Lotte Drops Two Out of Three, But Picks Up a Win With New Trade By Matthew Dewoskin
7/27/2010
The Giants didn't make up any ground in the playoff standings last week, but they did pick up a solid hitting third basemen from the Nexen Heroes
BUSAN, South Korea - The Giants did have a memorable week, but it wasn't really reflected in the standings. They dropped two out of three to the Hanhwa Eagles, but there was still reason to celebrate.
The Giants found themselves a new infielder that could be the key to their drive for a playoff spot. The Giants dealt Kim Min-seong and right-handed pitcher Kim Su-wan for Nexen infielder Hwang Jae-gyun. Hwang is a season removed from double digit homers and steals with a solid batting average. He's got an adequate glove and I'm sure he'll fit into the Lotte lineup.
Jerry Royster told Busan Haps, “Hwang is a great trade for us and is strong at the plate. With him over at third, we’ll put Lee Dae Ho at first.”
Hanhwa stole the first game from the Giants with a walk off win. Lotte held a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. Reliever Lim Kyeong-won finished the eighth inning and stuck around for the ninth. Hanhwa left fielder Choi Jin-haeng started the inning with a bouncer to short that Lotte shortstop Moon Gyu-hyeon couldn't handle. Choi was pulled for a pinch runner. Lim recorded the next two outs in short order, but gave up a double to second baseman Jeong Won-seok. The runner scored easily to tie the game at three and Jeong advanced to third on the throw. The next batter, third baseman Jeon Hyeon-tae, hit a sloooooow bouncer to Lotte second baseman Cho Seong-hwan. Cho couldn't make the throw in time and everyone was safe, including the runner on third and Hanhwa was dousing Jeon with bottled water.
Lotte starter Ryan Sadowski was stuck with a quality start and a no decision. Sadowski tossed 7 1/3 innings of two-run baseball. He gave up six hits and one walk while striking out six.
Lotte had the misfortune of running into a focused Ryu Hyeon-jin on Wednesday. Ryu tossed a complete game shutout and allowed only five hits and one walk while striking out nine.
Lotte starter Lee Jae-gon has to be annoyed that he has a loss next to his name. Lee really couldn't have done much more to win this game than he did. Lee threw 7 2/3 innings, but gave up one run on an RBI single by Hanhwa catcher Shin Kyeong-hyeon, while allowing six hits and a walk while striking out two. Lee has enjoyed a solid July so far. He has thrown 23 1/3 innings in four July starts. He's posted a 3.80 ERA with 11 K's during that stretch, but he's allowed 32 base runners and only has a 1-1 record.
Lotte appeared to be determined not to go into the All-star break with a loss. A loss would have meant a three-game sweep at the hand of the last place Hanhwa Eagles. Thankfully, the LG Zombies are in the middle of a five-game losing streak and Lotte is 2 1/2 games up on the Zombies for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Lotte jumped on Hanhwa early with a three-run homer from left fielder Kim Ju-chan that gave Lotte a 4-0 lead. Karim Garcia hit a pair of homers, but he just missed a three homer night. Garcia appeared to go out of his way to hit mammoth fly balls. My thought was that he was getting ready for the All-star game a little early. Garcia hit a double in the second inning that bounced off the top of the fence in left field. Six more inches and he would have had a three-homer night. Garcia finished 3-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
Hwang Jae-gyun made his Giants debut that night by hitting second and playing third base. Lee Dae-ho shifted over to first. Hwang went 1-4 with a walk and run scored.
Lost in the homer barrage was a fine effort from Lotte starter Kim Su-wan. Kim tossed eight innings (90 pitches, 55 strikes) of one-run baseball. Kim allowed five hits, one walk and one hit batsman while striking out four. Kim is also having a solid July. In 15 2/3 innings, Kim has a 2.30 ERA with only 18 base runners and eight K's.
The eight Lotte all-stars went to Daegu for the weekend. The game started with some rain and cloudy skies. After the Western team jumped out to an early 6-0 lead thanks to a meltdown by SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon, Lotte's big bats helped the East get back into the game.
In the bottom of the first inning, Hong Seong-heun hit a two-run homer while wearing a fake beard. I'm not trying to start any trouble here, but I'm fairly certain he had a little help from Ryu. To say that Hong got a BP fastball from Ryu isn't entirely accurate. The pitch wasn't nearly as fast as a BP fastball.
Karim Garcia added a solo homer to cut the lead to 6-3. Lee Dae-ho lead off the game for the Eastern team and after reaching base, he was thrown out trying to steal second. He was only out by ten feet. I was just happy he didn't hurt himself.
After the West added a few insurance runs, the East tied the game with back-to-back-to-back homers. Samsung DH Yang Joon-hyeok started the rally with a three-run homer and Hong and Garcia both added solo homers to tie the game at eight. The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth. The Eastern team loaded the bases with none out against Nexen closer Song Seung-rak. Lotte's newest addition, infielder Hwang Jae-gyun, stepped to the plate and lined a base hit into left-center. The winning run scored easily and Hwang received the customary beating/dousing from both teams.
Hong Seung-hoon won the MVP award and earned himself a trophy and a new car. Hong went 4-5 with a pair of homers, three RBIs and three runs scored. He also wore a special jersey for the game to thank the fans for giving him the most votes. Hong has come a long, long way from his days as a catcher with Doosan. He's gone from a moody, misunderstood, all-hit, no-field catcher, to a triple crown candidate loved by thousands.
The Giants will spend this week defending Fortress Sajik. The Giants will play host to the 2009 KBO Champion/currently sixth place KIA Tigers to start the week. Then, the Giants will battle the LG Zombies for fourth place over the weekend. The Giants are 6-5 against KIA and 6-8 against the Zombies.
Ryan Sadowski will open the week for the Giants in an all-foreigner battle against KIA's Aquilino Lopez. In 18 starts, Sadowski is 7-6 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP with 85 K's in 118 innings. Sadowski has turned his season around since having an absolutely brutal first few weeks in Korea.
