What should I do with the 'FC Lotte' bat, which scores 1.75 points per game despite four consecutive good pitching starts! Kim Taehyung also said, "You have to hit it in the end to win.""

*This content was translated by AI.

The Lotte Giants are groaning due to the bat that rarely bursts despite the starting pitchers' good pitching in four consecutive games. Pitchers' good pitching is losing its luster as the low-scoring pattern, reminiscent of a soccer game score, continues.

Lotte lost 1-2 in an away game against the LG Twins of the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League" at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 14th. Although he lost a point from the first inning, the mound held up well and balanced by scoring one run to LG Pilseung group Woo Kang-hoon in the top of the seventh inning, but that was it. Austin hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and gave up the game.

If you look at Lotte's four recent games, the starters' good pitching is remarkable. Although starting pitcher Na Kyun-an failed to achieve a quality start (more than six innings and less than three earned runs) by one out count with seven hits, three walks and one strikeout in five ⅔ innings on the 14th, he set the stage for victory by pitching well in four consecutive games. However, he has only won twice. During this period, Lotte's batters scored an average of only 1.75 points per game. He even went scoreless against Kiwoom in Gocheok on the 12th.

Against this backdrop, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung (59) is also deeply concerned. Ahead of the match against Kiwoom on the 12th, head coach Kim said, "First of all, hitters must hit to win (the game). On the contrary, if you don't do well, you lose the game," he pointed out. However, the bat did not respond to the match against LG on the 14th. Among the fielders who started, only Hwang Sung-bin, the first batter, hit multiple hits. In particular, Jeon Joon-woo, Han Dong-hee and Kim Min-sung, who were placed in the central batting lineup from No. 3 to No. 5, recorded no hits side by side.

It is all the more regrettable to open up the detailed records. Lotte's batting average in scoring in the last four games is 0.167. Fans, who expected a "one shot" at every chance, are only getting bigger, and pitchers are taking the mound under psychological pressure that "give me even one point and it's over." Manager Kim Tae-hyung's emphasis on "Only if you win" is interpreted as a statement to awaken the responsibility of batters, but the effect has not yet been seen in the field.

In order for Lotte to escape from this "swamp," a rebound of existing main hitters is essential in the end. They are looking for a breakthrough by mobilizing all available resources, such as changing the lineup or hiring a substitute, but fundamentally, the blood can be broken only when the batters who go out as the main players survive.

Head coach Kim Tae-hyung also diagnosed, "Young hitters such as Jeon Min-jae and Yoon Dong-hee still seem to have difficulty setting the timing of hitting." However, it is fortunate that "Veteran" Roh Jin-hyuk's hot hitting sense is still outstanding despite such difficulties. The fact that the veteran's bat has finished preheating is a hopeful card that Lotte can hold in the composition of the starting lineup or pinch-hitting operation.

Now, the task left for Lotte is clear. No matter how solid the "starting baseball" is, baseball that fails to score points cannot bear the fruit of victory. It's time for the batters to respond on the mound's floor. Attention is focusing on whether the pitchers' tearful quality pitching, which continued for four consecutive games, will lead to cool scoring support that will wash away the stigma of "FC Lotte."

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*This content was translated by AI.