The Korea Professional Baseball League Lotte Giants face the Hanwha Eagles, who are competing for ranking while experiencing ongoing injury issues that have created gaps in their roster.

Lotte will play the 8th game of the season against the Hanwha Eagles in the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League' at the Busan Sajik Stadium on the 17th. Lotte will have Tucker Davidson as the starting pitcher, while Hanwha will have Ryan Weiss.

The race for the league lead this season is more intense than ever. Hanwha leads the league with a record of 41 wins, 1 draw, and 27 losses for a winning percentage of .603, while LG follows closely in second place with 40 wins, 2 draws, and 27 losses, with a winning percentage of .597, just half a game behind. Lotte is in third place with 37 wins, 3 draws, and 30 losses, holding a 3.5-game deficit. Depending on the outcome of this home series, Lotte could quickly narrow the gap with Hanwha or see it widen significantly.

Thus, winning the first game of the series is important. Lotte's starting pitcher Davidson is the most reliable pitcher on the team. This season, he has recorded 6 wins, 2 losses, and an earned run average of 3.55 in 14 games (78⅔ innings). However, the opponent is no slouch. Hanwha's starting pitcher Weiss has recorded 8 wins, 2 losses, and an earned run average of 3.09 in 14 games (87⅓ innings), ranking second in the league for most wins. With many injured players in Lotte's lineup, the challenge is even tougher.

Lotte has recently seen many players exit from the roster due to injuries and poor performance. Yoo Kang-nam, Yoon Dong-hee, Na Seung-yeop, Hwang Seong-bin, and Jang Du-seong are among those missing from the first team roster. Notably, the consecutive injuries to Hwang Seong-bin and Jang Du-seong, who has taken the lead-off role this year, are particularly painful.

Hwang Seong-bin established himself as a lead-off batter for Lotte last year, showcasing his potential. This year, he has performed well at the start of the season, recording a .324 batting average (36 hits in 111 at-bats), 12 RBIs, 18 runs, 10 stolen bases, and an OPS of .744 in 28 games. However, on the 5th of last month, he sustained a fracture to his left ring finger while sliding into first base against SSG, forcing him out of the lineup.

Lotte nearly faced a crisis after losing their lead-off batter, but a surprise emergence from new lead-off Jang Du-seong came to the rescue. Jang Du-seong has recorded a .330 batting average (47 hits in 155 at-bats), 23 RBIs, 34 runs, 9 stolen bases, and an OPS of .712 in 61 games, leading Lotte's upward trend unexpectedly. Unfortunately, Jang Du-seong was also sidelined by an unforeseen injury. On the 12th, during the game against KT, he took a pitch from pitcher Park Young-hyun to the side, which caused a pulmonary hemorrhage injury. Fortunately, it is not a serious injury, and he is currently focused on recovery.

On the 16th, Lotte reported, "According to a detailed examination by the thoracic and esophageal surgery department at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, the bleeding caused by a pulmonary contusion has stopped and seems stable. The damage is not severe, allowing for light exercise. He will move to Sangdong for training, and the intensity of the workouts will be gradually increased after monitoring his condition. A return to play is planned to be coordinated after a reexamination on the 23rd."

It is fortunate that it is not a major injury, but it is expected to take considerable time for Jang Du-seong to return to the first team. Lotte will have to face an important three-game series against Hanwha without a lead-off batter.

After Jang Du-seong's injury, Lotte utilized Kim Dong-hyeok against right-handed pitchers and Son Ho-young against left-handed pitchers in the game against SSG for the lead-off position. However, the results were unsatisfactory. Kim Dong-hyeok faced the right-handed Anderson, going 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts, while Son Ho-young faced the left-handed Kim Gwang-hyun, finishing 0 for 4 with 1 run.

Lotte's manager Kim Tae-hyoung emphasized, "There is no such thing as a batter suitable for lead-off. They must hit well. It is not simply about speed."

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