(SEOUL, South Korea) By Kyubin Hong = There is a concept called ‘regression to the mean’.It refers to the tendency for extreme values in a statistical flow to eventually adjust and return to the mean, even if they are short-lived.This concept can be used to explain cases such as a second-year player suffering from the Soap Opera jinx after a spectacular debut season, or a powerhouse team rebounding from an early-season slump.It’s a phenomenon that Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop is most wary of these days.After a franchise-record 11-game winning streak, Doosan fell into a three-game losing streak with a loss to the LG Twins on Aug. 28.”There have been so many instances where a long winning streak is followed by a losing streak that it can be said to be a formula,” Lee told reporters at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Monday.”If the losing streak is long, the 11-game winning streak can be a complete waste,” Lee said, adding, “We will play a good game today and try to win.”There was both good and bad news on the team front.Outfielder Kim Jae-hwan, who had been suffering from a cold, and outfielder Jeong Soo-bin, who had been suffering from a sore finger, returned to the lineup as the No. 3 and No. 1 hitters, respectively.However, foreign hitter Jose Rojas, who was ubstituted during the previous game due to a slight back casinositezone pain, will not play today.”Rojas was examined and it’s not a major injury, just a muscle soreness,” Lee said, adding, “I don’t think he can take batting practice, so he’ll rest today and check his condition again tomorrow.”As for starter Raul Alcantara, who struggled the previous day, giving up six runs on nine hits (two homers) in 5⅔ innings, “You have to give him credit for hitting well.”When asked about Alcantara’s weakness against the top teams, he said, “Beating the top teams doesn’t give you two wins. I’d like to think he just had a bad outing.”The previous day, Alcantara suffered its fourth loss in 10 games, falling twice to LG and once each to SSG Landers and Samsung Lions.
