Lotte Giants ace Charlie Barnes (28) will attempt to reach 10 wins for the second consecutive year against his nemesis, the LG Twins.
Barnes will take the mound against LG in the 2023 Shinhan Bank Solar KBO League at Jamsil Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
Lotte had previously announced Aaron Wilkerson as the starting pitcher on the 23rd. However, when the game was canceled, they replaced him with Barnes on the 24th. Wilkerson, who was preparing to start for the second consecutive day, skipped a turn in the rotation.
Lotte (50-54), which has lost three straight, remains in seventh place. They are just 2.5 games behind the fifth-place Doosan Bears (52 wins, 1 tie, 51 losses). With the possibility of advancing to the Fall League, it’s important for Lotte to end the losing streak and change the team’s mood.
However, facing the strongest LG bats in the KBO will be a challenge.
Barnes, who won 12 games in his KBO debut last year, will be looking for his second straight double-digit win season. In 22 starts this year, Barnes has posted a 9-6 record with a 3.53 ERA, the best of any Lotte starter.
Barnes had a rough start to the year, pitching inconsistently through June and at one point being called out.
However, he picked up his pace in July. He focused more on his velocity, which gave him an advantage in working the count. He used his fastball, slider, changeup, and two-seam fastball to keep hitters off balance.
Barnes has won four of his last six games. He has a very low ERA of 1.21 during that span, and has three no-hitters.
However, Barnes has been unusually weak against the LG this year.
In three starts against the LG this season, Barnes is winless with two losses and a 9.26 ERA. He gave up a whopping 18 hits and 10 walks in 11⅔ innings.
Barnes will be eager to get back on track, as this will be his first meeting with LG since he started to feel better.안전놀이터
LG also changed their starting pitcher from Lee Jung-yong to Casey Kelly.
Kelly has a 7-7 record with a 4.59 ERA this season. In three games against Lotte this year, he has no wins and two losses, but has a 3.26 ERA.