We're all in the last place…'Collapsed defense → Consecutive upset losses → July 1-6 losses' Lotte's unstable factors all exploded
Jul 15, 2024
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As of the 15th, the Lotte Giants are ranked ninth with 36 wins, 46 losses and 3 draws and a winning rate of 439.
The two consecutive losses suffered by KT Wiz, a low-ranking rival, were painful. The Hanwha Eagles also fell behind in the winning percentage.
There is only one game difference from the last-place Kiwoom Heroes.
Lotte ranked No. 1 in monthly win rate (14 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw, 609 percent) in June, aiming for a mid-range leap forward.
Despite the fact that the starters were shaken due to the absence of Barnes, Park Se-woong was sluggish, and Na Kyun-an's absence, he showed outstanding concentration in creating a come-from-behind victory with the fire bat of the top monthly team batting average (31.12). A representative example is the match against the Busan KIA Tigers on June 25, which caught up with the score of 1-14, which was heavily defeated, with an unbelievable batting show and turned the tables at one point, and ended in a 15-15 draw.
He had a hot All-Star Week by sweeping both of the performance awards, but his team batting average in July cooled to 243 (9th). In defense, errors are pouring out every day. It has already reached the fourth place (59) for errors. He also has an ERA of 5.03 (8th).
On the 10th, when Barnes pitched six scoreless innings, he lost three consecutive games before and after the SSG Landers (6-1 win). The two-stroke balance was completely mixed. A representative example is the match against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on the 3rd, when they lost the game from behind after leading 6-0.
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In particular, the match against KT in Busan on the 12th was disastrous. Leading 4-0, he tied the score using Na Seung-yeop's error, and after facing a crisis due to Park Seung-wook's consecutive errors, he gave up the winning run.
Lee Hak-joo, who was hired on behalf of Park Seung-wook, was still disappointed in his concentration and was immediately canceled from the first team. On the 13th, Ko Seung-min and Noh Jin-hyuk also gave up crucial points one after another due to errors.
The veteran must-win group consisting of Koo Seung-min and Kim Sang-soo is showing signs of exhaustion, and young pitchers such as Lee Min-seok are rarely able to serve as vitality.
As the starting lineup is shaken throughout the first half of the year, the burden of being in the bullpen seems to be exploding all at once. Veteran Han Hyun-hee is being used in rotation as a starter and bullpen, but if you fill one side, the other side will explode.
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There was no time to recover when it started to sag in July, although it was still available in April and May.
Will Kim Tae-hyung, who overcame repeated crises this year, find a breakthrough amid a slump at a time when he has to counterattack in the summer.
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
