He’s the most frustrating hitter in the lineup. He hasn’t been able to find his groove with a 1-hit average for two months.

Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop spoke with a cheerful expression at the press briefing after the game against LG at Jamsil Stadium was canceled due to rain on the 29th.토스카지노

“Is there any place to go from here?” he asked, “We had some problems behind the plate on Saturday and Sunday, and we lost the game, so we were down, but the hope is that Kim Jae-ho will continue to play well, and Yang Ji will play normally with a catcher’s mask. I think it’s good news that Jeong Soo-bin is back in the middle infield,” he said.

“We didn’t have a good atmosphere for two days (after the upset loss that dropped them to sixth place), but I think it will be good to have one more day off and do it with a fresh mind.”

Doosan slipped to sixth place after losing back-to-back games to SSG on April 26-27. However, batters with nagging injuries are now back to full strength and able to play a full role in the offense. Jung Soo-bin (thigh) and Yang Yang-ji (side) have fully recovered from their injuries and have no problem playing defense.

Jung Soo-bin has been the top hitter for three consecutive months since June, with a monthly batting average of 3.0. In his last 10 games, he is 3-for-6 with 13 RBIs in 36 at-bats. His versatility in the outfield has allowed Lee to utilize his outfielders in the middle of games, including pinch-hitting and fielding.

Doosan’s Jung Soo-bin slides into home plate. / OSEN DB

Doosan’s Yang Yang-ji. / OSEN DB

After being sidelined in early August with a partial tear in his side muscle, Yang returned to the lineup on Aug. 22. He played all six games last week as a designated hitter. He still had some defensive responsibilities. He did his part offensively, batting 3-for-7 with a home run and six RBIs in 16 at-bats. Starting this week, Yang will wear a catcher’s mask.

Yang’s move to the designated hitter spot will allow Rojas, who has been playing a lot of outfield defense in the past week, to use the position to stay healthy.

Rojas was on the verge of a season-low batting average by the end of June, but since July, he’s hit .930 with four doubles, four home runs, 23 RBIs and a .930 OPS in 35 games as a designated hitter. In his last 10 games, he’s batting 3-for-12 with 11 RBIs in 38 at-bats.

The 38-year-old veteran Kim Jae-ho leads the monthly batting averages with a 4-for-3, 9-RBI performance in August. He’s out-hitting other hitters in the quadruple digits, including Samsung’s Koo Ja-rook, Samsung’s Kim Sung-yoon, and Lotte’s Lee Jung-hoon.

Doosan’s Kim Jae-ho. / OSEN DB

Doosan’s Kim Jae-hwan. / OSEN DB

The problem is Kim Jae-hwan. Kim, who signed a four-year, $11.5 billion free agent contract after the 2021 season, ranks last among the 47 hitters in the league with at least one regular season at-bat. As Doosan’s No. 4 hitter, it’s humiliating. In his last 10 games, he is batting just 1-for-6 (4-for-25).

His slump is getting longer. He hasn’t been able to break out of the single digits for two months. He went 1-for-7 in July (9-for-51) and 1-for-3 in August (8-for-61). His batting average has plummeted from 2.05 at the end of June to 2.01.

He moved from the No. 4 spot to No. 5 and is now batting sixth. Lee hasn’t dropped Kim below the sixth spot, but he still has faith and expectations. When will he live up to his expectations?

Doosan has fallen to sixth place, but is still 2.5 games behind fourth-place NC and 0.5 games behind fifth-place KIA. They can climb back up if they regain the form that saw them win a franchise-record 11 straight games in mid-July. They need Kim Jae-hwan to come alive at the plate.

Doosan’s Kim Jae-hwan celebrates with Heo Kyung-min at home after hitting a home run. / OSEN DB