Pedi is back…
The NC Dinos have been waiting for the return of specialty ace Eric Peddie 먹튀검증(30). Pedi will start the first game of the playoffs against the KT Wiz on April 30, barring any unforeseen circumstances. It will be a belated KBO Fall League debut for the reigning MVP, who finished with 20 wins, 209 strikeouts, and a 2.00 ERA.
While it’s nice to have Pedi back, manager Kang Myung-hwa has decided to go back to the drawing board with his playoff starting rotation. The weakness is that they don’t have a clear domestic starter who can take a game. Shin Min-hyuk is the most stable at this point, but Song Myung-ki is a bit unreliable. Choi Sung-young or Lee Jae-hak could potentially break into the starting lineup.
In a situation like this, a good performance by the foreign second starter paired with Pedi could give the team momentum. Tanner Tully, a late-season acquisition, has been solid with a 5-2 record and 2.92 ERA in 11 games. His sweeping slider to right-handed hitters was particularly appealing, and he had both a fastball and a slider in the zone.
But Tanner’s slider has been silent in the postseason. Tanner faltered in Game 1 of the wild-card decider against the Doosan Bears on April 19, giving up five runs on seven hits (one homer) and three walks in four innings, and in Game 3 of the semifinals against the SSG Landers on April 25, giving up five runs on five hits (one homer) and two walks with three strikeouts in two innings.
In two games, six innings, 12 hits (two homers), two walks, six strikeouts, 10 runs. His ERA is 15.00. In Tanner’s two outings, the bullpen held up and the offense came from behind to offset Tanner’s struggles. However, foreign pitchers are only valuable in the short term if they are able to cover for domestic struggles.
In the regular season this year, Tanner relied on his fastball (48.2%) and slider (34.3%) 82.5% of the time, according to baseball stats site Statiz. Surprisingly for a lefty, his changeup was only 12.5%. He relies heavily on his slider, but as his slider has lost its sharpness, his strikeouts have skyrocketed.
“His changeup has a high percentage of hard hits,” Kang said. He panics because he can’t command the pitches he wants to throw. If he finds his form, he can overcome it. He just needs to avoid getting into an early hole from the first inning.”
It’s been four days since the semifinals. Turner is not a pitcher who dominates with his fastball, so command of his changeup is a must. There’s no guarantee that he’ll start Game 2 of the playoffs on May 31 if Kang feels he’s out of shape or out of flow.