Preview: Doosan Bears at Shinsegae Landers

INCHEON (Interstat) — The Doosan Bears will look to even their four-game series against the Shinsegae Landers when the two clubs meet Thursday evening at Munhak Baseball Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. under cloudy skies, with temperatures expected near 81 degrees.

Doosan (49-45-3) enters the contest with a .521 winning percentage, holding third place in the KBO standings. The Bears dropped the series opener 6-2 on Wednesday, but bounced back with a 2-1 victory in 10 innings Tuesday to split the first two games of the set.

Shinsegae (37-57-5) sits near the bottom of the league standings. The Landers have lost nine of their last 13 games, though their 6-2 win Wednesday over Doosan snapped a three-game skid.

Players to watch

Doosan reliever Takada Takuto has been effective out of the bullpen recently. In his last four appearances spanning five innings, the right-hander has allowed one hit and zero earned runs while striking out six. He tossed two scoreless innings Wednesday against the Landers, and threw one scoreless frame against them July 9 in a 7-0 Doosan win.

Shinsegae right-hander Kim Min-jun has been sharp in his recent starts. The 26-year-old has won three consecutive outings, including a complete six-inning effort Wednesday against the Bears in which he allowed two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts. Over his last three starts, Kim has surrendered two earned runs in 18 innings (1.00 ERA) with 13 strikeouts.

Series history

The teams have split the last four meetings, with Doosan winning two of three in Incheon during the April series. The Bears took two of three at home in July. Overall, Doosan leads the season series 5-4.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-3 Doosan victory, with the Bears holding a 52.20% probability to win according to the ELO system.

Up next

Doosan returns home Friday to begin a three-game series against the LG Twins. Shinsegae travels to Seoul for a three-game set against the Kiwoom Heroes starting Friday.