Despite being overwhelmingly in third place, concerns remain. What the master tactician wants now is a reliable ace to fill the void left by Charlie Barnes.

On the 11th, ahead of the first game of the doubleheader against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung emphasized the need for a foreign ace.

With a victory against Suwon KT on the 10th, Lotte is riding a three-game winning streak. At the same time, the Samsung Lions fell into a seven-game losing streak in Daegu, widening the gap to four games with fourth-place Samsung. Lotte is building an overwhelming three-way competition, trailing first-place Hanwha Eagles by three games and second-place LG Twins by two games.

However, the expression on the manager's face was not as bright as expected. This was due to a significant number of key starters being sidelined, leading to signs of overwork in the bullpen. The previous day's game saw starter Na Gyun-an exit after allowing five runs in three innings, forcing the bullpen resources, including Kim Kang-hyun, Jeong Hyun-soo, Kim Sang-su, Han Hyun-hee, Song Jae-young, Jeong Cheol-won, and Kim Won-jung, to take the field en masse.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "We currently do not have a number one starter. Without a number one starter, the calculations get a bit tricky, and we are essentially operating with two starting pitchers (Park Se-woong and Tucker Davidson). So, the calculations are off." He added, "For the time being, the middle pitchers need to hold the fort. First, we will see how well Lee Min-seok throws in today's second game, and I am also keeping an eye on Kim Jin-wook."

Lotte's most urgent task is to fill the void left by Barnes, who has been sidelined for at least eight weeks due to a shoulder injury. Manager Kim Tae-hyung stated, "There is no choice. We need to bring in a decent player among the foreign players available. If we want to wait for a better player, it will likely be June. For now, the team must bring in a player who can step up from the available players."

In response to remarks from reporters about having many concerns despite being overwhelmingly in third place, Manager Kim Tae-hyung laughed and said, "Even when in first place, a manager has many concerns."

Meanwhile, Lotte has set its starting lineup against KT starter William Cuevas as follows: Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Victor RAY (left fielder), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Son Ho-young (third baseman), Yoo Kang-nam (catcher), Jang Du-seong (center fielder), and Lee Ho-jun (shortstop). The starting pitcher is ace Park Se-woong.

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