7/15 Roundup and News

The Hanhwa Eagles have a new foreign player, pitcher Eric Junge. Junge will make his first start tonight, but I can't figure out who has been released to make room. The Eagles roster lists all 3 foreign guys still on the team. Strange. My guess is they'll release Diaz, but don't quote me on that.

It sounds like Doosan and Samsung have pulled off that trade. I'll post the details as soon as I can sit down with this article. It sounds like Samsung traded pitcher Ji Seung-min for catcher Chae Sang-byeong, but I may be mistaken.

On to the roundup...

LG 3, SK 2
W - Han Hee (1-0), L - Gary Glover (2-2), S - Lee Jae-yeong (7)

This game was actually a bit of a snooze. Both starters were terribly mediocre and the last run was scored in the 5th inning. LG scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single from Roberto Petagine(.345/.467/.622) in the 5th inning. Petagine would finish 2-4 with 2 RBIs. The LG bullpen but the game on lock down. SK had exactly one hit during the 5 1/3 innings the LG bullpen threw. SK reliever Jeon Byeong-doo(3.35 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) gets an honorable mention for his 3 innings or work in relief of Gary Glover. Jeon gave up only 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 5. I have nothing more to write that is either relevant or true.

KIA 7, Seoul Heroes 4
W - Rick Guttormson (9-3), L - Ma Il-yeong (3-7), S - Yoo Dong-hoon (7)

Guttormson(3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) wasn't masterful, but he kept the Heroes from taking the lead and stuck around long enough for the W. Rick threw 6 innings(78 pitches, 49 strikes) and allowed 4 runs. He gave up only 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Heroes left fielder Doug Clark(.288/.382/.477) took Guttormson deep in the 4th inning for a solo homer. Heroes center fielder Lee Taek-geun(.319/.401/.453) added a 3-run blast in the 6th. The Tigers were able to scratch and claw their way to an early 5-1 lead before the Heroes made it a game with the 3-run blast. KIA 3rd baseman Kim Sang-hyeon(.273/.345/.506) iced the game with a 2-run jack in the 7th inning. KIA closer Yoo Dong-hoon(0.74 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) recorded the final two outs for a really cheap save.

Samsung 6, Doosan 3
W - Francisco Cruceta (8-3), L - CJ Nitkowski (0-3), S - Oh Seung-hwan (19)

CJ Nitkowski(8.38 ERA, 2.17 WHIP) got to pitch 3 innings in his Bears debut. Hey! That's two better than his debut with SK! Progress! CJ was battered for 4 runs on 8 hits during his start. He only struck out 1, but he didn't walk anyone. Keep reaching for that rainbow! Samsung starter Francisco Cruceta(3.88 ERA, 1.56 WHIP) enjoyed a better result. Fast Franky tossed 6 innings(94 pitches, 50 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 5 hits and 5 walks while striking out 4. Samsung featured a truly balanced attack last night. 6 different Lions drove in runs and none of the 11 hits went for extra bases. The Samsung bullpen chose make things a little too exciting last night. With a 6-2 lead, reliever Kwon Hyeok(2.68 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) served up a meatball to Doosan DH Choi Joon-seok(.350/.417/.558). Choi took the ball out of the ballpark. Samsung called on Oh Seung-hwan(4.31 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) to record the final out. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, Oh struck out right fielder Lim Jae-cheol(.297/.414/.388) to end the game.

Lotte 7, Hanhwa 2
W - Son Min-han (4-2), L - Yoo Won-sang (3-7)

Son Min-han(3.43 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) isn't nearly as dominant as he's been in years past, but he's still a capable starting pitcher in the KBO. Son tossed 6 innings(83 pitches, 53 strikes) of 1-run, 3-hit baseball. Son allowed only 1 walk and 1 hit batsman while striking out 2. Lotte broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning with a 4-run rally. Lotte 2nd baseman Cho Seong-hwan(.301/.334/.450) clubbed a 2-run homer to get things rolling. Later in the inning, Karim Garcia(.235/.324/.442) clubbed another 2-run bomb to give the Giants a 5-run advantage. Lotte added 2 more runs in the 6th inning on a 2 RBI single from corner infielder Lee Dae-ho(.286/.371/.498). Lee finished 2-3 with a walk and 3 RBIs. Hanhwa would offer up a fake rally in the 7th, but never really threatened.