Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Carp at Dragons

Hiroshima Toyo Carp (24-31-6) at Chunichi Dragons (28-32-4)

Wednesday, September 2nd, 5:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

Chunichi Dragons: LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara (1-2, 5.06 ERA)

Hiroshima Toyo Carp: RHP Yusuke Nomura (3-1, 2.09 ERA)

Game Preview

The Dragons have improved after a slow start to the season and right now sit in fourth place of the Central League standings, but they're three games behind and third-placed team, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, and 1.5 games above the fifth-placed franchise, the Carp. This means winning here is pivotal if they want to get closer to a potential playoff berth, even if it might be hard to accomplish that goal. The pitching matchup could give an edge to the Carp, however, as Yusuke Nomura has a 2.09 ERA in six starts. Meanwhile, Shinnosuke Ogasawara has only made three starts and his 5.06 ERA isn't really exciting.

Injuries

Ryosuke Hirata - Out - Elbow

7/23 1:30 AM IST - The Dragons deactivated Hirata on Monday due to a right elbow injury. One of the Dragons' more reliable batsmen over the past couple of seasons, Hirata was dropped from the active roster after struggling early on in the 2020 campaign. Over 73 plate appearances, Hirata was batting just .164. Masataka Iryo is expected to take over as the Dragons' primary option in right field in Hirata's stead.

Shun Ishikawa - Out - Hand

7/22 1:24 AM IST - Ishikawa was removed from the Dragons' active roster ahead of Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Giants due to cartilage damage in his left hand. The Dragons have yet to announce a timeline for Ishikawa's potential return to the active roster. The 30-year-old corner infielder has appeared in 11 games for Chunichi in 2020, going 3-for-10 with a triple and two RBI.

Shotaro Kasahara - Out - Oblique

7/31 3:09 AM IST - Kasahara was diagnosed with a right oblique injury Saturday and has been ruled out indefinitely. Oblique injuries often carry volatile timetables, but it's probably safe to expect the left-hander to be sidelined for multiple weeks. He went 3-2 over his eight outings with the Dragons this season, posting a 5.71 ERA in 34.2 innings.

Chunichi Dragons Expected Lineup

1. Masataka Iryo

2. Yohei Ohshima

3. Toshiki Abe

4. Dayan Viciedo

5. Nobumasa Fukuda

6. Yota Kyoda

7. Takuma Katoh

8. Naomichi Donoue

9. Shinnosuke Ogasawara

Hiroshima Toyo Carp Expected Lineup

1. Jose Pirela

2. Ryosuke Kikuchi

3. Ryoma Nishikawa

4. Seiya Suzuki

5. Ryuhei Matsuyama

6. Tsubasa Aizawa

7. Shota Dobayashi

8. Kosuke Tanaka

9. Yusuke Nomura

Top Picks From Each Team

Dayan Viciedo, Dragons: Viciedo has been the best – and more consistent – bat in the Dragons lineup this season, and he represents a strong captaincy choice every time he is in the lineup for a Dream11 contest. Viciedo has hit .274 with 12 homers, 47 RBI and a .797 OPS in the current season.

Seiya Suzuki, Carp: Suzuki is one of the top power hitters in the NPB and his numbers back that up. The slugger has 14 homers with 40 RBI this season, but he is more than just a power threat – he supplements those power numbers with a .307 average and a .999 OPS.

Captaincy Options

1. Seiya Suzuki
2. Shota Dobayashi
3. Dayan Viciedo
4. Toshiki Abe

Dream11 Team

P – Yusuke Nomura

C – Shogo Sakakura

IF – Dayan Viciedo

IF – Toshiki Abe

IF – Naomichi Donoue

IF – Shota Dobayashi (VC)

OF – Seiya Suzuki (C)

OF – Yohei Ohshima

OF – Kouki Ogusa