The upturn in August has been prolonged until the first game in September. The team has elevated its ranking by one notch with four consecutive wins. However, it is premature to be satisfied.
Lotte won 4-3 against Doosan in Jamsil on the 1st after a close game in the 12th inning of extra time, and has won four consecutive games since the Sajik Hanwha match on August 29.먹튀검증
On the same day, Lotte advanced to seventh place by beating out SSG, which lost 2-8 to NC Dinosaurs, and narrowed its gap with KT to 2.5 games. Lotte, which has the most remaining games among the 10 teams, aims to come from behind to seek an autumn baseball game by making an upturn in the remaining 23 games.
The team is facing a challenging schedule right now. Some teams have some rest days due to their remaining schedules, but Lotte, which has many more games to play, does not take a single day off this week from Thursday to Sunday.
It is not easy to have a showdown. The team will face second-ranked Samsung twice. Lotte will play against Samsung in Daegu on the 3rd and Busan on the 6th. Samsung, however, is also a busy team to go. Samsung, which has lost two consecutive games of the leading Kia Tigers for two days from Aug. 31, has played up to 6.5 games. It should reject the pursuit of third-ranked LG. It is 2.5 games behind LG.
Lotte has to play two games against Samsung, which does its best. Its opponent is slightly behind by posting six wins and eight losses.
As if they are desperate to win one game, the two teams will field a foreign ace pitchers in their showdowns on Tuesday. Lotte Giants released Charlie Barnes, while Samsung announced Connor Seabold as its starting pitcher. Both teams have no win against each other.
Barnes left the mound early after 1.2 innings due to injury on May 26, the first game against Samsung this season. On July 21, when he met Samsung for the first time after returning to the mound, he pitched well by allowing three runs in 6.2 innings, but failed to win. In his two showdowns with Lotte this year, Connor also allowed eight runs (six earned runs) in eight innings without losing or losing a game, posting a 6.75 ERA.
For Lotte, Barnes needs to get off to a flying start to make it easier for the team to complete its remaining schedule. After the team meets Samsung in Daegu, it will return to its home ground and face KT, ranking fifth, on Saturday and Sunday. Winning both games in a row can narrow the gap to 0.5 games. It is practically a watershed in the battle for the best five teams. The opponents’ matches are also tight with six wins, one draw and six losses.
In the two consecutive games, Aaron Wilkerson, another foreign pitcher, and Chung Hyeon-su, who recently won his first game against Kiwoom on Aug. 30, will take the mound in succession. Wilkerson played in two games against KT this season, recording one win and an ERA of 4.09, while Chung will be the first starter against KT. The batters have high expectations on Victor Reyes, who posted a batting average of 0.353 against KT.
On weekends, another team that competes in the top five teams will be waiting for Lotte. The team will hold two consecutive home games with SSG from July 7-8. Its recent winning streak pushed SSG to eighth place, but the team is only 0.5 game behind it. Lotte is currently in a disadvantage position at the match with SSG by posting five wins and eight losses.
With six consecutive games to be held consecutively, Lotte has been relieved. Son’s injury, which hit the ball in the back of his hand at the match against Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Sunday, turned out to be a simple bruise. If there is any injury, it will be over. With the most games to go, Lotte should also focus on managing its players.