KIA manager Lee Bum-ho said in mid-April, "It will be important to hold out for the next two weeks with a match of .500." KIA was leading the league in first place at the time, less than a month after the opening, but was facing a match against SSG-NC-Kium-LG.
KIA, which started as a candidate for the championship, continued to have injured players right before the opening of the season. It started smoothly despite a series of unexpected injury variables, but the 12 consecutive games against teams that had been strong at the beginning of the season came as the first crisis for KIA.
Kia has had seven wins and five losses in these 12 consecutive games. It played the Luzing Series with one win and two losses to SSG and LG, respectively, but lost 2-1 to second-ranked NC, and swept three consecutive games against Kiwoom. It played the game over .500 as it had targeted, but lost ground unexpectedly afterwards. Last week, when it met lower-ranked KT and Hanwha in succession, Kia lost two games and three games apiece. It had one win and two losses to KT, and one win and one loss to Hanwha, whose game was canceled due to rain.
KIA has won three games and lost five games in the last eight consecutive games from LG on April 26 to Hanwha on April 4. The team's ERA, which was ranked first in the early three-point range, jumped to 5.14 (6th) in these eight games. As starter Lee Eui-ri left due to injury, a substitute starter was deployed, and fourth starter Yoon Young-chul took the mound once and was hit hard. In the bullpen, the chances of a must-win pitcher's pitching have decreased.
Of the three wins, two were won by Yang Hyeon-jong and Will Crowe. It is largely because James Nail, who has won four consecutive games since the opening of the season, failed to add a multiplier. Nail has lost only one game in the last two games. He allowed 10 runs, and eight of them were involuntary. Both times, there were abnormal games in which fielders made errors.
Above all, hitters have not been normal in recent games. The batting average is still high, but the batting lineup has subsided as Kim Do-young and Choi Hyung-woo, who were leading the mood by becoming troubleshooters, have lost a little sense.
Now, however, Na Sung-bum has returned to the starting lineup, and Socrates Brito is finally on his feet.
Na, who had suffered a hamstring injury just before the opening game, was registered in the first division against LG on April 28 and started playing as a substitute against KT on April 2, and started to recover his batting sense by hitting two hits including a double against Hanwha on April 4. He will also play defense starting this week.
Socrates, whose batting average fell to the early 20% range, completely regained his energy. Socrates began to hit steadily against LG on April 27, and hit two consecutive home runs against Hanwha on April 3rd and 4th, and has five consecutive RBIs.
Kim Do-young, who had not had an RBI since the last game against LG on Wednesday, also reported his 11th homerun of this season and an RBI in a game against Hanwha on Wednesday. Kim hit a homerun in eight games after the game against Kiwoom on April 25.
The center batting line is now in shape. If Na Sung-beom starts to play as a defense, Choi Hyung-woo can join the lineup as the designated hitter. Kim Do-young, Na Sung-beom, Socrates, and Choi Hyung-woo will set up the batting order 3-6.
KIA will resume its game of important showdowns. Starting with Samsung that is scheduled to be held from Friday to SSG-Doosan, NC, Kia has to play with top-ranked teams. As of Tuesday, it is only one game behind second-ranked NC, three games behind Samsung that ranks third and four games ahead of fourth-ranked SSG.
Aces Yang Hyun-jong, who won his first complete game of the KBO League this season against KT on the 1st, will play against Samsung on the 7th.
BY: 토토사이트