'Tarp Laid Again': Despite Rain, Lotte Trains; Aims to Break Three-Game Losing Streak Against LG with Kim Jin-wook (ERA 2.37) [Busan Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

Due to persistent rain in the Busan area, a tarp has once again been placed over Sajik Baseball Stadium.

On the 29th, Lotte announced its starting lineup for the home game against LG Twins at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

For today's game, Lotte set its batting order as follows: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Na Seung-yeop (designated hitter), Victor Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (third baseman), Go Seung-min (first baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Son Seong-bin (catcher), and Han Tae-yang (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Kim Jin-wook.

Recently, Lotte's pitching staff has been severely shaken, leading to a three-game losing streak. On the 25th against Gwangju KIA Tigers, closer Kim Won-jung surrendered a bases-loaded home run in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, handing over a 5-4 lead. The following day, on the 26th against Gwangju KIA, foreign pitcher Alvin Rodriguez collapsed after pitching just 3⅔ innings while allowing eight earned runs, resulting in a heavy 11-16 defeat.

As a result, Lotte's record stands at 50 wins, 2 draws, and 60 losses. They have fallen to sixth place behind NC Dinos and are now 8.5 games behind fifth-place Doosan Bears. Due to continuous rain in southern regions starting from the 27th, Lotte took two days for reorganization.

The starting pitcher was changed from Na Gyun-an to Kim Jin-wook. This year, Kim has appeared in 21 games with a record of 6 wins and 5 losses, an ERA of 3.37, and 105 strikeouts over 120⅓ innings, finally showing signs of breaking through his shell. His record against LG is also solid: 3 games played, 1 win, no losses, and an ERA of 2.37.

The rain clouds previously forecasted for today have been pushed to Sunday, so the game is expected to proceed as scheduled. However, due to persistent rain, a tarp was once again placed over the field around 3 p.m.

The visiting team LG also welcomed the news of rain. Although LG secured two wins and one loss during midweek games against NC Dinos at Jamsil, they suffered a heavy 13-3 defeat in their game on the 27th before traveling to Busan. Starting pitcher Park Si-won allowed eight hits over just 1⅔ innings, giving up six earned runs, which significantly contributed to the loss. Ultimately, LG made extensive substitutions to its starting lineup beginning from the third inning in preparation for the away trip to Busan.

LG also changed its starting pitcher. Instead of Kim Yun-sik, they will start Carlos Karasko. With 116 wins in Major League Baseball history, Karasko has joined LG and delivered experienced pitching with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, an ERA of 3.33 over four games. This marks his first matchup against Lotte.

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*This content was translated by AI.