Will Lotte Giants’ “Ace” Charlie Barnes (29) be able to overcome the weakness against the Samsung Lions and continue his team’s hope for autumn baseball.스포츠토토
Barnes will take the mound as a starting pitcher in an away game against Samsung in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 3rd.
Having regained seventh place (56 wins, 62 losses, 3 draws and a 0.475 win rate) with four consecutive wins, Lotte still has hope for the post season. The gap with fifth-ranked KT Wiz (62 wins, 63 losses, 2 draws and a winning rate of 0.496), is only 2.5 games. Having gained momentum with 14 wins and 8 losses in August, Lotte can sufficiently rank fifth if it continues its good trend in September.
Lotte recorded a losing series with one win and two losses in the three consecutive games against Samsung on August 23-25. In order to increase the possibility of entering autumn baseball, a victory is desperately needed against Samsung, which they met again.
Barnes, who joined Lotte in December 2021, has been a key player in the starting lineup since 2022. During the 2022 season, Barnes made a soft landing on the Korean stage with 12 wins and 12 losses and an earned run average of 3.62. He showed ups and downs in the first half of last season, but regained stability in the second half and finished 30 games with 11 wins and 10 losses and an earned run average of 3.28.
Barnes is still strong this season with eight wins, three losses and a 2.74 ERA in 20 games. He was out for about two months due to an injury against Samsung in May, but has been showing consistent performance since his return. Barnes’ performance in the second half is 5-1 with a 1.85 ERA in nine games.
In the 2024 season, Barnes was disappointed at the showdown with Samsung. He pitched in two games against Samsung, but posted an ERA of 4.32 (four runs in eight ⅓ innings). The batting average is also the highest among the nine teams that he played against with with 0.351. Considering the value of his name, his performance is regrettable. In the game on May 26, he was forced to leave the mound early due to injury after one ⅔ inning. He also had a lackluster performance in two games against Samsung last year, with one win and one loss with an ERA of 6.94.
What is encouraging is that the previous pitching record was good. Barnes achieved a quality start with nine hits, nine strikeouts and three runs in six ⅔ innings against Samsung held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in July, but recorded a no-decision match.
Barnes is the best ace in the league in the second half of the season. He is the only player with one run in nine games with five wins and one loss and an earned run average of 1.85, ranking first in the league (50 innings or more). Lotte can continue its hope of making it to the fifth round only when it catches the game in which Barnes, the must-win card, starts. It remains to be seen whether Barnes will display his ace quality once again and give a wing to Lotte’s rise.