'LG 50% win rate plus 7 wins, but run differential is -4' What happened? Conceded 7 or more runs in 7 of 8 games in the first half of May

*This content was translated by AI.

In soccer, when points are tied, rankings are often determined by 'goal differential.' However, in baseball, 'run differential' is not considered a particularly important indicator. It is not uncommon for a team to win 1-0 one day and lose 0-10 the next; that is baseball.

However, run differential can serve as a gauge for how well a team's offense and defense are performing. Generally, if a team's win rate exceeds 50%, its run differential should be 'positive.'

Looking at the run differentials by team in this season's KBO League, one detail stands out. LG Twins, with 25 wins and 18 losses, have a win rate 7 games above .500, yet their run differential is '-4.' In 43 total games, they scored 199 runs and allowed 203. Their differential turned 'negative' after a 0-14 blowout loss to KIA Tigers on the 19th.

Comparing various pitching and batting records from the early season (March-April, 27 games) with May (16 games) reveals LG's current situation in greater detail.

Although LG has maintained a .500 win rate with 8 wins and 8 losses in May, runs allowed per game jumped significantly from 3.9 in March-April to 6.2 in May. In 8 of the 16th games in May, the team allowed 7 or more runs. The run differential, which was +21 in March-April, turned to -25 in May. The ERA, which was among the league's best at the start of the season, dropped to 7th in starting pitching (5.16) and 9th in relief pitching (6.25) in May.

Runs scored averaged 4.6, showing little difference, but batting average fell from 0.275 to 0.256. In particular, batting average with runners in scoring position dropped from 0.295 in March-April to 0.223 in May, ranking only 10th overall. Errors, one of the factors contributing to runs allowed, also increased to 20 in May, the most among the 10th teams.

Reasons for LG's struggles include, first, injuries to Moon Bo-kyung and Moon Sung-ju in the lineup, poor batting from Hong Chang-ki, Oh Ji-hwan, Park Dong-won, and Shin Min-jae, and a decline from Song Chan-ui and Cheon Seong-ho, who were performing exceptionally well in the early season. On the mound, while Son Ju-young has filled the void left by closer Yoo Young-chan, the bullpen has shouldered a heavy load. Additionally, injuries and poor performance from starting pitcher Chirinos, along with recent struggles from Song Seung-gi, are seen as compounding factors.

Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), LG manager who led the team to two championships in the past three years, is striving to instill confidence in his players despite deepening concerns. Upon learning the injury examination results for Moon Bo-kyung, he said, "I'm truly grateful that he will be out for about a month." Even when Chirinos performed poorly in his return from injury, Yeom covered for him, saying, "It was fine. The batters hit well." When asked about the struggling core batters, he also urged reporters, "Blame the manager and the coaches, not the players."

Despite their struggles in May, LG remains in third place, just 0.5 games behind co-leaders Samsung Lions and KT Wiz, continuing their race for the top spot. As LG, once again considered the top favorite to win the championship this year, overcomes repeated setbacks, attention is focused on whether they can continue their sprint toward their long-cherished goal of 'back-to-back championships.'

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*This content was translated by AI.