Can the Samsung Lions shed the stigma of the ‘Sunday Lions’?

Samsung lost 1-5 at home against the Doosan Bears at Pohang Baseball Stadium on April 6. After dropping all three games of the series, Samsung is now 28-48 on the season with a 0.368 winning percentage, securing last place in the first half. The team has lost seven straight series, starting with a three-game sweep of the LG Twins on June 13-15.

After being swept by Doosan, Samsung is still winless this week (0-3). During the seven-game losing streak, the team had three wins against KT Wiz (7-5) on June 18, SSG Landers (5-2) on June 18, and Hanwha Eagles (2-1) on July 2, all on Sunday. The gap to ninth-place Hanwha grew to 6.5 games while the team won one game after losing five in a row, one game after losing another five, and one game after losing four in a row (one game was rained out). After losing all week and winning only one game on Sunday, Samsung earned the dubious nickname of the Sunday Lions.스포츠토토

With the previous day’s (7th) game rained out, Samsung has only one game left to avoid the Sunday Lions this week, today (8th). With nowhere to go but up, Samsung will call on foreign ace David Buchanan to help them escape a three-game losing streak and win their first Saturday game in four weeks. The batting order is Kim Hyun-joon (center fielder), Kim Dong-jin (second baseman), Koo Ja-uk (designated hitter), Kang Min-ho (catcher), Pirela (left fielder), Ryu Ji-hyuk (first baseman), Kang Han-ul (third baseman), Kim Sung-yoon (right fielder), and Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop).

Against them, NC will have Son Asub (right fielder), Choi Jung-won (center fielder), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Kwon Hee-dong (designated hitter), Martin (left fielder), Yoon Hyung-joon (first baseman), Kim Su-yoon (third baseman), Park Se-hyuk (catcher), Kim Joo-won (shortstop), and starting pitcher Shin Min-hyuk.