This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (12-17-2) at Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (17-13-1)
Saturday, July 25th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected starters
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks: Shuta Ishikawa (2-0, 0.73 ERA)
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters: Toru Murata (0-1, 3.38 ERA)
Game Preview
These two teams are riding opposite runs of form at the moment – while the Hawks sit at the top of the Pacific League with a 17-13-1 record and a .565 winning percentage, the Fighters are in last place with a 12-17-2 mark. Surprisingly, though, both teams have the same form if we look at what they've done over their last five games – both have gone 3-2 and are 2-2 in their ongoing six-game series. The Hawks have a clear advantage in the pitching department, though, as they will send Shuta Ishikawa – and his impressive 0.73 ERA – to the mound. The Fighters will counter with Toru Morata, who has a solid, yet unspectacular 3.38 ERA in 2020.
Injuries:
Alfredo Despaigne - Out - Not Injury Related
7/7 10:42 PM IST - Despaigne (not injury related) is scheduled to arrive in Japan on July 19 and will then quarantine for 14 days before reporting to the Hawks, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Due to travel restrictions in their native Cuba, Despaigne and infielder Yurisbel Gracial have thus far been unable to join the Hawks, and it appears their season debuts won't be coming at any point in July. Even once they arrive in Japan and complete their quarantine periods, Despaigne and Gracial will likely
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (12-17-2) at Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (17-13-1)
Saturday, July 25th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected starters
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks: Shuta Ishikawa (2-0, 0.73 ERA)
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters: Toru Murata (0-1, 3.38 ERA)
Game Preview
These two teams are riding opposite runs of form at the moment – while the Hawks sit at the top of the Pacific League with a 17-13-1 record and a .565 winning percentage, the Fighters are in last place with a 12-17-2 mark. Surprisingly, though, both teams have the same form if we look at what they've done over their last five games – both have gone 3-2 and are 2-2 in their ongoing six-game series. The Hawks have a clear advantage in the pitching department, though, as they will send Shuta Ishikawa – and his impressive 0.73 ERA – to the mound. The Fighters will counter with Toru Morata, who has a solid, yet unspectacular 3.38 ERA in 2020.
Injuries:
Alfredo Despaigne - Out - Not Injury Related
7/7 10:42 PM IST - Despaigne (not injury related) is scheduled to arrive in Japan on July 19 and will then quarantine for 14 days before reporting to the Hawks, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Due to travel restrictions in their native Cuba, Despaigne and infielder Yurisbel Gracial have thus far been unable to join the Hawks, and it appears their season debuts won't be coming at any point in July. Even once they arrive in Japan and complete their quarantine periods, Despaigne and Gracial will likely both require rehab games in the minors to get their timing right at the plate before SoftBank elects to add either player to the active roster. In his sixth NPB season and third with the Hawks in 2019, Despaigne slashed .259/.355/.520 with 36 home runs, 88 RBI and 61 runs in 519 plate appearances.
Yurisbel Gracial - Out - Not Injury Related
7/7 10:40 PM IST - Gracial (not injury related) is scheduled to arrive in Japan on July 19 and will then quarantine for 14 days before reporting to the Hawks, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Due to travel restrictions in their native Cuba, Gracial and outfielder Alfredo Despaigne have thus far been unable to join the Hawks, and it appears their season debuts won't be coming at any point in July. Even once they arrive in Japan and complete their quarantine periods, Gracial and Despaigne will likely both require rehab games in the minors to get their timing right at the plate before SoftBank elects to add either player to the active roster. In his second season with the Hawks in 2019, Gracial slashed .319/.365/.595 with 28 home runs, 68 RBI and 61 runs scored over 410 plate appearances.
Yuya Hasegawa - Out - Side
7/7 2:47 PM IST - Hasegawa was removed from the Hawks' active roster Tuesday due to a right side bruise that is expected to keep him sidelined for approximately three weeks. The left fielder had a .400 OBP with one RBI and nine strikeouts over his first 11 games, so his loss is a significant one for the Hawks. The 35-year-old will likely be sidelined until at least late July with the injury.
