Lotte's 2023 started with the word momentum and seemed to cool down with the word "spring day." It seemed to follow Lotte's original pattern.
Lotte, which had reached the top of the league with 15 wins and 9 losses until May 3, continued to cruise with LGSSG for a while. It held the third place until June 13, drawing fans' expectations. Recruitment of the free agent (FA) seemed relatively appropriate, and the lack of detail that hampered Lotte seemed to have been resolved to some extent, and even promising players such as Kim Min-seok and Yoon Dong-hee came up. Positive times continued, both now and in the future.
However, after June, the rankings began to slow down as shortcomings were further highlighted. Bad news overlapped with the sluggishness of foreign pitchers, the sluggishness of Jack Rex, who was eventually expelled, and the injuries of the main players. It was from June to July that Lotte showed that it was still weak to solve such unfavorable factors wisely. In the meantime, the 50% winning rate collapsed, and as the ranking fell to seventh place, the momentum began to cool down.
However, such Lotte is boiling quietly in August. Although it is not fancy, it is now aiming for a 50% winning rate again by building a substantial victory. The winning margin once fell to -7, but now it has recovered to -2. The gap between fifth-place Doosan and Gyeonggi-do also decreased to one game. Now, conditions have been created to start again.
In August, his performance began to improve as his pitching and hitting balance was relatively good. Lotte ended its losing streak with a victory over Sajik SSG on August 6, and then began to pursue the mid-range, winning seven games in nine games.
First of all, foreign pitchers, who have been problematic throughout the first half, are cheering up. Charlie Barnes' steady pitching gave him a breather, and new recruit Aaron Wilkerson is also backing up with a good command. Barnes, who had been sluggish with a 4.57 ERA in 16 games in the first half, has regained control in recent years and is showing salty water pitching with four wins and no losses in five games in the second half. The winning streak continues, and the losing streak is saving the team.
Wilkerson, who replaced Dan Straily as a foreign pitcher, also had two wins and a 2.12 ERA in his first five games. Although the ball speed is not fast, his ability to aggressively target the strike zone stands out. The WHIP per inning is only 1.01.
On top of that, the damage is also strong. Jung Bo-geun, who had weak expectations in batting so far, has played a big role in OPS 1.409 since August 6, playing a big role in the team's batting lineup. While veterans such as Jeon Joon-woo (1.385) and An Chi-hong (1.143) are at the center, Junghoon Lee (1.012) joined, and Noh Jin-hyuk (.900) is also on track. He is cruising, scoring 59 points in nine games with a proper combination of long hits and mid-range guns.
While the bullpen is also holding the game to win, the support group also arrives. Na Kyun-an, who led the starting rotation as the team's ace at the beginning of the season, is preparing to return to the weekend after shaking off his injury. The main catcher Yoo Kang-do, who was out due to an abdominal injury, is also scheduled to return on the 17th. If players such as Kim Jin-wook and Han Dong-hee, who are maintaining in the second division, find normal conditions and come up to help, Lotte will have the power to make a last-minute spurt.
In fact, Lotte is a team that needs to be hit now. This is because the Asian Games national team will be convened after mid-September. Lotte's starting pitchers Park Se-woong and Na Kyun-an were called up. You must rotate without two players for more than two weeks. I don't know what the consequences will be, but there is a theoretical possibility that it will be a fatal blow at this point. He is preparing for alternative selection, but it is questionable whether the pitching quality will be as good as the two players. The number of remaining games is not much different from most teams.
For this reason, you have to raise your performance to create an atmosphere so that you can hold out until the end of the season. Leaving the two players in a situation where the postseason is in sight and leaving in a situation where it is not makes a big difference in the team atmosphere. Breaking a nightmare in spring is something that can't be done outside. Lotte should show off its potential. 토토사이트