The defending champion Kia Tigers have returned to a .500 winning percentage after 53 days. Having risen to a tie for 4th place, Kia aims for a higher ranking with some favorable 'matchups' while the top three teams (LG Twins, Lotte Giants, Hanwha Eagles) face each other.

Kia recorded a winning series (2 wins, 1 loss) against Lotte last week and swept a three-game series against Doosan Bears. They had the best weekly record with 5 wins and 1 loss, and finally returned to 22 wins and 22 losses, achieving a .500 win percentage. After 53 days, they cleared the deficit that had followed their early season record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

Now Kia aims for a higher ranking. There is a 7-game gap from 1st place LG, and Lotte and Hanwha, tied for 2nd, are ahead by 5 games. There is still a significant difference.

However, the upcoming schedule looks good. Kia is set to face struggling KT, Samsung, and Kiwoom in succession. In the recent 10-game performance, KT has 3 wins, 1 tie, and 6 losses, Samsung has 2 wins and 8 losses, and Kiwoom at the bottom has 2 wins and 8 losses, which puts them in the lowest win percentage among the top 3 teams.

KT will immediately introduce Cho Yi-hyun as a replacement starter for the upcoming game against Kia on the 20th due to a rest for So Hyung-joon. Samsung suffered an 8-game losing streak in mid-May and recorded 2 wins and 4 losses last week, including a sweep loss to Lotte.

The bottom team Kiwoom released foreign hitter Puig on the 19th and signed foreign pitcher Alcantara, who has KBO experience. Alcantara will arrive on the 25th and will go through administrative procedures such as obtaining a work visa afterward. His participation in the three-game series against Kia (27th-29th) is unlikely.

Coincidentally, the top three teams LG, Lotte, and Hanwha are scheduled to face each other. LG will face Lotte, SSG, and Hanwha in order. Lotte will face LG, Hanwha, and Samsung. Hanwha is set to play against NC, Lotte, and LG. The team that falls behind in the matchups between the top three may drop to the mid-tier. If they compete closely, Kia will have the opportunity to close the gap.

Kia experienced a difficult period starting with the injury of MVP Kim Do-young in the opening game as key players fell one by one. Kim Do-young (hamstring), Park Chan-ho (knee), and Kim Sun-bin (calf) all faced injuries, but all are now back to health. Na Sung-beom (calf) is expected to rehab until mid-June, while Wisdom (back) is likely to return for the three-game series against Samsung.

Veteran Choi Hyung-woo continues to anchor the lineup. He has appeared in 42 games, recording a batting average of .319 (46 hits in 144 at-bats), 7 home runs, 28 RBIs, and an OPS of .990. Kim Do-young has a batting average of .300 (22 hits in 72 at-bats), 3 home runs, and 18 RBIs with an OPS of .898 over 20 games.

The pitching staff is also finding stability in both the starting rotation and the bullpen. Yang Hyun-jong struggled through 6 games with 3 losses and an earned run average of 6.75 until the end of April but rebounded in May with 2 wins and 1 loss and an ERA of 2.60 over 3 games.

Kia's bullpen has an earned run average of 9th in the league (5.81), but improved to an ERA of 5.24 in May and 3.05 last week. Closer Jeong Hae-young recorded saves in both games of the doubleheader against Doosan on the 17th, surpassing Seong Dong-yeol's record of 132 saves to set a new all-time saves record for the Tigers. Jeong Hae-young has a career total of 134 saves.

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