Matt Moore - Out - Calf
7/9 4:41 AM IST - Moore is expected to miss about six weeks after he was diagnosed with a left calf muscle damage following an MRI on Wednesday, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Moore will miss significant time for the second consecutive season due to a lower-body injury, as he was limited to just two starts with MLB's Detroit Tigers in 2019 due to right knee surgery. After making the jump to Japan over the winter, Moore looked good in his first two turns through the Hawks rotation, collecting 14 strikeout over 10 innings. He'll now be on the shelf until the second half of August after picking up the calf injury in a workout Tuesday.
Yuki Nomura - Out - Finger
7/9 4:21 AM IST - Nomura had successful surgery Wednesday to address the broken right pinkie finger he suffered in Tuesday's loss to the Buffaloes, Full-Count.jp reports. Nomura is expected to face a three-month recovery from the procedure, effectively taking him off the radar for the remainder of his rookie season. The 20-year-old had been a lineup regular at third base for the Fighters, going 10-for-46 (.217 average) with two home runs and eight RBI through his first 13 NPB games.
Dennis Sarfate - Out - Not Injury Related
7/7 2:10 AM IST - Sarfate joined the Hawks on Saturday after completing a 14-day quarantine following his recent return from the United States, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Though Sarfate is back with the Hawks, he'll have to get his arm reconditioned again after the layoff before he's deemed ready to contribute out of the bullpen. The Hawks are expected to assign Sarfate to the minors, where he'll make an appearance or two before being registered to the big-league roster.
Eito Tanaka - Out - Elbow
7/10 6:41 AM IST - The Fighters announced Thursday that Tanaka underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, Full-Count.jp reports. He's expected to be sidelined for two months before starting a throwing program. The 20-year-old made his NPB debut for Nippon-Ham in September of last season, giving up two runs in a two-inning appearance. Since he'll still need to complete more rehab work once he starts up his throwing program, Tanaka's absence could extend to the three-month mark or longer. The Fighters likely aren't counting on him to hold a major role once he's healthy again.
Hiroshi Urano - Out - Chest
6/30 8:47 PM IST - Urano required an appendectomy Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined for four weeks following surgery, Yahoo Japan reports. Urano will be hospitalized through Saturday before taking the next three weeks off to rest up and recover from the emergency procedure. The 30-year-old had yet to appear in a game for the Fighters this season after going 3-1 with seven holds and a 4.98 ERA over 25 appearances in 2019.
Rick van den Hurk - Out - Back
7/17 4:47 AM IST - Van den Hurk (1-2) allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out zero over 2.2 innings as he was charged with the loss Thursday against the Buffaloes. After a dominant season debut, things have gone downhill for van den Hurk over his last three starts, and he's now been charged with losses in back-to-back starts. He failed to record any strikeouts Thursday while allowing seven baserunners. The right-hander carries a 7.29 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 21 innings this year.
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Expected Lineup:
SP - Toru Murata
2. Taishi Ohta
4. Sho Nakata
5. Ryo Watanabe
8. Shingo Usami
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Expected Lineup:
SP - Shuta Ishikawa
8. Takuya Kai
Top picks:
Yuki Yanagita, Hawks: Yanagita is one of the most expensive players in this slate at 12.5 credits, but he is more than worth the risk. The star outfielder is hitting .343 with nine homers and 23 RBI. He can combine timely hitting with power and consistency, which makes him a stellar choice for most lineups.
Shuta Ishikawa, Hawks: Speaking of stellar choices, it's hard to go wrong with Ishikawa as the pitcher to stack in this game. The Hawks are the better team offensively and that should automatically give Ishikawa the edge, but he also helps his cause with an excellent 0.73 ERA in four starts to date.
Sho Nakata, Fighters: Nakata has been one of the few reliable threats in the Fighters offense, and he enters this matchup with nine home runs and 28 RBI in 31 games. He doesn't hit for a lot of average (.225) but he makes up for it with his raw power to all fields.
Wladimir Balentien, Hawks: Balentien falls under the same category as Nakata, as he doesn't hit for average but has immense power to all fields. He has six homers and 16 RBI in 31 games despite hitting just .186 with a .295 on-base percentage.
Captaincy Options:
Dream11 Team
P – Shuta Ishikawa (VC)
C – Ryoya Kurihara
IF – Sho Nakata
IF – Ryo Watanabe
IF – Christian Villanueva
OF – Yuki Yanagita (C)
OF – Wladimir Balentien
OF – Seiji Uebayashi
OF – Akira Nakamura
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are of the author and is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn.
