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LG Twins seek turnaround with 'heat break' amid slump
🇰🇷 South Korea /Sports

LG Twins seek turnaround with 'heat break' amid slump

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • The LG Twins, currently last in the KBO league's second half, are using a scheduled heat break to regroup and improve their performance.
  • The team has struggled since the second half began, marked by a seven-game losing streak and a subsequent slump, leading to a last-place standing in the league.
  • Key challenges include the inconsistency of foreign pitcher Wells and the overall collapse of the starting rotation, with the team aiming to rebuild its pitching staff during the break.

The LG Twins are hoping a league-mandated break due to extreme heat will be the 'heat break' they need to reverse their fortunes. The defending champions have fallen to third place after leading the league in the first half, and their second-half performance has been dismal.

The LG Twins are hoping a league-mandated break due to extreme heat will be the 'heat break' they need to reverse their fortunes.

Introduction to the article's main theme.

LG began the second half with a season-high seven-game losing streak and has only managed three wins since, with one tie, in 16 games. This slump has pushed them to the bottom of the league standings for the second half, with a .350 winning percentage. They now trail league leaders KT by 6.5 games and second-place Samsung by 5 games.

LG is using the 'heat break' as a good opportunity to turn the atmosphere around.

Explaining the team's perspective on the break.

The team has faced pitching challenges all season, including the underperformance of foreign starter Chirinos and the season-ending injury to closer Yoo Young-chan. While Australian pitcher Wells initially performed well, his ERA has ballooned in the second half, contributing to a collective collapse of the starting rotation. LG's team ERA in the second half is a league-worst 7.09.

LG's biggest task during the break is to reorganize the starting rotation.

Highlighting the team's primary challenge.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yup believes Wells' struggles stem from his pitching patterns being figured out by opponents and has ordered adjustments. The team is also looking to new foreign pitcher Carrasco, who showed promise in his debut by pitching seven perfect innings before the bullpen allowed a tying run. The break offers LG a chance to rest and regroup, with plans to resume training on August 9th, followed by a favorable schedule against lower-ranked teams.

Yeom Kyung-yup, LG manager, believes the reason for Wells' slump in the second half is that his pitching patterns have been read by the opposing team.

Manager's diagnosis of a player's performance issue.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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