Three days off after a three-game losing streak could have helped the Lotte Giants.
Manager Larry Sutton’s Lotte will host the LG Twins of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League on Thursday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul for the 12th game of the season. Charlie Barnes, who has been on a roll with a 4-0 record and 1.21 ERA in the second half of the season, will start against Casey Kelly.
Lotte’s lineup was Ahn Kwon-soo (left fielder), Kim Min-seok (center fielder), Lee Jeong-hoon (designated hitter), Ahn Chi-hong (second baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Ko Seung-min (first baseman), Jeong Jung-geun (catcher), Noh Jin-hyuk (shortstop), and Nico Goodrum (third baseman).
There’s nothing too unusual about this lineup, but it’s notable that Goodrum, a foreign hitter, is batting ninth. “We don’t have a typical 3-5 hitter or a big hitter, so we have to be flexible with our lineup depending on the other team’s starting pitcher, so we have a guy who can get on base and then a guy who can get on base and then a guy who can drive in runs,” Sutton explained.
Lotte hit a rough patch last weekend when they dropped all three games of a three-game series against the Kiwoom Heroes. However, the break gave them time to regroup and allow their tired players to catch their breath.
“I think it’s great for the team to have three days off,” Sutton said. If you don’t play for four or five days, it can throw off your timing and rhythm, but up to two or three days can be a positive for recovery. I think it’s especially helpful for the pitching staff.”토토사이트
Lotte, which is in urgent need of ‘wins’, will play a three-game weekend series against LG on April 24 and KT Wiz on April 25-27 at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan. While facing the top two teams might be daunting, Lotte can’t afford to lose too many games. In the end, it will be key to not lose the starting battle against two teams with solid mounds.
“You don’t necessarily need to be aggressive in the bullpen if your starters are going to go long, but with three days off, you can be a little more aggressive if you need to be than if you’re playing six days a week,” Sutton said.