This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Lotte Giants (30-33) at SK Wyverns (22-44)
Thursday, July 23rd, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Won Sam Jang (0-2, 8.38 ERA) vs RHP Geon Wook Lee (4-2, 3.08 ERA)
Game Preview
Both the Giants and the Wyverns have gone 5-5 in their last five contests, so it's hard to find a team who has the edge in a game between two struggling franchises. The Giants might have a slight lead due to their better record, though, as they're just three games under the .500 threshold while the Wyverns are a massive 22 games under that mark. The pitching matchup might favor the Wyverns, however, as righty Geon Weok Lee has posted far better numbers than Lotte's Won Sam Jang. The Wyverns hurler has gone 4-2 with a 3.08 ERA, while Jang's ERA sits well over the 8.00 mark while posting a 0-2 record. Could that be enough to pull the upset against Lotte?
Injuries
Giants
Dae Woo Kim - Out - Ankle
7/17 9:06 PM IST - Kim (ankle) was removed from the Giants' roster Friday, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. Kim left his last outing with the ankle injury, and it turns out he will miss at least several more days.
Seung Heon Lee - 10-Day IL - Forehead
6/16 9:13 PM IST - Lee (forehead) was cleared to resume working out with the Giants on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reports. Lee has been on the shelf since May 17, when he was removed
Lotte Giants (30-33) at SK Wyverns (22-44)
Thursday, July 23rd, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Won Sam Jang (0-2, 8.38 ERA) vs RHP Geon Wook Lee (4-2, 3.08 ERA)
Game Preview
Both the Giants and the Wyverns have gone 5-5 in their last five contests, so it's hard to find a team who has the edge in a game between two struggling franchises. The Giants might have a slight lead due to their better record, though, as they're just three games under the .500 threshold while the Wyverns are a massive 22 games under that mark. The pitching matchup might favor the Wyverns, however, as righty Geon Weok Lee has posted far better numbers than Lotte's Won Sam Jang. The Wyverns hurler has gone 4-2 with a 3.08 ERA, while Jang's ERA sits well over the 8.00 mark while posting a 0-2 record. Could that be enough to pull the upset against Lotte?
Injuries
Giants
Dae Woo Kim - Out - Ankle
7/17 9:06 PM IST - Kim (ankle) was removed from the Giants' roster Friday, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. Kim left his last outing with the ankle injury, and it turns out he will miss at least several more days.
Seung Heon Lee - 10-Day IL - Forehead
6/16 9:13 PM IST - Lee (forehead) was cleared to resume working out with the Giants on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reports. Lee has been on the shelf since May 17, when he was removed from his start against Hanwha after taking a line drive to the forehead. The right-hander was diagnosed with a microfracture in his forehead, but he was fortunate to avoid surgery and looks to have progressed well in his recovery over the past month. Lee expects to increase the intensity of his workouts over the next several days, but it's uncertain when or if he'll return to the Giants' active roster. The Giants no longer have an opening in the rotation for Lee with Adrian Sampson having since rejoined the team in May after completing his quarantine upon returning from North America.
Yoon Suk Oh - 10-Day IL - Hamstring
6/15 9:57 PM IST - Oh will be placed on the injured list with a right hamstring injury, Ik Rae Choi of The Dong-A Ilbo reports. It's not yet clear how long Oh will be sidelined, but he will not be able to play again until he is activated by the Giants. Oh has provided a nice boost for the Giants since making his season debut June 3, posting an .847 OPS over 11 games, but the team will now be forced to turn to another option on the infield.
Adrian Sampson - 10-Day IL - Thigh
7/22 3:02 PM IST - Sampson will miss at least two weeks due to right thigh pain, Kyung Yoon Kim of the Yonhap News Agency reports. Lotte added the 28-year-old to the injured list, with Seung Jun Song joining the first team. Sampson exited during the fourth inning in Tuesday's start against the Wyverns after complaining of thigh pain.
Wyverns
Jae Hoon Ha - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed
6/23 12:02 AM IST - Ha was removed from the Wyverns' roster on Monday, Soo Jin Park of Star News reports. Ha was removed from the closer's role last week, and after allowing two earned runs in his first appearance after that, he was taken off the roster altogether. No injury has been reported, but Ha simply has not been himself this year after dominating out of the Wyverns' bullpen in 2019. He will get a chance to iron things out and figures to rejoin the top club at some point down the road.
Eui Yoon Jeong - Out - Not Injury Related
7/11 10:57 PM IST - Jeong was removed from the Wyverns' roster Saturday, according to chosun.com. Jeong was one of SK's top hitters over the last few seasons, but he has had a down year and is just 5-for-31 (.161) over his last 13 games, so the club decided to send him down in an effort to get him back on track.
