings in that game, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out three. However, his season has been inconsistent, with an 0-1 record and a 4.00 ERA over his last seven appearances. He has allowed runs in five of those outings.

The head-to-head series this season has been lopsided. Doosan holds a 5-3 advantage, including winning two of three from June 5-7 in Seoul. The Bears have scored at least eight runs in four of their five victories against Kiwoom this year, including a 16-6 rout on May 1 and a 14-3 win on May 3.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-1 Doosan victory, and the Elo system gives the Bears a 62.4% probability to win.

Doosan will look to build momentum in this series before hosting the Shinsegae Landers on Tuesday. Kiwoom seeks a spark at home before a road trip to face KT Wiz next week.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. KST.