Implosion for import starting pitcher week continued with Casey Kelly giving up eight earned runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings moving his ERA to 6.12 as a result. Hanwha lost their ninth game in a row and its import starter lost a personal streak within it: 

Saupold still logged seven innings allowing nine hits, six runs (four earned), and four walks with three strikeouts in the loss. More pitching concerns could affect the NC Dinos hold on first place in the KBO. Entering game action this week, the Dinos bullpen owned a 5.35 ERA and although its closer, Jong-hyun Won, ranks first in saves (eight), he’s allowed multiple runs in two straight appearances including yielding a two-run home run in the top of the ninth against the SK Wyverns. 

With bullpens under the microscope in the KBO, Samsung will receive a boost in their bullpen soon: 

Seung-hwan Oh notched 42 saves in the major leagues during his time with St. Louis, Toronto, and Colorado with a 3.31 ERA. Oh last pitched for Samsung in 2013 recording 28 saves with a minuscule 1.74 ERA in 48 appearances spanning 51.2 innings with 54 strikeouts. He could anchor the bullpen once he’s ready. Speaking of the Lions, they won a 12-6 contest at the LG Twins with Won-seok Lee making some history:

Before delving into the performances of note in the KBO from Wednesday, a reminder for the NC Dinos about this time of unrest does not go ignored across the globe: 

Starting Pitcher Spotlight

There were limited options on this slate due to the top tiered pitchers struggling, but Kia’s crafty southpaw Hyun-jong Yang recorded his fourth win working six innings allowing two hits, one earned run, and a walk with four strikeouts. He moved to 4-2 on the season with a 4.22 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and his fourth quality outing in six starts. 

Hyeong-jun So of the KT Wiz also notched his fourth win tossing seven shutout innings against Doosan working around two hits and three walks while striking out two. So owns a 5.34 ERA but he’s 2-0 against Doosan, the defending KBO champion. 

Hitter Highlights

Samsung Lions

As alluded to above, the top performance on Wednesday goes to Won-seok Lee going 3-for-4 with a double, his fourth home run, and eight RBI along with a walk against the LG Twins. This marks Lee’s second home run in four contests, and he moved into fourth in the KBO in RBI (25) as a result. 

Although I cannot translate, sure this refers to Lee’s day being pretty, pretty, good. Teammate Tyler Saldino extended his personal hit streak to seven with his fifth straight multi-hit game. Saladino went 2-for-3, scored three runs, hit his fourth home run, drove in two runs, and walked twice. During his streak, Saladino’s 13-for-26 with three doubles, three home runs, and 12 RBI. Two other Lions also turned in strong days at the dish: 

  • Sang-su Kim (2B) - Racked up two hits in four at-bats, scored two runs, doubled, drove in a run, and reached via hit-by-pitch. 
  • Chan-do Park (OF) - Went 2-for-5 with three runs and a double. 

Kia Tigers

  • Ho-ryeong Kim (OF) - During his second start of the year, Kim finished 2-for-4 with three runs, tripled, notched two RBI, stole his first base, and reached on a hit-by-pitch. 
  • Sun-bin Kim (2B) - Reached in all five plate appearances with a single, three walks and hit-by-pitch. Kim also scored a run while driving in two. 
  • Preston Tucker (OF) - Retook the KBO lead in RBI hitting a three-run home run in four at-bats. Tucker’s blasted seven home runs and recorded 28 RBI through 26 games. 
  • Hyung-woo Choi (DH) - Tallied two hits in three at-bats with a run, RBI and a walk. 

NC Dinos

A key to the NC Dinos remaining atop the KBO in the standings resides in its ability to rebound after a loss. Scoring eight runs and holding on late, they moved to 19-6 on the year. Plus, one of its players on the major league radar continues to flash his power: 

Sung-bum Na launched his eighth home run and also doubled among his three hits in four at-bats driving in two runs. He also walked reaching base four times in five plate appearances, scoring two runs. Here’s how his teammates fared: 

  • Min-woo Park (2B) - Went 2-for-4 with two runs, doubled, walked, and stole his third base. 
  • Eui-ji Yang (C) - Doubled in five at-bats. 
  • Jin-sung Kang (1B) - Recorded a hit in three at-bats, with a run, an RBI, and a walk. 
  • Jin-hyuk No (SS) - Notched two extra-base hits with a double and his fourth home run driving in two in four at-bats. 

KT Wiz

While Roberto Ramos and Jose Fernandez receive the most hype in the KBO, Mel Rojas Jr. continues to thrive hitting a home run for the third straight game and his fourth within them. Rojas Jr. finished 3-for-5 blasting his eighth home run driving in three. He’s now tied for first in runs (23), tied for second in home runs, third in RBI (26) and ranks in the top five in each category of his robust .417/.460/.738 slash line. Also helping the Wiz to victory: 

  • Jeong-dae Bae (OF) - Scored two runs going 1-for-4 with a walk. 
  • Yong-ho Jo (OF) - Doubled in four at-bats while scoring a run. 
  • Kyung-seo Park (2B) - Went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. 
  • Sung-woo Jang (C) - Tallied two hits in four at-bats with a run scored and doubled. 
  • Jae-Gyun Hwang (3B) - Hit his second home run among two hits in four at-bats driving in three. 

SK Wyverns

  • Kang-min Kim (OF) - Went 1-for-5 with his second home run driving in two. 
  • Jeong Choi (3B) - Stayed hot with two hits, two runs and a walk. He has reached base safely in eight straight, registered a hit in seven of them and owns a .440 average while walking 10 times in them. 
  • Jamie Romak (1B) - Launched his third home run and doubled in four at-bats with two RBI. 

Kiwoom Heroes

  • Ha-seong Kim (SS) - Racked up three hits in four at-bats with two runs, a double, an RBI and walked. 
  • Hye-sung Kim (2B) - Moved his hit streak to six games going 1-for-3 with an RBI. He’s 13-for-his-last-25 (.520) with six runs and seven RBI. 

LG Twins

  • Hyun-Soo Kim (OF) - Went 2-for-5 with a run moving his average to .386 on the year. 
  • Eun-sung Chae (OF) - Notched three hits in five at-bats. 
  • Min-sung Kim (3B) - Hit his first home run, a solo shot in five at-bats. 
  • Keun-woo Jeong (DH) - Finished 2-for-4 with two runs and stole two bases (4,5). 
  • Kang-ham Yoo (C) - Cracked his third home run driving in two during a 2-for-4 game. 

Hanwha Eagles

  • Jared Hoying (OF) - Launched his second home run in three games going 1-for-4 with three RBI. Hoying’s hit three home runs for the scuffling Eagles. 

Looking ahead to Thursday’s slate, the NC Dinos will send import ace Drew Rucinski to the mound searching for his fourth win. Kiwoom’s Eric Jokisch hopes to fuel his team to a sweep in Hanwha while the home team tries to avoid losing its tenth in a row. Kia hopes Aaron Brooks can get them the series win and Woo Chan Cha will try to halt the LG Twins two game losing skid. 

One note of interest for Brooks facing Lotte, this tweet: 

After a hot start, Lotte’s struggled to find footing, losing seven of their last 10 games. Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm across all fantasy formats to remain ahead of the competition. 

Statistical Credits: 

myKBOstats.com
Eng.koreabaseball.com
Fangraphs.com