“You’re good for three days. After four or five days, we’ll have a problem….”
That’s how Lotte head coach Larry Sutton reacted to the unexpected rainout.
Lotte is in seventh place with 50 wins, 54 losses and a 0.481 winning percentage through 23 days. They are 2.5 games behind the fifth-place Doosan Bears. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games, but had to take three days off after losing three straight. While the break could be a welcome one, it could also be a detriment as the team hasn’t had a chance to change the tone of the losing streak. Still, Sutton emphasized the positives.
“I think it’s helpful to have three days off,” Sutton said, referring to the fact that the team had three consecutive days off from the 21st to the cancellation of the 22nd and 23rd games against the LG Twins in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 24th.
He continued, “If the rainy weather cancelations are prolonged to four or five days, there may be problems with timing and rhythm. But up to three days, I think it has a positive effect. I think it’s especially helpful for pitchers.”
All four games this week are against top-tier teams, starting with LG on the 24th and ending with KT on the 25th. “Obviously, we want our starters to pitch well, but I think we can be more aggressive with our bullpen in the last four games than we are in a six-game week,” Sutton said.
Meanwhile, Aaron Wilkerson, who has been preparing for a two-day start on the 22nd and 23rd, will start against the Sasak KT on the 25th.
24th Jamsil LG Electronics Starting Lineup
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)-Go Seung-min (first baseman)-Jung Geun-geun (catcher)-No Jin-hyeok (shortstop)-Nico Goodrum (third baseman), starting pitcher Charlie Barnes.
- Goodrum is batting ninth.
“As you know, we don’t have a traditional 3-4-5 cleanup hitter. We have to be flexible with our lineup depending on the opposing starter. We’re trying to figure out who’s going to get on base and who’s going to clean up, so Goodrum went to the ninth spot.”
- Lee Jeong-hoon and Jung Bo-geun have been energizing.
“Both players have exceeded expectations. They’ve been consistently good. They play ‘paddle in when the water comes in’ baseball. They continue to help the team. Has good initiative and doesn’t miss pitches in his zone. He knows how to execute his game plan at the plate.”메이저놀이터
“He’s a mid-to-long range hitter, but he uses his zone well. He’s not a guy who’s going to hit 20 or 30 home runs, but he can hit the long ball, so he’s a good fit in the middle of the order.”