Lotte Giants’ Lee Hak-joo (33) will start at shortstop for the first time in 36 days.

Lotte announced Lee Hak-joo as the starting shortstop for Game 3 of the weekend series against the SSG Landers at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Saturday.

Starting shortstop Noh Jin-hyuk has been in a terrible slump in the second half of the season with a 1-for-5 batting average. He showed flashes of being a clutch hitter in May and June, but hasn’t been able to produce since returning from the disabled list in mid-June with a sore side following recurring wrist and back pain. In the second half, he has split time at shortstop with new All-Star break acquisition Nico Goodrum.

Noh, in particular, has been solid against right-handed pitching, going 2-for-8, but has struggled against lefties, going 1-for-3 and 1-for-8 against right-handed sidearms. Both Lee and Noh are left-handed hitters, but Lee is in the lineup because the SSG starter today is lefty McCarty.

This is Lee’s 16th start of the season. His most recent was on July 13 against the Changwon NC Dinos, but he started at third base then. It’s been 36 days since he started at shortstop since June 30 against the Ulsan Doosan Bears.

Lotte is desperate for a turning point. They are sinking with a 4-10 record in the second half of the season and a 1-4 record in August. They are now five and a half games behind the fifth-place KT Wiz. They are at risk of ending their fall baseball challenge. The previous day’s loss secured a two-game series against NC-SSG.

When asked before the game, LOTTE head coach Larry Sutton explained the reason for Lee’s start, “He did well (1-for-2) in a small sample against McCarty. He hasn’t played a lot of games, so he’s healthy and overall energized.”스포츠토토

“He’s been working on his hitting and making adjustments for a while now. He can be used as a pinch hitter and in the outfield.”

The previous day, Lotte lost a 6-9 heartbreaker after a series of inexplicable errors and four wickets. Lotte will start with the following lineup: Kim Min-seok (center field), Gudrum (third base), Jung-hoon (first base), Ahn Chi-hong (second base), Jeon Jun-woo (left field), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Ko Seung-min (right field), Son Sung-bin (catcher), and Lee Hak-joo (shortstop). Aaron Wilkerson will get the start.