For the week of May 24 to May 29. Week records in parenthesis.
I guess this is what happens when you play Nexen all week. Yoon Suk-min wants to go to the Major Leagues but he's not doing anything special. He gave up 2 home runs and 4 earned runs in their loss to Nexen on Saturday. Team will play LG next and judging by the way LG has been hitting, I believe Kia will be out of a playoff spot by week's end.
2. LG Twins (3-3)
Hottest bats in the league. Lee Byung-gyu and Park Yong-tek's leading the KBO with 58 hits each. LG's 40 home runs are 6 more than what Kia has. They also lead the league in hits (449), team BA (.276), and doubles (77). Park Hyun-jun caved in the Sunday loss against Nexen giving up 6 earned runs in 3 innings. His ERA has ballooned to 3.29 but he's still K'ing at a little less than one strikeout an inning. Youngster Im Chan-gyu is also a standout rocking a 5-1, 1.86. Expect this team to contend.
3. SK Wyverns (3-3)
Record has been pretty mediocre these days and are hanging onto that number 1 position in the standings because of their early season success. They only have one more win than second place LG (28 to 27) but SK has less losses than LG (15 to 20). In this way, LG may take over number 1 (for the first time in 30 days or whatever) but it probably won't happen this week, because of the number of losses LG still has. SK takes on Doosan and Kia next.
4. Samsung Lions (2-2-1)
Quietly building a good season in Daegu. This might be the way to contend and win a championship. Impressively won 2 of 3 against SK in the weekend series and stand at #3 in the standings. Ryan Garko has been a disappointment (.253, 1HR) and expect him to be replaced by Choi Tae-in when he comes back from injury.
5. Hanhwa Eagles (3-3)
Almost swept Doosan and looking to bring over Karim Garcia to Korea, Eagles are looking more and more like they're on the up and up. Relatively on the up and up, because they're still trying climb out of the hole they've dug themselves into so far this season. Eagles are still last in most offensive categories except for their 30 home runs which is good for 4th in the league. Bringing in Garcia or another slugger will transform this team into a squad known for power.
6. Lotte Giants (2-3-1)
Ryu Joong-il is settling in in Busan and cruising at just outside of playoff positioning. A couple bad weeks by Kia or Samsung and the Seagulls should back in the top 4. Got pounded 11-3 by Kia, then pounded them back 9-0 the next day, good to see Ryu's carrying on Jerry Royster's knack for inconsistency. Hong Seong-heun was 5 for 23 this week and he is on a steep decline which he may not recover from.
7. Doosan Bears (2-4)
I keep thinking the Bears will bounce back but it doesn't seem to be happening. They still have the same recognizable stars on their roster. But you can't ignore their mediocrity in terms of team performance. Their .261 team BA is barely good for 4th in the league and their 24 home runs is only better than Nexen's 17. The only offensive stat Doosan is high in is in stolen bases, 52, which is second to LG's 65. Most of their games have been pretty close and some more offense should get them back on track, but there's no sign of any improvement in offense.
8. Nexen Heroes (2-4)
The most boring, uninteresting team in the league. Mok-dong Stadium is basically a dumping ground for players un-wanted by the other squads and fans of LG and Doosan to take over when their teams are the "visitors." They hosted (lost) a series to LG this past weekend and I swore I could hear the announcers cheering for LG. This is a team with a very rich history by way of their past as the Hyundai Unicorns. And this organization's disinterest in improving their product in anyway is disappointing.
Edit: Kia didn't play Nexen all week and they played Lotte in the weekend series. They lost to Lotte on the Saturday. I was lost in Sunday afternoon haze.
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