The professional baseball LG Twins' momentum as the 'absolute powerhouse' has vanished like a mirage.

LG can no longer feel secure in 1st place. After five consecutive losses, LG may fall to 3rd place depending on the results of the game on the 3rd. This happened in just a week. What on earth has happened?

# On April 25, LG defeated KIA 6-5 to reach 20 wins first. With a record of 20 wins and 7 losses (win rate .741), it maintained the absolute powerhouse position. LG was five games ahead of joint 2nd place Samsung and Lotte, and had a 5.5-game lead over 4th place KT and 5th place Hanwha.

# However, as of the 2nd, LG is in an unstable 1st place. It is being chased by joint 2nd place Lotte and Hanwha by 0.5 games. 4th place Samsung is just one game behind. In a week, a 4.5-game lead has vanished.

LG has fallen into a five-game losing streak since April 26. They lost two consecutive games to KIA on the 26th and 27th, recording a losing series in the three-game series. They lost two consecutive games to Hanwha on the 29th and 30th. In their first game in May, they lost again to SSG on the 2nd.

During the five-game losing streak, the team's batting average plummeted to .179. They scored a total of 11 runs over the five games, averaging 2.2 runs. The batting lineup is failing to produce runs. They lost 2-3 to KIA on the 27th of last month, 2-3 to Hanwha on the 29th, and 1-2 to SSG on the 2nd. If the pitching staff allows three runs, it's a loss.

In the game against SSG held at Jamsil Stadium on the 2nd, LG revealed the issues behind their recent losing streak.

Starting pitcher Son Joo-young performed relatively well, allowing two runs through five innings. In the first inning, he gave up a two-run homer to Choi Jeong, who returned from a hamstring injury, with one out and runners on first base. On a 2-ball, 2-strike count, the fifth pitch, a fastball (145 km/h), was a high mistake pitch. From the second to the fifth inning, he allowed only one hit and pitched well.

The problem was the batting lineup. LG capitalized on a chance with no outs and runners on 1st and 3rd after Park Hae-min's single to right, a wild pitch from the pitcher, and a surprise bunt single from Shin Min-jae. However, while attempting to steal, the runner on first was intentionally caught in a rundown, and they gained a lucky run due to an error on the shortstop's throw to third base.

However, in a continued opportunity to tie the game at second base with no outs, Hong Chang-ki struck out. Moon Sung-joo walked, resulting in one out with runners on 1st and 2nd, but Austin flew out to first base, and Moon Bo-gyeong grounded into a double play, squandering the chance to tie the game.

SSG's bullpen, unable to use four key relievers who pitched three and two consecutive games the previous day, was not effectively attacked by the LG batting lineup. They were powerless against rookie Park Si-hu from the 6th inning until there was one out in the 8th.

LG's bullpen, featuring Kim Young-woo (⅓ inning), Park Myung-geun (1⅔ innings), Kim Gang-ryul (1 inning), and closer Jang Hyun-sik (1 inning), managed to prevent additional runs from the 6th inning onward. However, the batting lineup could not deliver a breakthrough until the end.

While LG suffered a five-game losing streak due to a collective slump in the batting lineup, Hanwha recorded five wins, Lotte had five wins and one loss, and Samsung achieved four wins, one loss, and one tie. It's a tale of two extremes. If LG loses again on the 3rd and both Hanwha and Lotte win, LG will drop from 1st to 3rd. Although it's early in the season, it could be an unprecedented fall.

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