Ji Kwang Kang - Out - Shoulder
6/15 2:22 PM IST - Kang, who has alternated between position player and relief pitcher the last few seasons, will resume pitching in Futures League games Wednesday, Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV reports. Kang converted from pitcher to hitter when he was drafted in 2009, per the Yonhap News Agency, but he never saw much action as a hitter and gave pitching another shot a couple years ago. The move appeared to be a good one, as he allowed just three earned runs in 16.1 innings (1.65 ERA) over his final 15 appearances last season. However, he was plagued by shoulder soreness that sidelined him after mid-June and entered this season as a hitter again. He is now feeling good enough to give pitching another shot, and if all goes well he could be a factor out of the Wyverns' bullpen at some point soon.
Chang Pyung Kim - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
7/8 10:43 PM IST - Kim (shoulder) is playing in Futures League games, according to Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV. Kim did not return in late June as expected, but considering he's at least seeing game action, it shouldn't be long until he is deemed ready to rejoin SK's top club.
Tae Hoon Kim - Out - Not Injury Related
7/11 2:31 AM IST - Kim was assigned to SK's Futures League team Friday, according to chosun.com. Kim was moved from the rotation to the bullpen in late June, and after a rough relief outing his last time out the Wyverns decided to remove him from their first-team roster for the time being. Kim was one of SK's most-dependable relievers in 2019, so the team will no doubt be hoping a stint in the minors helps him get on track.
Heung Ryun Lee - Out - Shoulder
6/20 1:02 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Wyverns' roster Saturday due to a shoulder injury, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. It remains to be seen how long Lee will be sidelined, but with SK's starting catcher, Jae Won Lee, being activated from the injured list in the corresponding move, he is in line to fill a reserve role whenever he is ready to play again.
Jae Won Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/4 10:54 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Wyverns' roster Friday, according to ohmynews.com. Lee went just 4-for-36 over 11 games after recovering from a fractured thumb, so the Wyverns sent him to their Futures League club to try and iron things out there. Hyun Seok Lee will serve as the Wyverns' primary catcher for the time being.
Tyler White - Out - Not Injury Related
7/16 12:15 AM IST - White signed with the Wyverns on Wednesday, Daniel Kim of DKTV reports. White had been with the Los Angeles Dodgers during spring training, but he'll head across the Pacific in search of at-bats after not being included the team's 60-man player pool ahead of the abbreviated season. In an unusual move, the Wyverns will go with two foreign hitters and just one foreign pitcher, as White will take the slot freed up when Nick Kingham was released in early July. White has quite a bit of pedigree compared to the typical foreign hitter in the KBO, as his 98 wRC+ (the product of a career .236/.315/.409 slash line over 859 plate appearances) is highest among that group. The first baseman is presumably still a few weeks from joining his teammates, as he'll have to go through a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon his arrival in Korea.
Giants' Expected Lineup
SP - Won Sam Jang
1. Ah Seop Son
2. Dong Hee Han
3. Jun Woo Jeon
4. Dae Ho Lee
5. Hoon Jung
6. Dixon Machado
7. Chi Hong An
8. Joon Tae Kim
9. Byung Hun Min
Wyverns' Expected Lineup
SP - Geon Wook Lee
1. Ji Hoon Choi
2. Joon Woo Choi
3. Jeong Choi
4. Jamie Romak
5. Tae In Chae
6. Dong Min Han
7. Jong Wook Ko
8. Hyun Seok Lee
9. Sung Hyun Kim
Top Picks
Ah Seop Son, Giants: Son has gone just 1-for-15 in his last four games, but that shouldn't stop anyone from making him one of the top picks in this slate. Despite that mini slump, the veteran outfielder is hitting .333 with eight RBI and a .779 OPS in 66 July at-bats.
Dixon Machado, Giants: Machado might not be the most recognizable name in the Giants lineup, but there is no question that the shortstop has had success when facing the Wyverns in 2020. He is hitting .292 with three homers and eight RBI in 24 at-bats against SK this season.
Jamie Romak, Wyverns: Romak is riding a three-game hitting streak and has gone 5-for-12 (.417) with two homers and three RBI during that stretch. The slugging first baseman is hitting .254 with seven home runs in 59 July at-bats.
Dae Ho Lee, Giants: Lee has posted three multi-hit efforts in Lotte's last seven games, hitting safely in five of those contests. The 38-year-old has hit for .417 with one home run and eight RBI during that stretch.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Won Sam Jang
C – Joon Tae Kim
IF – Jamie Romak
IF – Dixon Machado (VC)
IF – Dae Ho Lee
IF – Chi Hong An
IF – Sung Hyun Kim
OF – Ah Seop Son (C)
OF – Jun Hyeok Oh
