PREVIEW: KT Wiz vs. Hanwha Eagles

SUWON, South Korea (Interstat) — The KT Wiz (56-36-3) host the Hanwha Eagles (46-46-4) on Friday evening at Suwon Baseball Stadium, with first pitch scheduled under cloudy skies and a temperature of 83 degrees.

KT enters the game holding the second-best record in the league, while Hanwha sits exactly at .500. The three-game weekend series begins with both teams coming off wins on Thursday.

The Wiz defeated the NC Dinos 10-2 on the road, powered by designated hitter Ahn Hyun-min, who went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs. He enters Friday’s contest with hits in three of his last four games.

Hanwha edged the Lotte Giants 3-2 on Thursday at home. Park Jun-yeong tossed 5 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts to earn the win. He is scheduled to start Friday.

The head-to-head series this season has been close, with KT leading 5-3-1 through nine meetings. The teams last played July 2, when Hanwha routed KT 14-3. Three of the previous four games were decided by one run, including a 7-4 KT win on July 1 and a 7-6 Hanwha win on May 16.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-4 victory for KT, while its ELO system gives the Wiz a 54 percent probability to win.

Following Friday’s opener, the teams play Saturday and Sunday at Suwon before Hanwha travels to face the Samsung Lions on Aug. 4 and KT visits the Kia Tigers on Tuesday.