The teams that will rise will rise.
Kiwoom Heroes and KT Wiz are on a roll. Kiwoom has collected eight wins (one draw) and KT six wins (four losses) in their last 10 games, and they are slowly climbing up the standings.
The Lotte Giants’ momentum has taken a hit. Once in the thick of the race with a win-loss margin of +10, Lotte has a dismal record of just two wins (8 losses) in their last 10 games. A series sweep at Suwon KT on June 20-21 sealed a five-game losing streak. In the month of June, the team won just five games in 18 matches, resulting in a monthly winning percentage of just 0.278. Their win-loss margin has also dwindled to +2, and they are now in a position where they have to worry about winning 5% of their games.
Kiwoom and KT, on the other hand, seem to be gaining momentum lately. After breaking their losing streak against the Incheon SSG Landers on June 4, Kiwoom has nine wins (two draws and three losses) in 14 games and four consecutive winning series. KT has 11 wins (5 losses) in 16 games in June, ranking second in overall monthly winning percentage (0.688).
Lotte has been able to rack up wins through its bullpen and batting cohesion despite a lackluster start to the season, but the bullpen’s fatigue after two months of nonstop work has begun to take its toll. Foreign pitcher Dan Straily hasn’t rebounded, and free agent Han Hyun-hee hasn’t been up to par. Even Na Kyun-ahn, who has been the best of the homegrown starters, is faltering.
Kiwoom and KT are slowly returning to their original form. Kiwoom has been showing its characteristic cohesion as its main players, who struggled early in the season, have recently started to find their groove. KT, which groaned under the weight of injuries to its main players early in the season, has regained its cohesion as they have started to return. Kiwoom replaced Eric Yokishi with Ian McKinney after he was sidelined with an injury, and KT made a quick switch to foreign players with William Cuevas replacing the struggling Bo Schuler.
With Lotte’s fall and Kiwoom’s rise, the middle of the pack is shaping up to be a battleground. As of the 21st, only three games separate the four teams from fourth-place Lotte to seventh-place KIA. Depending on the outcome of the three-game series, the standings could flip. In addition, KT, which is trailing KIA by one game, is in a position to join the race if its recent form continues.온라인카지노
The Doosan Bears and Kia Tigers could be the difference makers here. Doosan has struggled in June, with a five-game winning streak broken, while KIA has also struggled to accumulate wins. Both teams have constants in their favor – Doosan’s tenacity and KIA’s comeback power – but given their recent performances, it’s unclear if they’ll be able to capitalize. Depending on how these two teams perform over the remainder of the first half of the season, we could see Lotte hold onto their spot, or we could see Kiwoom and KT get stuck in their current positions.