Despite leading the league, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop is having a hard time thinking about mound management these days. With the departure of Kim Yun-sik and Lee Min-ho, the fourth and fifth starting spots are actually up for grabs until ‘bullpen day’ at worst.카지노사이트
In the end, I adjusted the starting rotation of Lim Chan-kyu, who has been the number one starter in Korea this season, and pushed it to the 4th. Otherwise, the team would have to play the first two games of the following week with four or five starters, which could have a huge impact on the team’s week if the bullpen is used up in both games. Against KIA in Jamsil on the 1st, we had to consider using our bullpen on the 2nd when starter Adam Plutko left the mound earlier than expected. On the second day, we couldn’t just go all-in because Lee Jung-yong, who had 60 pitches, had to start.
Yoon is hoping that Kim Yun-sik or Lee Min-ho will be able to return in the second half of the season, as he is looking forward to seeing how Lee adjusts to his new role as a starter. He has already calculated that if the fourth and fifth starters can give him “five innings and three runs”, he can hold on to the bullpen for the second half of the season when Yoo Young-chan and Baek Seung-hyun return. Given the quality of the bullpen and batting order, that’s not a stretch, but the postseason is another matter. LG’s potential source of anxiety lies with foreign pitcher Casey Kelly (34).
It’s too early to start talking about the postseason, but given the team’s current position – already 10.5 games out of fifth place – and the overall strength of the team, it’s hard to argue with the notion that LG should be watching and playing baseball until the autumn. The postseason is different than the regular season. It’s a tremendous clash of focus, and at the end of the day, it’s all about the ace who can deliver the first game of the series and the big game.
LG’s postseason starter last year was Kelly. He was undeniably the team’s ace. He pitched 166⅓ innings in 27 games last season, posting a 2.54 ERA. He has some postseason experience, and he pitched well in the autumn. But with his current form, it’s hard to see that happening. He’s been on a rollercoaster of ups and downs and hasn’t found his groove.
Kelly has a 6-4 record in 16 games this season, but his ERA is in the four-run range (4.37). Compared to last year’s performance, he has a lower strikeout rate (23% to 15.4%) and a higher batting average (0.232 to 0.277). The increase in his FIP is smaller than the increase in his ERA, but it’s clear that he’s struggling more this year than last.
First of all, the restraint is about 1 kilometre per hour lower than last year, and the revs are slightly lower, but it’s not a decisive difference. That’s how LG sees it. In the end, the problem is command, according to LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop. After giving up four runs in six innings against the KIA on 30 June, Yoon said, “I got hit in the middle at 1B-2S, 2S. It went into the middle,” and diagnosed “a lot of mistakes”.
In other words, the pitches themselves aren’t that much different than last year, but he sees it as more of a count battle and miscues. Kelly’s advantage is that he can throw a lot of pitches, not necessarily fastballs, where he wants them, which allows him to be aggressive and keep his innings cool. This year, however, he’s been giving up a lot of pitches up the middle, which has led to an accumulation of hits that have hurt his performance.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy to replace him now. Other teams in need of a foreign pitcher have been unable to find one in the United States and have turned to the independent leagues or Taiwan. Kelly’s remaining salary will reduce the amount of money available to spend on replacements by $100,000 per month over time, so even if they had the money, they wouldn’t be able to spend it now. It’s hard to get a good pitcher on a $400,000 budget. If you have to pay a transfer fee, it’s almost impossible. In this case, you might as well keep Kelly.
In the end, the best case scenario for LG is that Kelly rebounds and regains much of his old form. Even Plutko, who has been playing well this year, cannot be trusted 100% because of his illness last autumn. Will Jamsil Jesus be able to pitch in the first game of the first series of autumn baseball like he did last year, and it will be a key point to watch for the rest of the season.
