5/18 Roundup and News

KIA 7, LG 3
W - Travis Blackley (3-3), L - Bong Jung-geun (1-2)
KIA HR - None LG HR - Yoon Sang-gyun (3)

The difference here was that Travis Blackley threw well and kept his team in the game. LG starter Bong Jung-geun did not.

Blackley tossed seven innings(101 pitches, 63 strikes) of two-run baseball. Big Trav gave up six hits and two walks while striking out eight. Trav managed seven ground outs and eight fly outs.

Dr. Bong didn't have much on Wednesday. Bong gave up three runs on three hits and two walks during two innings of work. Reliever Kim Ki-pyo picked up where Bong left off and gave up four runs on five hits while recording four outs.

KIA left fielder Kim Sang-hyeon lead the Tigers' offense by going 2-4 with a double, a run scored and three RBIs. Shin Jong-gil came on as a pinch hitter for DH Park Ki-nam in the early innings and went 2-3 with a double and two RBIs.

Samsung 4, Nexen 0
W - Ken Kadokura (2-2), L - Moon Seong-hyeon (1-2)
Samsung HR - None Nexen HR - None

Ken Kadokura gave the Samsung bullpen the night off. Kadokura threw a complete game shutout(135 pitches, 82 strikes) in his 100th career(Korea and Japan) victory. Kadokura gave up only three hits, one walk and one hit batsman while striking out six. Ken recorded 14 outs via the fly ball. In other words, a lot of balls found gloves and stayed out of the seats.

Samsung picked up a run in the first inning when center fielder Lee Yeong-wook walked, stole second and scored on a base hit by third baseman Park Seok-min. Samsung grabbed another run in the third inning on a RBI single from second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol. Then, Samsung rallied for two more in the fourth inning to give Kadokura a little breathing room to work with.

SK 4, Lotte 2
W - Gary Glover (4-1), L - Ryan Sadowski (1-2), S - Jeong Dae-hyeon (8)
SK HR - Park Jeong-kwon (6) Lotte - None

Ryan Sadowski is having a hard time catching a break this year. First, he missed the first month with an oblique strains(abdominal injuries are the worst). Then, he came back a little too early and didn't appear to have his stamina where it needed to be to start.

Sadowski threw 7 2/3 innings(98 pitches, 58 strikes), but gave up all four SK runs. Sadowski allowed six hits and one walk while striking out four. Nine of the outs he recorded came via the ground ball. Sadowski really can't be asked to do any more than keep hitters off balance and get ground balls.

SK picked up a run in the second inning when catcher Jeong Sang-ho doubled and scored on a single from right fielder Lim Hoon. SK grabbed another run in the third when shortstop Park Jin-man doubled, advanced to third on a sac bunt and scored on a sac fly from Park Jae-sang.

Then things got a little weird. SK put a runner on second with two outs in the fifth inning. Jeong Geun-woo hit a line drive to left that Hong Seong-heun dove for and watched bounce off his glove for an RBI double.

Lotte loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning. Lotte center fielder Jeon Joon-woo hit a 1-0 pitch down the left field line that hung in the air for....ev....er. SK second baseman Jeong Geun-woo almost ran all the way to the warning track while tracking the ball. It fell in between a spring Jeong and a kinda lollygagging Lim Hoon. To be fair to Lim, if he ran hard after the ball, there was a 98% chance that Jeong would have clobbered him. One run scored and the bases remained loaded. Lotte first baseman Park Jong-yoon hit a sac fly out to left to plate Lotte's second run.

SK picked up some insurance in the eighth inning when Park Jeong-kwon hit a solo homer to push the SK lead to 4-2.

SK reliever Jeong Dae-hyeon recorded the final six outs in order with two K's for the save.

SK catcher Park Kyeong-wan came on as a defensive replacement. This was Park's first appearance of the year. He's been rehabbing for a long time since suffering a bad achilles' injury last year.

Hanhwa 9, Doosan 7
W - Park Jeong-jin (3-1), L - Jeong Jae-hoon (1-1)
Hanhwa HR - None Doosan HR - Kim Dong-ju (4)

Doosan starter Fernando Nieve looks like he's not going to be in Korea much longer. Nieve was battered for two runs on six hits and a walk in three innings of work.

Thankfully, for the Bears, Hanhwa starter Kim Min-je was equally mediocre and Doosan was able to keep the game close and actually take a lead...until the Doosan bullpen let the Hanhwa offense rally for five runs in the sixth inning.

Hanhwa first baseman Jeong Won-seok came through with the key hit of the inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Jeong spanked a base hit into right to score a pair of runs and tie the game at six. Hanhwa picked up another run on an RBI single from right fielder Choo Seung-woo to take a 7-6 lead.

Doosan tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI double from DH Kim Dong-ju. Kim ended the game 3-5 with two doubles, a homer, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Hanhwa broke the tie in the seventh with an RBI single from third baseman Lee Yeo-sang after a balk by pitcher Jeong Jae-hoon allowed catcher Shin Kyeong-hyeon to advance to scoring position.

Hanhwa tacked on an insurance run in the eight with an RBI single from center fielder Kim Dong-woo. Kim finished 3-5 with a run scored and two RBIs.