This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.
Tokyo Yakult Swallows (19-20-5) at Yomiuri Giants (25-15-3)
Thursday, August 13th, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Yomiuri Giants: LHP CC Mercedes (2-4, 3.72 ERA)
Tokyo Yakult Swallows: RHP Hirotoshi Takanashi (1-2, 4.73 ERA)
Game Preview
The Giants were riding a losing streak last week but those concerns have been put to rest, as they have secured a win and a tie in their last two contests and remain at the top of the Central League standings with a 25-15-3 record. Meanwhile, the Swallows are alive in a playoff race with very little margin for error – they've gone 19-20-5 this season and currently sit in fourth place of the standings. The Giants are favorites for what they've done all season long, but they can't get complacent. As it has been proven in the past, they're not an unbeatable team by any means. The pitching matchup will feature C.C. Mercedes for the Giants and Hirotoshi Takanashi for the Swallows. Yomiuri's lefty has a 3.72 ERA across 38.2 innings (seven starts) this season, while Takahashi has posted a 4.73 mark in 32.1 innings (six starts) in 2020.
Injuries
Seiji Kobayashi - Out - Forearm
6/23 2:14 PM IST - Kobayashi will miss 3-to-4 weeks with a fractured left forearm, according to sponichi.co.jp. Kobayashi started the Giants' first and third games behind the plate, but he will not take the field again until sometime in July. Ginjiro Sumitani and Takumi Oshiro are in line to share the catching
Tokyo Yakult Swallows (19-20-5) at Yomiuri Giants (25-15-3)
Thursday, August 13th, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Yomiuri Giants: LHP CC Mercedes (2-4, 3.72 ERA)
Tokyo Yakult Swallows: RHP Hirotoshi Takanashi (1-2, 4.73 ERA)
Game Preview
The Giants were riding a losing streak last week but those concerns have been put to rest, as they have secured a win and a tie in their last two contests and remain at the top of the Central League standings with a 25-15-3 record. Meanwhile, the Swallows are alive in a playoff race with very little margin for error – they've gone 19-20-5 this season and currently sit in fourth place of the standings. The Giants are favorites for what they've done all season long, but they can't get complacent. As it has been proven in the past, they're not an unbeatable team by any means. The pitching matchup will feature C.C. Mercedes for the Giants and Hirotoshi Takanashi for the Swallows. Yomiuri's lefty has a 3.72 ERA across 38.2 innings (seven starts) this season, while Takahashi has posted a 4.73 mark in 32.1 innings (six starts) in 2020.
Injuries
Seiji Kobayashi - Out - Forearm
6/23 2:14 PM IST - Kobayashi will miss 3-to-4 weeks with a fractured left forearm, according to sponichi.co.jp. Kobayashi started the Giants' first and third games behind the plate, but he will not take the field again until sometime in July. Ginjiro Sumitani and Takumi Oshiro are in line to share the catching duties for the Giants until Kobayashi returns.
Yuhei Nakamura - Out - Undisclosed
6/20 10:09 AM IST - Nakamura was removed from the Yakult Swallows' roster Friday due to an undisclosed injury, BaseballKings reports. Nakamura didn't appear in the team's season opener, and he'll now miss time with an injury, although it's unclear how long he'll be sidelined. Nakamura appeared in 126 games last season, logging a .269 batting average with five home runs and 36 RBI. Suguru Ino was promoted in a corresponding move.
Yasutaka Shiomi - Out - Undisclosed
8/13 2:41 AM IST - The Swallows deactivated Shiomi on Wednesday due an undisclosed reason, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. The 27-year-old outfielder has been productive in a limited sample of 57 plate appearances this season, batting .294 with five home runs and three stolen bases. It's unclear when Shiomi might be ready to resume playing for the Swallows.
Albert Suarez - Out - Not Injury Related
7/10 5:49 AM IST - The Swallows deactivated Suarez on Wednesday, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Though the right-hander is sitting on a microscopic 0.53 ERA through three starts, the Swallows want Suarez to hit the reset button and work on his mechanics after he walked seven batters in Tuesday's win over the Dragons. The Swallows replaced Suarez on the active roster with lefty Keiji Suzuki, but it's not expected that the 30-year-old will miss more than one turn through the rotation.
Kazuto Taguchi - Out - Undisclosed
7/5 9:44 AM IST - Taguchi was removed from the Giants' first-team roster Sunday. Taguchi was pulled from Saturday's start against the Dragons after three scoreless innings due to an apparent injury, and it appears he may miss some time. The specifics remain unclear, but any absence could be significant since he has a 2.08 ERA this season.
Kota Yamashita - Out - Hand
7/9 4:36 AM IST - Yamashita, who has been sidelined all season with a broken right hand, was able to complete some on-field activities Wednesday, Sponichi.co.jp reports. The 19-year-old outfielder/first baseman only has 13 career NPB plate appearances to his name, but manager Tatsunori Hara suggested Yamashita could be a candidate for an everyday role before he sustained the injury shortly before Opening Day. Yamashita was at least fortunate that the injury was to his non-throwing hand, so he may have a shorter recovery timeline than one normally associated with a fracture. He was able to hit off the tee and play catch Wednesday, so expect him to ramp up his activities in the weeks to come.
Yomiuri Giants Expected Lineup
9. CC Mercedes
Tokyo Yakult Swallows Expected Lineup
6. Yuhei Takai
Top Picks From Each Team
Kazuma Okamoto, Giants: Okamoto has been the top offensive threat in a Giants roster that is filled with quality bats from top to bottom. Okamoto is currently slashing .273/.351/.624 with 16 home runs and 41 RBI.
Munetaka Murakami, Swallows: Mukarami has seven homers and 40 RBI, so he has proven his value as a run-producing threat in the middle of the Swallows offense. The most impressive thing about his numbers is the fact that he's also hitting for average, however, as he is hitting .323 with a .439 on-base percentage in 189 plate appearances.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – CC Mercedes
C – Takumi Ohshiro
IF – Kazuma Okamoto (C)
IF – Munetaka Murakami (VC)
IF – Naomichi Nishiura
IF – Zelous Wheeler
OF – Gerardo Parra
OF – Yoshihiro Maru
OF – Norichika Aoki
