KBO Roundup: Former Tigers Saupold and Machado not having much success lately

Friday is Day 22 of the KBO’s 2020 season and if you have not been enjoying the competition from across the Pacific, you have been missing out on the best of live sports currently available.

Former Detroit Tigers infielder Dixon Machado continues to mire in the doldrums, going just 1-8 with an RBI these past couple of days, lowering his batting average to .208 on the season along with a .280 on-base percentage and a .444 slugging percentage. His demotion to the nine-hole has done little to pull him out of his slump, though he has continued his sterling defensive play at shortstop for the Lotte Giants.

May 28: Saupold gets batted around, takes loss

LG Twins 3, Hanwha Eagles 0

Former Detroit Tiger Warwick Saupold got saddled with the loss in this one after giving up three earned runs on 12 hits, no walks and two strikeouts. It was the two early runs in the first that was his death knell, though he had to labor just to get through six innings tossing exactly 100 pitches before his day was done. The Aussie right-hander now sports a respectable 2.65 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP through five starts so far this season. However, the truth is that Saupold never stood a chance in this one, with former major leaguer Casey Kelly taking the bump for the Twins, throwing six innings of shutout ball while allowing just four hits and three walks while sending down a day-high 10 batters on strikes to notch the win. LG’s third baseman Kim Min-sung paced both teams on offense, going 3-4 with an RBI on Thursday to plate the winning run.

Other results:

Kia Tigers 5, KT Wiz 6

W: So Hyeong-jun; L: Yang Hyun-jong; SV: Kim Jae-yoon

SK Wyverns 6, Doosan Bears 1

W: Lee Geon-wook; L: Lee Yong-chan

Samsung Lions 3, Lotte Giants 1

W: Heo Yoon-dong; L: Adrian Sampson; SV: Woo Kyu-min

Kiwoom Heroes 6, NC Dinos 9

W: Im Jung-ho; L: Lee Young-joon; SV: Won Jong-hyun

May 29: Lions walk-off first-place Dinos

NC Dinos 4, Samsung Lions 5

The game of the day on Friday came between the Dinos, who currently sit atop the KBO standings, and the Lions, who dwell much closer to the bottom of the league currently. Despite the disparity, this one came down to the wire with Samsung walking off with the victory in the bottom of the ninth on a single by center fielder Park Seung-gyu. Neither starter looked especially crisp in this game: NC’s Drew Rucinski gave up three runs — two earned — on six hits while striking out seven over seven innings and 110 pitches; Samsung’s Kim Dae-woo lasted only five frames while giving up three earned runs on six hits, including a home run, while striking out none; neither pitcher figured in the final decision. In the end, the Lions’ bullpen outlasted the Dinos’, with the latter’s closer Won Jong-hyun giving up the two decisive runs to take the loss. NC shortstop No Jin-hyuk was the stud with the bat on Friday, going 3-4 with a run scored an an RBI.

Other results:

Hanwha Eagles 6, SK Wyverns 8

W: Kim Tae-hoon; L: Kim Min-woo; SV: Jung Young-il

KT Wiz 1, Kiwoom Heroes 5

W: Eric Jokisch; L: Kim Min; SV: Jo Sang-woo

LG Twins 6, Kia Tigers 2

W: Cha Woo-chan; L: Aaron Brooks; SV: Lee Sang-gyu

Lotte Giants 2, Doosan Bears 4

W: Raul Alcántara; L: Noh Kyung-eun; SV: Ham Duk-joo

BONUS:

Check out this sweet knuckleball.

Coming up:

Saturday, May 30

Kia Tigers vs. LG Twins (1:00 a.m. ET)

Hanwha Eagles vs. SK Wyverns (4:00 a.m. ET)

KT Wiz vs. Kiwoom Heroes (4:00 a.m. ET)

Lotte Giants vs. Doosan Bears (4:00 a.m. ET)

NC Dinos vs. Samsung Lions (4:00 a.m. ET)

Sunday, May 31

Hanwha Eagles vs. SK Wyverns (1:00 a.m. ET)

KT Wiz vs. Kiwoom Heroes (1:00 a.m. ET)

LG Twins vs. Kia Tigers (1:00 a.m. ET)

Lotte Giants vs. Doosan Bears (1:00 a.m. ET)

NC Dinos vs. Samsung Lions (1:00 a.m. ET)

You can watch all of the games live or on delay using the Twitch app. Click here for a the link to the channel.