Doosan at KT
SUWON, South Korea (Interstat) — The Doosan Bears visit the KT Wiz on Tuesday evening at Suwon Baseball Stadium, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. local time under a forecast of rain and 80-degree temperatures.
Doosan enters at 44-41-2, while KT holds a 47-35-1 record, good for second place in the Korea Baseball Organization standings. The Bears are coming off a 7-0 shutout of the Shinsegae Landers on July 9, a game in which left-hander Zach Logue tossed five scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out six. Logue, who will start Tuesday, has been sharp in his last two outings, also earning a win against the Kia Tigers on June 27 (7.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K). His only blemish in three recent starts was a loss to Kiwoom on July 3, though he still gave up just two earned runs over five innings.
For KT, the bullpen has been a focus, and right-hander Lee Sang-dong has been a key piece. In his most recent appearance on July 8 against Kiwoom, Lee threw 1.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts to earn the win in a 7-3 victory. However, his season has been inconsistent; in two appearances against the Lotte Giants earlier this month, he allowed one earned run over 1.1 innings combined, and in late June he struggled against Samsung, giving up six earned runs in one-third of an inning. Still, Lee has shown the ability to shut down opponents in high-leverage spots, as evidenced by his scoreless outings against Shinsegae on June 25 and June 23.
The teams have met nine times this season, with KT holding a 6-3 edge. The most recent head-to-head came June 16-18 in Seoul, where the clubs split a three-game series: KT won 6-2 and 8-1 before Doosan took the finale 2-1. In April, the Wiz took two of three at home, winning 6-1 and 6-4 before the Bears rallied for an 8-7, 11-inning victory.
Projections from Interstat’s game simulator favor Doosan 4-3, while its ELO system gives KT a 56 percent probability of winning.
Both teams enter the game following a stretch of three consecutive postponements — Doosan at NC Dinos and KT at LG Twins from July 16-18 — likely due to weather or scheduling adjustments, as each game was listed as a 0-0 tie.
After Tuesday’s contest, the teams will play again Wednesday and Thursday in Suwon. Doosan then returns home to face Samsung, while KT travels to Lotte. The Bears are looking to climb above .500 and into playoff contention, while the Wiz aim to maintain their hold on second place.