Week 6 Power Rankings

4 plus 2 (not shown) fingers for how many times Nexen won this week.

Week 6 win/loss are in brackets. There were no cancelled games this week.

1. Nexen Heroes (6-0)

The story of the KBO. I don't readily recall a this long winning streak this side of the SK Wyverns in a while. It's the first 6 game winning streak this season for any team, and the Heroes top their 5 game winning streak they recorded last month. Their 19-14-1 after 34 is good for 2nd in the league after SK. This week, the Heroes beat very good teams too: Lotte and Samsung. And not only that, they absolutely pounded Lotte 26-3 total runs in that series and they outsmarted last year's KBO champions Samsung, especially in game 3 of that series when they scored first and last to win 5-3. 

2. LG Twins (5-1)

LG's fight for legitimacy was helped with a strong series win over first place SK and by sweeping their cross locker room rivals Doosan. Second year import Ben Jukich is 5-0 with a 2.13 and reliever Yoo Won-sang has a .94 ERA. LG's playoff hopes are far from secure however. As a team, their offence is pretty mediocre (.252 team BA - second last in the league, 289 hits - third last) and their pitching staff is a 2 or 3 man operation. Bong Jeung-geun has 6 saves however in his new life as a closer. LG will be managing their resources intelligently to get into the post season this season.

3. SK Wyverns (4-2)

SK started the week weak not being able to get past LG, but SK took advantage of a Hanhwa series to end the week with an expected sweep. SK has been strong all season so this dip in play still has them at the top of the standings with a 19-12-1 record. The pennant is not theirs as Nexen has an identical record plus 2 more losses and is breathing down SK's necks. You know, it would be great if this turns into an entertaining west of Seoul rivalry. Park Hui-su is 3-0, 1.08 as the best reliever on staff. 

4. Samsung Lions (2-4)

Started the week with a well played series win over rivals Kia. But Samsung was steamrolled by the Nexen train to damage their egos and quest for the post season. Lee Seung-yup is fitting in very well and he is an elite hitter on this team. Vet catcher Jin Gap-yong is hitting .361 with 30 hits. Overall, offense is lacking in Daegu and the Lions need to either start playing better small ball or start hitting more home runs. Samsung's next opponents are Lotte and SK.

5. Lotte Giants (3-3)

Steamrolled by Nexen and then took out their frustrations on a limp Kia team. Lotte is on the verge of an early season bounce back as they hang onto a playoff position after week six. Part time second baseman Park Joon-saw had a great week and he is on a 4 game hitting streak. His current average is .727 but don't expect the career .212 hitter to be Lotte's saviour. This week, Lotte was absolutely humiliated by Nexen (see above). That series served as an exclamation point for Lotte's recent woes but the Kia sweep will hopefully symbolize the league's showcase team's path back on the right course.

6.  Hanhwa Eagles (2-4)

This is relatively a decent week for the Eagles but they can't seem to replicate their former losing cousins Nexen's success in getting out of the standings basement. Ryu Hyun-jin is again carrying this team but he is throwing well over 100 pitches every start. Park Chan-ho has been a very welcome, if inconsistent, addition but not someone to build a team towards the future with. Its been reported that he is a very good veteran locker room presence and I hope this leads to some good seeds being planted within the Eagles organization. 

7.  Kia Tigers (1-5)

Last week we were discussing how manager Sun Dong-yul will guage this week's performance and determine the road Kia will take. It looks like a full scale re-build is in Kia's tarot cards. In their Sunday loss to the also struggling Lotte Giants, each pitcher with Kia gave up at least a run. And Ahn Chi-hong is Kia's best hitter with a .302 BA and 3 home runs. Keep in mind that Nexen SS Kang Jeong-ho leads the league with 13 home runs and Eagle Kim Tae-gyun leads averages with .451. Kia's best is that far back from the league's pace setters and this is the reason why the Tigers are losing.

8. Doosan Bears (1-5)

A nightmarish week has the Bears falling out of a playoff position. Lim Tae-hoon's fall from grace illustrates what's happening with the team as a whole. After being seemingly unhittable, Lim's game ERA's from his last 3 appearances read 10.38, 14.54,  and 6.75. Lim's on a 3 game losing streak and Doosan's ace in name Kim Sun-woo has been very weak with a 6.18 ERA right now. A Jamsil sweep by their stadium rivals LG had to have put a big dent in Doosan's collective ego. Second year import Dustin Nippert is the man on the staff with a 5-2, 2.67. Nippert is the arm to build this season around as Doosan tries to get into the post season after failing last season.