Baseball Preview: Samsung Lions at Doosan Bears

SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — The first-place Samsung Lions visit the Doosan Bears on Friday night at Jamsil Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. under a forecast of 81-degree temperatures and rain.

Samsung (55-34-2) leads the league standings, while Doosan (47-42-2) sits eight games back in the KBO standings.

The Lions will start right-hander Yang Chang-seop, who is coming off a dominant outing. Yang threw six shutout innings Thursday in a 3-1 win at Kiwoom, allowing six hits and striking out two. Over his last three starts, Yang is 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA, including six innings of two-run ball against KT Wiz on June 28 and 5 2/3 innings with two earned runs July 5 against Shinsegae.

Doosan counters with left-hander Wes Benjamin, who has been effective despite recent tough luck. Benjamin allowed one earned run over five innings with five strikeouts in a 2-2 tie at KT Wiz on July 21. Over his last three starts, he has a 1.65 ERA, including a dominant six-inning outing July 1 against Lotte in which he allowed no earned runs and struck out 10, though Doosan lost 5-2.

The Bears have won five of the last nine head-to-head meetings, including two of three in a series May 29-31 in Daegu. Doosan swept a three-game set April 28-30 at Jamsil, outscoring the Lions 16-9. The teams also played a 5-5 tie on March 31.

Samsung enters on a positive note after winning 3-1 in 11 innings Thursday at Kiwoom. The Lions are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. Doosan is 7-2-1 in its last 10, coming off a 2-2 tie at KT Wiz.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 victory for Samsung, with the Lions holding a 57.00 percent probability to win.

The teams continue their three-game series Saturday and Sunday at Jamsil.