LG Twins have fallen into a shocking five-game losing streak. With April coming to an end and the first game of May, there was hope for a change in atmosphere, but the silence of the batting lineup continues.

On the 2nd, LG suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat against SSG Landers at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. As a result, LG fell into a five-game losing quagmire. They were caught from behind. LG lost, and coincidentally, all the teams chasing in 2nd to 4th place won.

Second-place Lotte achieved a come-from-behind victory over NC with a score of 4-3. Second-place Hanwha won 3-2 against KIA with a game-winning home run from Noh Si-hwan in the 11th inning. Fourth-place Samsung beat Doosan 6-2 with a crucial three-run home run from Kang Min-ho. They are now just 0.5 games behind Lotte and Hanwha, and 1 game behind fourth-place Samsung.

Starting pitcher Son Joo-young recorded five innings, allowing five hits, one home run, two walks, four strikeouts, and two earned runs. Following him, the bullpen consisted of Kim Young-woo (⅓ inning), Park Myung-geun (1⅔ innings), and Kim Kang-ryul (1 inning), with closer Jang Hyun-sik (1 inning) coming in to shut down further scoring without allowing additional runs.

However, the team's batting lineup managed only one run on six scattered hits and three walks. They scored one run due to an opponent's error without any timely hits.

Starting pitcher Son Joo-young faced a two-run home run from Choi Jeong in the first inning with one out and a runner on first base after returning from a hamstring injury. The fifth pitch was a fastball (145km) that was high, despite catcher Park Dong-won's attempt to guide it low. Aside from this errant delivery, he pitched well from the second to the fifth innings, yielding only one hit. This marked his second loss of the season.

Offense was frustrating. After one out in the third, Hong Chang-ki hit a single to left, followed by Austin with a single to center, creating opportunities on first and second. However, Moon Bo-kyung was retired on a fly ball to left field after hitting the first pitch.

In the fifth inning, Park Hae-min's single to right, a wild pitch by the pitcher, and Shin Min-jae's surprise bunt single toward third created a chance with no outs and runners on first and third. While attempting to steal second, Shin Min-jae caused a run-down, and third baseman Park Hae-min, who was trying to score, returned to third base. The shortstop's poor throw allowed Park Hae-min to score.

Trailing 1-2, they continued to hold a no-out position with a runner on second. However, Hong Chang-ki struck out, and Moon Sung-ju walked. With one out and runners on first and second, Austin fouled out to first base, and Moon Bo-kyung grounded into a double play, failing to capitalize on the opportunity.

After overcoming the crisis with one out and runners on first and second in the top of the seventh, Park Hae-min led off the bottom of the seventh with a hit. It was a chance after the crisis, but with Shin Min-jae at bat, the runner on first base was caught by a pick-off by the pitcher and got out. In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, Park Dong-won reached on a walk, and pinch runner Choi Won-young attempted to steal second but was tagged out as the game ended.

Scoring one run makes it hard to win. The collective slump of LG's batting lineup is prolonged. Before the game that day, manager Yeom Kyung-yeop sighed, saying about the batting inconsistency, "I am trying to find the reason, but I cannot discover it. They have been given rest, and there is no issue of overwork, so I don't know why they suddenly can't hit. That's why baseball is tough."

[OSEN]