KT Wiz at NC Dinos

CHANGWON, South Korea (Interstat) — The first-place KT Wiz visit the NC Dinos on Thursday evening at Masan Baseball Stadium, seeking to extend their dominance in the season series.

KT (55-36-2) has won eight of 10 meetings with NC (42-49-1) this season, including a 10-3 victory Wednesday and a 10-0 shutout Tuesday. The Wiz hold a commanding 9.5-game lead over the Dinos in the standings.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. under partly cloudy skies. The forecast calls for a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Right-hander Shirakawa Keisho is expected to start for KT after earning the win Wednesday against NC. In that outing, he allowed one earned run on three hits over five innings with five strikeouts. Shirakawa has been a key contributor to the Wiz’s rotation during their recent surge.

Lee Jae-hyeon leads the Dinos’ offense. The shortstop went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in Wednesday’s loss. He has been one of NC’s most consistent hitters through the second half of the season.

The Wiz have won four of their last five games overall. Their only defeat since July 24 came against the Lotte Giants on July 26.

The Dinos have dropped five of their last six contests, with their lone positive result being a 7-5 win over the LG Twins on July 23.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-2 victory for KT. The ELO system gives the Wiz a 53 percent probability to win.

Following Thursday’s game, KT returns home for a three-game series against the Hanwha Eagles starting Friday. NC will host the Kia Tigers for a three-game set beginning the same day.

The teams will meet again Aug. 11 in Changwon for the final scheduled matchup of the regular season.