Участник:벳사랑
KIA finished its four-game series, including a doubleheader against second-place KT on the 3rd to 5th, with 2 wins and 2 losses. First, with two wins, a winning series was possible, but they lost both the second game of the double header on the 4th and the game on the 5th. Considering that KT used replacement starters, it could be said to be an unexpected result. However, KIA does not currently have the power and momentum to maximize that advantage.
At the start of this 12-game away game, Choi Hyung-woo and Na Seong-beom were both out for the season. In the meantime, we also experienced a few squeeze-in victories through tactical baseball. This was the case in the first game of the four-game series against KT on the 3rd, and in the four-game away game against NC last week, he overcame the weakening of his destructive power with structure.
However, there are still some limitations. Midterm record: 5 wins, 6 losses. Even if they win the Jamsil game against LG on the 6th, they will return to Gwangju without a winning or losing margin. In the meantime, SSG is running like crazy and seems to be out of KIA's range. Although KIA cannot control SSG's actions, the starting point was that they gave up both Incheon two-game series on the 30th and 1st of last month.
KIA now has 9 games left. After a day off after the game against LG in Jamsil on the 6th, they will play three consecutive home games against Samsung and SSG starting on the 8th. Afterwards, there will be a remaining schedule that has not been announced by the KBO. There are 2 games against NC in Gwangju, 1 game against Lotte and Kiwoom, and 1 game against Doosan and Jamsil.
With nearly half of the starting lineup including Choi Hyung-woo, Na Seong-beom, Choi Won-jun, and Park Chan-ho disappearing from the batting lineup, it is difficult to produce the best production in each game. Choi Won-jun is able to return starting from the Gwangju Samsung match on the 9th after finishing the Asian Games, but it is known that he was unable to play in even one game in the Asian Games due to calf pain. There is no possibility that the production of the batting line will increase dramatically from the current level.
In that case, the answer is ultimately starting baseball. The starting pitching hasn't been working properly throughout the season, but now the starting pitchers have to hold on with the minimum number of runs allowed to create an environment in which they can compete one last time. Ace Yang Hyun-jong, who has been revived since September, and Lee Ui-ri, who showed off his health after returning, are stable. We cannot expect much from 5th starter Yoon Young-cheol, who goes out once a week. Alternative starters Hwang Dong-ha and Kim Geon-guk were discovered, but they are still not stable cards.
In the end, it is Tomas Panoni and Mario Sánchez. The two must show strength in order to close the four-game gap with SSG and NC as much as possible. Panoni has 3 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 5.76 in 6 games since September. Director Kim Jong-guk analyzed that in the end, the command was shaken and the team was attacked. In that respect, we need to see whether his 4 hits, 2 strikeouts, 4 walks, and 1 run in 6 innings against KT on the 4th will be a turning point.
After recovering from elbow pain, Sanchez did not do well in two games, allowing 14 hits and 9 runs in 7⅔ innings. Although he was the losing pitcher in the game against KT on the 5th, he did okay with 8 hits, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 3 runs in 8 innings. Although he had a lot of hits, he ate many innings with minimal hitting. After all, you have to make a living using commands, and you have to make good use of a variety of weapons.