Lee Jung-hoo (27, San Francisco Giants) seems to be reviving but has yet to truly come back. Local media in San Francisco has begun to express doubts about Lee's rebound, using the phrase 'excessive optimism.'
On the 10th (Korean time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the seventh batter in center field in the home game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, recording 2 at-bats without a hit and 1 walk. San Francisco was also silenced with 4 hits, suffering a complete defeat of 0-13, ending a four-game winning streak.
Facing Philadelphia's left-handed starter, Jesús Luzardo, Lee struck out swinging on a low outside sweeper in his first at-bat with runners on first and second and one out in the second inning. After watching a low sinker go by for a strike, he swung at a sinker that came deep inside on the second pitch, resulting in a foul. After picking a ball on the third pitch, he cut the fourth low outside sweeper as a foul, but on the fifth pitch, his bat whiffed on a sweeper that dropped even lower, knocking off his helmet.
In the fifth inning, leading off, he flied out to center field, and in his last at-bat in the eighth as a leadoff hitter, he drew a walk after a full-count battle with right-handed reliever Seth Johnson. Although he got on base once via the walk, he remained silent with no hits, dropping his season batting average from .246 to .245 (82 hits in 335 at-bats), and his OPS fell from .707 to .705. His last home run was on May 15 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he is experiencing a drought of home runs for the last 46 games.
In June, Lee Jung-hoo showed extreme struggles with a batting average of .143 (12 hits in 84 at-bats), no home runs, and 3 RBIs. However, in July, he has shown signs of revival with a batting average of .296 (8 hits in 27 at-bats), no home runs, and 3 RBIs in 7 games, along with an OPS of .717. Nevertheless, he has not fully returned to form, while local media are casting skeptical glances.
Following the game on the 10th, local media 'NBC Sports Bay Area' pointed out that Lee Jung-hoo's struggles continue. Reporter Alex Pavlovich noted, 'Last week, I thought Lee's swing was improving as the series against Arizona began. He had a 3-hit game on the 3rd against Arizona, showing signs of breaking out of a long slump, but that was excessive optimism.'
He added, 'In the first inning, Lee struck out with two runners on base, finishing with 2 at-bats, no hits, and 1 walk. Lee, whose June batting average was .143, is still searching for consistency. After the 3-hit game at Chase Field, he has no extra-base hits in the last 22 at-bats, with 5 hits. He is at risk of dropping below an OPS of .700 for the first time since the first series of the year.'
Continuing, reporter Pavlovich stated, 'San Francisco has given Lee a few days off recently, but he is likely to start all three games in this weekend's series. The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to pitch right-handers Dustin May, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.'
Lee has already missed games for rest twice this month, sitting out against Arizona on the 2nd and against the Athletics on the 7th. He was excluded from the starting lineup against the Athletics, facing left-handed starter Jacob Lopez, but the Arizona game featured right-handed starter Zack Gallen. It's not a matter of the type of opposing starter.
However, having recently taken two breaks and with the 11th being a day with no games, it is highly likely that he will play fully in the last three-game series against the Dodgers in the first half. To definitively break free from the two-month slump, he needs to perform well in the home three-game series against the Dodgers. An impactful performance is necessary to quell the growing doubts from the local media.
[OSEN]