The Lotte Giants moved their winning streak to six-straight games on Wednesday, defeating the top-ranked NC Dinos 8-4. The game was the first of the week for the Giants at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea, as Tuesday’s game was rained out.
The win for the Giants saw the team get a rare victory over Dinos starter Drew Rucinski, a starter who had only lost once before his game on Wednesday. While the Dinos scored four runs in the game, it was a sixth-inning grand slam from the Giants that took the game out of reach.
Dinos Earn Two-Run Lead
The Dinos were first to score, taking home two runs in the first inning. The first was scored by Aaron Altherr, who drove home Lee Myung-gi off of a hit. Two at-bats later, a ground ball from Park Suk-min allowed Na Sung-bum to get home.
Giants Get Eight
The Giants started to score in the third, with a hit from Son Ah-seop taking home two runners. The team took the lead in the fifth, as a hit from Jeon Jun-woo scored two more runs.
Insurance runs came late in the appearance of starter Drew Rucinski, as a grand slam was hit by Kim Joon-tae in the sixth inning made the game 8-2. The home run was only his second of the season, with his first being hit only two games before.
The Dinos had some scoring late in the game, as two runs were earned against reliever Kim Geon-guk. After a hit from Lee Myung-gi scored two runners, Kim was able to finish the inning.
Starters Given Win And Loss
Rucinski was pulled from the game after giving up a home run to Kim. The game was his second loss of the season, moving his record to 11-2. His last loss came in early June, dropping a game to the Doosan Bears.
Giants starter Dan Straily played six innings, giving up six hits and two runs in his stint. Being given the win for the game, Straily got his seventh win of the season. While Straily only earned five strikeouts in his appearance, he continues to lead the KBO in 2020 strikeouts with 116 in total.
Giants Overtake Wiz For Sixth
The six-game streak of wins for the Giants has been a big one for the team, moving them up the KBO rankings and taking them to a positive record of 39-35. With their Wednesday win the Giants moved up to sixth in the KBO, overtaking the KT Wiz who have a 40-36 record.
The team could continue to move up the rankings if their streak continues, as they now sit only half-a-game behind the fifth-place Kia Tigers.
Before the Giants start a series with the Kiwoom Heroes on Friday, they will play another game against the Dinos on Thursday, with the first pitch being scheduled for 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).
Around The KBO
A shutout performance for the LG Twins was lead by starter Lim Chan-gyu on Wednesday, as the team defeated the Kia Tigers 8-0.
Going into the 10th inning, the Kiwoom Heroes got a walk-off win after Lee Jung-hoo hit a solo home run to give the team a 3-2 win against the Hanhwa Eagles.
Early scoring from the SK Wyverns including a three-run home run from Choi Jeong that took the game out of reach for the KT Wiz, who lost 11-2.
It was a rough night for Samsung Lions starter Choi Chae-heung, who gave up 11 runs in his five-inning appearance against the Doosan Bears. The Bears won the high-scoring game 15-8.
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