Shortstop Noh Jin-hyuk, 34, who should be the centerpiece of the Lotte Giants’ second half comeback, hasn’t been able to wake up from his summer slumber. Even after returning from injury, Noh’s cool bat hasn’t come through.
Noh, who signed a four-year, 5 billion won free agent contract with Lotte this year, was the centerpiece of Lotte’s April-May surge. Not only did he secure the starting shortstop spot, but he also served as the brain trust of the batting lineup. He was a fixer in the sixth and seventh spots in the batting order, the link between the center field and the bottom of the order.
Through May, he was batting 20-for-39 (136 at-bats) with three home runs, 22 RBIs, and an .800 OPS. He was just 2-for-5 (9-for-36) with runners in scoring position during that stretch, but he hit three game-winning hits and went 4-for-2 (11-for-26) with two runs or less after the seventh inning. He was a clutch performer with a record to prove it.
However, a combination of nagging back and side pain caused his performance to dip and the Lotte batting lineup to lose steam. Noh’s absence left a big hole. On June 15, he was released from the first team and was out for 20 days. Coincidentally, Noh’s slump coincided with the team’s downward graph. From June through the first half of the season, Noh played in only 14 games, batting just 1-for-56 (7-for-45) with an OPS of .424. The team went 11-22 in 33 games during that stretch.
With their five-game winning percentage collapsing at the end of the first half and still desperate to regain it, Lotte needs a rebound in the batting order, and Noh’s role is crucial. After the center fielder, the bottom of the order needs a batsman who can add weight and create a sense of intimidation, but Noh hasn’t been able to deliver.
Noh returned to action on the fifth of this month and has played two games since the All-Star break, but he still hasn’t regained his cool bat. In the eight games he has played since returning from injury, he is batting just 7-for-4 (2-for-27) and has now gone silent in four straight games, including the last two games of the first half and the first two games of the second half.
The game against Sajik Kiwoom on the 22nd was a day when the in-form Noh Jinhyeok was sorely missed. The meal prepared for the silent Noh was all leftovers.
Noh, who started at shortstop in the No. 7 spot, got into scoring position in the first inning. After giving up four runs in the top of the first inning, they got one back in the bottom of the inning and had the bases loaded with two outs. However, Kiwoom couldn’t get any timing on Rado’s fastball and fouled it off the third baseman. The first chance was wasted.
In the fourth inning, Park Seung-wook led off with a walk, but Noh flied out to left field. In the fifth, Park had runners on second and third with one out, but he flied out to left field.
Same thing in the seventh. With runners on first and second, he again flied out to left field. The pitches didn’t look like they belonged to Noh, who has a strong batting lineup with the strike zone in front of him. The pitches to left were late, and the only time he was able to get anything going was in the top of the ninth, when he struck out after Park Seung-wook’s double.
Noh stranded seven runners in scoring position. If Noh had returned to his April/May form, Lotte would not have lost this game. Lotte had runners on base in every inning except the third, but could only score three runs and lost 3-5. They stranded 20 runners on base with 13 hits and seven walks.온라인카지노
Noh Jin-hyuk will be the key to a second half comeback. However, Noh has yet to wake up from his summer slumber. When will we see his resurgence?