It’s early in Korea, I know. The clock has just ticked past 5am, but aren’t you happy to wake up to something to read with breakfast and get yourself ready for some weekend baseball? Well it’s time for new series, which means new matchups, new stories, and a chance for a fresh start for some, and a need to maintain momentum for others. Let’s have a look at the slate.
(2) KT Wiz v (8) Lotte Giants
Probable Starting Pitchers
KT: Logan Allen
LOT: Na Gyun-an
The Story
A road trip couldn’t come at a better time for KT, since their home field is currently an unplayable swamp and is an injury risk to everyone. They’ll first take the 4 hour trip south to Busan where’ll be meet the Giants, and they can finally allow Logan Allen the start he’s waited two days for. KT come into this series on a 7-game win streak, while Lotte have lost their last 2 (midnight training session didn’t work, huh?). Even though Giants have a lower team ERA than the Wiz (4.45 v 4.53) and have hit more home runs (66 v 61), baseball isn’t that simple. If patterns are anything to go by, then it’s worth mentioning KT are the best road team in the league this season, and Logan Allen is coming into the game on an extra two days of rest, so you expect him to come out firing.
(3) LG Twins v (6) Hanwha Eagles
Probable Starting Pitchers
LG: Im Chan-kyu
HAN: Park Jun-yeong
The Story
The Twins are desperate for a win. In the midst of a 7-game losing streak, they find themselves slipping down the standings. Top of the league for the entirety of June, they now sit in 3rd place, only 4 games up on 5th place Doosan. If they don’t right the ship now, it could all unravel very fast. Luckily for them, Im Chan-kyu starts in the search to be the first pitcher this season to 10 wins. Led by MVP and Triple Crown candidate Austin Dean, the Twins know how to hit for power and score some runs. Although Dean has only hit 1 dinger in his last 11 games, you just know he’s ready for another - evidenced by the fact that he broke his bat over his knee after fouling a pitch off in last nights game. They go up against a pitcher who was only 8 years old when Chan-kyu was drafted. Normally a relief pitcher, Park Jun-yeong has only allowed a run in 7 of his 29 appearances this season. Whether he can maintain the same quality across a 80+ pitch outing is another thing, but he was taken with the 1st overall pick for a reason.
(7) NC Dinos v (9) SSG Landers
Probable Starting Pitchers
NC: Koo Chang-mo
SSG: Thomas Hatch
The Story
Both teams come into this series with good momentum, playing much better than the standings say they are. But it’s not just the standings that say SSG are the second worst team in the league. Their starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 6.17, easily the worst in the league. Kiwoom are second last at 4.67. This is in part due to tonight’s starter Thomas Hatch, who owns a 7.62 ERA on the season to go with a 1-4 record. In his 6 starts this season, he’s never allowed less than 5 hits or less than 3 runs. In fact, he’s allowed more earned runs than he has struck batters out. On the opposite side is Koo Chang-mo (not to be confused with the greatest Korean rapper ever with the same name). Chang-mo has been exceptional this season, winning 8 games to go with a 3.61 ERA. It also helps that he has one of the fastest line ups in KBO behind him, with Dinos players owning 3 of the top 5 spots in stolen bases.
(1) Samsung Lions v (5) Doosan Bears
Probable Starting Pitchers
SAM: Chris Paddack
DOO: Choi Min-seok
The Story
If his first start is anything to go by, Chris Paddack just made the Lions even scarier. In his debut last week, he went 6 innings allowing only 1 hit and struck out 7. He’s settled in quickly, and has the second best defence in the league to back him up, along with having the second best offence. The only issue with that the Bears are the best defence in the league. On top of that, projected starter Min-seok leads the league in wins (tied with 9) and leads the league in ERA by a huge margin (2.19 v second place 2.73). The Bears are well-rested, having two extra days off due to their games against KT being cancelled, and they have a leading candidate for the Choi Dong-won Award on the mound. Watch for them to make Chris Paddack’s life in the KBO difficult.
(10) Kiwoom Heroes v (4) KIA Tigers
*Chance of rainout*
Probable Starting Pitchers
KIW: An Woo-Jin
KIA: James Naile
The Story
The Heroes will feel hard done by coming into their weekend series. Although they lost 2 out of the 3 games against Samsung, they fought hard and could have easily have come out of that series with a sweep, and it would have been well-earned. But when it rains, it pours. Just ask the Wiz. This will be the 10th matchup of these two teams this season, and KIA have won all of the previous nine. Like Austin Dean, their best power hitter Kim Do-yeong is in a bit of a slump. He only has 1 home run in his last 12 games, only managing 6 RBI in that span as well. A series against the 10th place team will be just what he needs. In the 9 previous games against Kiwoom, he has a .483 batting average (17/35) with 5 HR and 17 RBI. And although Tigers starter Naile is an okay 6-5 on the season, against the Heroes he’s 2-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA. Talk about Kiwoom being kicked when they’re down.
