The KIA Tigers, rated as the top team, are continuing their shaky performance.

Last year, KIA claimed the championship trophy with a powerful lineup and bullpen. Although 4 out of 5 starting pitchers fell due to injuries, the solid bullpen held up, and the substitute starters managed to pitch at least 5 innings. In addition, the strong batting lineup, including Kim Do-young, Choi Hyung-woo, Na Sung-bum, Socrates, and Kim Sun-bin, activated the equation to determine the outcome. The most errors were covered by the scoring power of the lineup.

This year, the situation has completely changed. The starting rotation is demonstrating significantly stronger performance. James Neale, Adam Oller, Kim Do-hyun, Yang Hyun-jong, and Yoon Young-cheol make up the opening starting lineup. Neale has pitched 18 innings without allowing a run over 3 games, and Oller has successfully achieved quality starts for 3 consecutive games. Kim Do-hyun has also recorded quality starts in both games, pitching 12 innings with an earned run average of 1.50.

Yang Hyun-jong has completed 16 innings over 3 games and recorded 1 quality start. Yoon Young-cheol is the only one who has managed only 2 innings in 1 game. The schedule was delayed twice due to canceled games. The starting average earned run average is 2.91, ranking 2nd among the 10 teams. Quality starts have been recorded a total of 7 times, also placing 2nd. However, the team record stands at 4 wins and 8 losses, placing them in 9th.

The scoring power has significantly declined. The injury to Kim Do-young in the opening game dealt a shocking blow. Park Chan-ho also missed ten days due to a knee injury, and now Kim Sun-bin is out due to a calf muscle injury. The injury to Kim Sun-bin proved to be a fatal blow. Still, KIA scored 9 points in the opening game without Kim Do-young and had games with 12 and 10 points against Kwangju Kiwoom in a 3-game series. Kim Sun-bin, who consistently created and extended opportunities at crucial moments, has been absent from the starting lineup due to injury, significantly diminishing the weight of the lineup.

Last week, in 4 games against upper-tier teams Samsung Lions and LG Twins, they managed only 1 win and 3 losses. In the game against Samsung, they scored just 2 and 3 runs, while in the game against LG, they only managed 2 and 1 run. Cohesion has not returned, leading to the disappearance of big innings. Although they boasted a strong batting average over .300, the team's batting average is only .249. Meeting tough pitchers consistently has played a significant role. With the absence of Kim Do-young and Park Chan-ho, the team has also limited their stolen bases to just 5, hindering their ability to execute speed-based baseball.

Despite establishing leads due to the strong performances from the starters, the bullpen's struggles have led to 4 painful comeback losses. If they had only held onto two of those leads, they would have a record of 6 wins and 6 losses. Closer Jeong Hae-young allowed a lead in the 9th inning, resulting in a blown save, and after Jo Sang-woo, Jeon Sang-hyun (earned run average of 15.00) and Kwak Do-kyu (earned run average of 12.00) also struggled in rotation. Lim Ki-young (earned run average of 27.00) and Hwang Dong-ha (earned run average of 9.00) also failed to effectively navigate multiple innings. This is not the bullpen that led them to victory last year.

In addition, defensive instability is deepening the wrinkles in their performance. The defense faltered during the weekend's game against LG at Jamsil. In the game on the 4th, with a 2-0 lead, center fielder Choi Won-jun misplayed a ball hit by Moon Bo-kyung with two outs and a runner on first, turning it into a run-scoring double. In the game on the 6th, during the 2nd inning with two outs and the bases loaded, Lee Woo-sung allowed a run to score after fumbling a crucial hit from Hong Chang-ki. The team has committed 10 errors in 12 games.

This level of performance is unexpected. It is clear that the team's strength has weakened due to injuries to key players, but losing games that can be won is not characteristic of a defending champion. It appears that the bullpen needs to regain its strength. There was a period when the bullpen pitchers, who expended a lot of energy during last year's championship run, started at 100% effectiveness. With warmer weather, a rebound may be possible.

Closer Jeong Hae-young and newcomer Jo Sang-woo have begun to show stability. It is expected that Kim Do-young will return next week, allowing for some restructuring of the batting and pitching strengths. They must endure the next week well. Over this week, in a 6-game series against Lotte Giants (Sajik) and SSG Landers (Gwangju), they will need to at least perform at a .500 level.

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