‘2G, 1 run in a row’ batting slump, preparations don’t work… Foreign aces struggle, and the team loses its fifth straight game

Preparing for the opposition didn’t help either. 바카라 The foreign aces struggled against a slumping batting lineup, but couldn’t lead the team out of its losing streak.

Lotte lost 1-3 against the KT Wiz in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ at Sajik Stadium on the 25th. Since their last game (against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 24th), they have lost two consecutive games 1-3 and are now in a five-game losing streak.

Lotte lined up a number of right-handed batters against left-handed pitcher Wes Benjamin, who was scheduled to start the game.

Lotte manager Larry Sutton said before the game, “We’re going to set up the lineup according to the starting pitchers. We had a few players who weren’t in the lineup yesterday (April 24), and we’ve struggled against Casey Kelly (LG) in the past, so we wanted to strengthen the lineup and focus on players with good athleticism. Today (25th), we have a good lineup with good players to face the left-handed pitcher Benjamin,” he said.

On this day, Lotte placed a number of right-handed hitters in the starting lineup, including Jeon Jun-woo. ⓒLotte Giants

Lotte’s starting lineup was Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Ahn Chi-hong (second baseman), Nico Goodrum (third baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (left fielder), Jeong Hoon (designated hitter), Yoo Kang-nam (catcher), Han Dong-hee (first baseman), Bae Young-bin (shortstop), and Kim Min-seok (center fielder), with Jeon Jun-woo, Jeong Hoon, Yoo Kang-nam, Han Dong-hee, and Bae Young-bin, who were not included in the starting lineup for the last game, joining the team. Aside from Gudrum, who is a switch-hitter, Kim Min-seok was the only left-hander in the lineup, showing a strong commitment to attacking left-handed pitcher Benjamin.

However, the results didn’t go their way. The team managed six hits and three walks, but only scored one run. That one run came in the bottom of the first inning on a throwing error by Benjamin that put runners on first and second. Starter Aaron Wilkerson’s seven innings of six-hit, four-run ball with eight strikeouts and two runs (one earned) was overshadowed by the offense’s struggles.

Lotte hasn’t scored a run in two straight games and hasn’t been able to break out of a losing streak. The team needed to break the losing streak when their ace pitchers were on the mound, but they failed to do so, and the mood is sinking.

Lotte, whose ace couldn’t stop the losing streak, has now lost five in a row. ⓒLotte Giants

The pitchers have met expectations. On the 24th, starter Charlie Barnes recorded a quality start (three earned runs or less in six innings) with five hits, five walks and five strikeouts, but the offense was silent with five hits, one walk and one RBI. Yoon’s RBI double with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh was the only offense. For the game, Wilkerson had a quality start (seven innings or less of three earned runs), but couldn’t get the win.

In baseball, it doesn’t matter how good a pitcher is, if the offense doesn’t score runs, you can’t win. Both Wilkerson and Barnes have done their part as starters, but they’ve had to fight a lonely battle.

Lotte called up domestic ace Park Se-woong (5-7, 3.48 ERA in 119 innings pitched) to start the 26th. If the batting silence continues and the team fails to break the losing streak even with Park on the mound, they could find themselves in a deeper hole. The team and its pitchers will need their bats to step up to the plate to get out of the hole.

Preparing for the opposition didn’t help either. 바카라 The foreign aces struggled against a slumping batting lineup, but couldn’t lead the team out of its losing streak. Lotte lost 1-3 against the KT Wiz in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ at Sajik Stadium on the 25th. Since their last game (against the LG…