토스카지노SSG lost their fourth straight game after being swept by KIA at home in Incheon last weekend. They are now 1.5 games behind fourth-place KIA and are in danger of falling out of the top three. SSG head coach Kim Won-hyung wanted his players to showcase their skills with less pressure.
In an interview ahead of the game against Hanwha on May 5, Kim Won-hyung said, “We didn’t accumulate many wins in August. Our pitching cycle is not good. Baseball is easy to win when you win, but it’s too bad when you don’t,” he said.
Recently, the bullpen struggles have been noticeable. With Moon Seung-won moving into the starting role and Choi Min-joon moving to the second team, the bullpen has been weakened. The team’s reliance on Noh Kyung-eun and Ko Hyo-joon has led to struggles in the middle and late innings.
“With Moon Seung-won as a starter, there’s a big hole in the bullpen. Choi Min-jun is also out, and we are overloaded with reliance on Noh Kyung-eun and Ko Hyo-joon. After this week, Choi Min-jun and Lim Jun-seop can be added to the roster, so we’ll have to be selective and focused on using Noh Kyung-eun and Ko Hyo-joon until then.”
From here, a three-game midweek series against Hanwha will be crucial. Kirk McCarty, Kim Kwang-hyun, and Roenis Elias will all be in the lineup. “I feel like the batting lineup has improved a little bit. I hope we can play a good game as the 1-3 starters are out,” Kim said. “We had a day off yesterday, so I hope the players will play with a fresh mind.”