1st starter and 1st batter leave at the same time... 3 consecutive games on the weekend when 3rd to 5th starters → Lotte has really risen to the test
1st starter and 1st batter leave at the same time... 3 consecutive games on the weekend when 3rd to 5th starters → Lotte has really risen to the test
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Both the "offensive vanguard" and the "first starter" left. Lotte Giants will be put to the real test this season.
Lotte won 16 games (eight losses) in the 24 games it played in April, ranking first in the monthly (0.667) with Hanwha Eagles. However, the winning rate (0.571, 4 wins and 3 losses) fell in the first seven games in May compared to April, including three consecutive losses against the NC Dinos on the 3rd.안전놀이터
Three main players were injured in a week. In the game against the Kiwoom Heroes in Gocheok on the 29th of last month, infielder Jeon Min-jae (26), who had been the No. 1 batting average (0.378) in the league until the previous day, was taken to the hospital after being hit in the head by opponent pitcher Yang Ji-yul's two-seam fastball. A Lotte official said the following day, "There is no problem with the cornea and retina, but there is a bleeding in the front of the right eye, which requires stability for about a week."
Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "I am worried because I will be traumatized in the next batter's box, not because of immediate absence." Jeon had an ophthalmological examination at the National Medical Center on Tuesday and was found to be fine. The team will begin technical training on Friday. He will enhance his sense of play in the Futures League and rejoin the top team. Even if he returns, he is concerned about the aftereffects of dunes, such as shrinking his body's game.
Charlie Barnes, a 30-year-old foreign pitcher and first starter who has been with Lotte for four seasons, was also injured. After losing five runs in 5 1/3 innings at the match against NC Dinosaurs in Busan on Sunday, he was removed from the first-team roster due to left shoulder pain. "Barnes was diagnosed with damage to his left sub-scapular muscle after a checkup at Cheongdam Leone Orthopedic Surgery Hospital today. It will take about eight weeks for him to recover," the team said on Tuesday. The team has launched a system to recruit substitute starting pitchers.
During the past three seasons (2022-2024), Barnes has displayed stability by winning 32 games and posting an ERA of 3.42. He only had three wins (four losses) and an ERA of 5.32 in eight games he played this season. Despite ups and downs in pitching, he continued to play at least five innings to keep the starting lineup afloat. Even fourth starting pitcher Kim Jin-wook has been excluded from the roster due to poor condition. Currently, only Park Se-woong and Tucker Davidson are playing their part.
Under these circumstances, even Hwang Sung-bin (28), the leadoff hitter of the lineup, left. He attempted a surprise bunt in the bottom of the first inning against the Busan SSG Landers on Saturday, and was immediately replaced after suffering a finger injury while performing Hess First Sliding towards the first base. Upon examination, he was found to have fractured his left ring finger and medullary bone. This injury usually takes more than a month for rehabilitation.
Lotte showed off strong attack strength to the extent that it ranked first in the team's batting average (0.312) in April. During the period, Hwang had a batting average of 0.361, an on-base percentage of 0.404, and eight stolen bases, displaying good performance as a "rush leader." He has often shown basemen who change the course of the game. Lotte experienced ups and downs in its offense, as its team's batting average of 0.236 in the first six games in May, but even Hwang had to leave the team.
In June last year, Lotte ranked No. 1 in monthly winning percentage (0.609) by banking on its offense capability. However, in July that followed, Lotte was swayed by the mound and recorded a monthly winning percentage of 0.300 (10th) by the team, which was the lowest in ERA (5.59). In 2023, when the team had a winning percentage of around 600 percent until May, Lotte ranked 10th in ERA (4.97), falling to the bottom in June-July before ending the regular season in 7th place.
Lotte is trying to reduce the power gap in the outfield by putting leading hitter Yoon Dong-hee in Hwang Sung-bin's batting order (No. 1), and veteran Jeon Joon-woo, who mainly played as a designated hitter, in left field.
The problem is the mound. Lotte plans to fill Barnes' vacancy with right-hander Lee Min-seok in his fourth year of joining the team for the time being. He is a prospect who will throw fastballs in the 150km/h range, but he lacks experience as he has only seven starts in his career. Park Jin-jin, who is replacing Kim Jin-wook, is also not playing a role more than an opener. If the starting pitcher cannot play many innings, the bullpen overload is inevitable. Park Se-woong and Davidson took the mound respectively against SSG Landers on the 6th and 7th and led the team to victory. It is difficult to predict the game against Suwon KT Wiz on the weekend (9th and 11th), when the 3rd and 5th starters have to play.
Lotte, which aims to advance to the postseason for the first time in eight years, has been put to the first real test this season.