'I broke the hitless streak, but the batted balls aren't rising.' Lee Jung-hoo drops to third in NL batting average despite a lucky RBI... ATL Kim Ha-seong reaches on a walk [SF Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The 'batting machine' Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) broke his silence and recorded a hit for the first time in three games, but concerns over the quality of his batted balls have grown.

On the 29th (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the seventh hitter and right fielder in the home game against the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, USA, recording 1 hit and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats.

Lee Jung-hoo, who had reached a batting average of 0.338 in June, saw his average drop sharply to 0.323 after two consecutive hitless games, but he managed to reduce the decline to 0.322 by getting a hit in his third game. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage also dipped slightly from 0.355 and 0.465 to 0.354 and 0.462, respectively. His OPS (on-base plus slugging) stood at 0.816.

In the National League batting average rankings, he has now fallen to third place, trailing behind Otto Lopez (Miami, 0.332) and his teammate Luis Arraez, who recorded a multi-hit game today (0.324).

In the bottom of the second inning with one out and a runner on first, Lee Jung-hoo was retired on a ground ball to the pitcher. In the bottom of the fourth with one out and a runner on first, he left a bitter taste with a ground ball to first base. Shortstop Kim Ha-seong fielded the ball and turned a double play.

He came up to bat for the third time. The San Francisco Giants took an early lead with consecutive hits from Luis Arraez, Elliott Ramos, and Rafah Devers. With two outs and runners on first and third, Lee Jung-hoo hit a 97.5 mph (approximately 156.9 km/h) sinker from left-handed starter Chris Sale on the second pitch. The ball headed toward the deep side of second base, but a throw by A.J. Albies went awry, allowing the runner from third to score at home plate. This marked his 31st RBI of the season.

He left a bitter taste again in the bottom of the eighth with a foul pop fly to the catcher, but the game was meaningful simply because he managed to get a hit.

Judging by the quality of his batted balls, he still does not appear to be in his usual form. Even looking at batted ball speed, there were no hard hits over 95 mph (152.9 km/h); the speeds recorded were 71 mph (114.3 km/h), 78.6 mph (126.5 km/h), and 88.5 mph (142.4 km/h), all of which were ground balls. The pop fly to the catcher in his final at-bat had a speed of 60.2 mph (96.9 km/h) and a launch angle of 88 degrees.

Kim Ha-seong (31) started as the ninth hitter and shortstop for Atlanta today but managed only 2 hits in 3 at-bats with no hits and 1 walk. His batting average dropped further from 0.070 to 0.068 (5 hits in 73 at-bats).

In the top of the third inning, he hit a 95.1 mph (153 km/h) sinker from left-handed starter Robbie Ray, which headed toward center fielder Yonny Cordero's glove. In the top of the sixth with no outs and a runner on second, he reached base on a walk after a full-count battle, carefully waiting for a high pitch. The following batters remained silent, and no runs were scored. In his final at-bat in the eighth inning, he was retired on a fly ball to right field.

While the quality of his batted balls today was not bad, the prolonged hitless streak is a concern. He has been struggling with a hitless streak for 12 games since the game against the Toronto Blue Jays on the 4th.

San Francisco emerged victorious in a fierce battle. After taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI from Lee Jung-hoo, the Giants extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the seventh with a hit from Drew Gilbert, a double from Matt Chapman, and a sacrifice fly from Luis Arraez against reliever Didier Fuentes.

In the top of the eighth, a defensive error and a double by Mauricio Dubon put the Giants in a crisis with one out and runners on second and third. They surrendered a run on a sacrifice fly from Michael Harris II. In the ninth, closer Caleb Kilian, who entered as the second pitcher, allowed a double to Matt Olson and one run on consecutive ground balls, but he retired Michael Yastrzemski on a swinging strikeout with two outs and a runner on second, securing a 3-2 victory.

Ray threw 95 pitches over 8 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts, while giving up 1 unearned run, earning his seventh win of the season. On the other hand, Sale, who pitched well for 6 innings on 94 pitches, allowing 8 hits, 1 walk, and 10 strikeouts while giving up 2 earned runs, suffered his sixth loss of the season (8 wins) amidst disappointing run support.

With two consecutive wins, San Francisco recorded 35 wins and 48 losses, maintaining fourth place in the National League West Division. Meanwhile, Atlanta recorded 49 wins and 33 losses but maintained its first-place position in the National League East Division.

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*This content was translated by AI.