'Eight innings, 10 runs allowed → Five innings, 9 runs allowed': Why is the championship team's bullpen failing like this? The ace relievers couldn't even hold for a single inning... LG's crisis in the second half has not yet ended.

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins, struggling during the second half, once again allowed a large number of runs, exposing their instability.

On the 29th, LG lost to Kiwoom Heroes by a score of 11-18 in a regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

Unable to continue their winning streak, LG finished with 54 wins and 42 losses, falling into third place, trailing second-place KT Wiz (55 wins, 2 draws, 36 losses) by 3.5 games. Now, fourth-place KIA Tigers (51 wins, 2 draws, 45 losses) is only three games behind, making the mid-tier standings even closer.

Both teams were expected to engage in a fierce battle from the start, trading three runs each. Starting pitcher Lachlan Wells collapsed after pitching three innings, allowing nine hits (including two home runs), issuing two walks, striking out two batters, and surrendering five earned runs. Meanwhile, LG quickly deployed its ace relievers.

Kim Young-woo started the game and managed to hold Kiwoom scoreless in the fourth inning with just one run allowed, though it was shaky. That instability exploded in the fifth inning. Kim Young-woo struck out Lee Hyung-jong but then walked Kwon Hyeok-bin and gave up a single to Yeo Dong-wook before being replaced by Kim Jin-seong.

Despite the appearance of veteran Kim Jin-seong, there was little change. In fact, he allowed a double to Seo Geon-chang that loaded the bases, then hit Ahn Chi-hong with a pitch, resulting in an earned run via a bases-loaded walk. Following that, Matt Davidson hit a two-run double down the left-field line, forcing Kim Jin-seong out of the game.

Even when fastball pitcher Kang Seok-hoon, a right-handed sidearm specialist, entered the game, Kiwoom's offense showed no signs of slowing down. Park Chan-hyeok hit a two-run single to left field after a full-count battle. Lim Byung-wook and Kim Geon-hee followed with consecutive singles to load the bases again. Lee Hyung-jong then scored on a lucky infield grounder, and an error by Kang Seok-hoon allowed Kiwoom to add two more runs.

When Kang Seok-hoon issued back-to-back walks to Kwon Hyeok-bin and Yeo Dong-wook, creating another bases-loaded crisis, LG brought in its fourth pitcher in the fifth inning alone. During this sequence, a mix-up by LG first-division pitching coach Kim Kwang-sam led to Kim Yun-sik entering the game incorrectly before being removed.

Relief pitcher Lee Woo-chan also surrendered a two-run single to Seo Geon-chang down the left-field line. He ended the long fifth inning by grounding out to second base on Ahn Chi-hong. Although LG added four runs afterward, they could not overcome the deficit and suffered defeat.

This disaster was repeated just three days later. On the 26th against Daejeon Hanwha Eagles, LG tied the game 4-4 but allowed ten runs in the eighth inning alone, ending the week on a disastrous note. They still appear unable to recover from the aftermath of that incident.

There were some understandable factors behind the tragedy three days prior. A bullpen day was scheduled from the start, and the ace relievers were deployed early, leaving no suitable pitchers available from the eighth inning onward.

However, in this game, even the trusted ace relievers collapsed without holding a single inning, causing significant shock. Ultimately, the instability of the starting rotation, which had been concerning since the end of the first half, appears to have led to accumulated fatigue among the ace relievers.

Since July, LG's starting rotation has posted an ERA of 6.59 (ninth in the league), remaining at the bottom level. The innings pitched by starters (82 innings) also ranked ninth in the league, failing to fulfill their expected role.

This is the exact opposite of last year, when Anders Tollhurst-Yoni Chirinos, Im Chan-kyu, Son Ju-young, and Song Seung-gi combined for 85 wins (first in the league). Since July, Wells has posted a 7.00 ERA over five games, Tollhurst a 5.00 ERA over three games, Im Chan-kyu a 9.50 ERA over four games, and Song Seung-gi an 8.53 ERA over two games. The situation remains poor, meaning LG's crisis in the second half is ongoing.

Feeling urgency, LG replaced veteran major league starting pitcher Carlos Kara-sco (39), who throws a fastball reaching up to 162 km/h, with reliever Yasel Rios (33). With Kara-sco scheduled to make his first appearance in the August 1 game against Jamsil Doosan Bears, attention is focused on whether his veteran experience can bring stability to the starting rotation.

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*This content was translated by AI.