This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Samsung Lions (6-13) at Lotte Giants (10-8)
Wednesday, May 27, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Won Tae-in (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs RHP Park Se-woong (0-2, 5.93 ERA)
Game Preview
This matchup features two of the league's three worst teams, at least judging by last year's standings, where the Lions finished eighth out of 10 and the Giants finished last. The Giants have started this season quite respectably, currently occupying fifth place, though the Lions' struggles have continued, as they're stuck in ninth. The Giants won a 1-0 contest in the series opener, although offense could prevail in this one with a pair of unimposing pitchers on the mound. 20-year-old Won Tae-in takes the hill for the visitors. His career 4.78 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 130 innings are mediocre at best, while his 14.0 percent strikeout rate is fairly poor. His counterpart, 24-year-old Park Se-woong, doesn't have much of a track record, either. He's struggled to a 5.93 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP this season, though he recorded a decent 4.20 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in 12 starts last year.
Injuries
Baek Jung-hyun, Lions - 10-Day IL - Calf
May 23 - Manager Sam Young Heo is uncertain when Baek (calf) will be ready to return to action, according to chosun.com. It has been nearly two weeks since Baek started his last game, and Heo's comments indicate Baek could be out at least until sometime in June. Samsung has had to get creative to fill Baek's spot in
Samsung Lions (6-13) at Lotte Giants (10-8)
Wednesday, May 27, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Won Tae-in (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs RHP Park Se-woong (0-2, 5.93 ERA)
Game Preview
This matchup features two of the league's three worst teams, at least judging by last year's standings, where the Lions finished eighth out of 10 and the Giants finished last. The Giants have started this season quite respectably, currently occupying fifth place, though the Lions' struggles have continued, as they're stuck in ninth. The Giants won a 1-0 contest in the series opener, although offense could prevail in this one with a pair of unimposing pitchers on the mound. 20-year-old Won Tae-in takes the hill for the visitors. His career 4.78 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 130 innings are mediocre at best, while his 14.0 percent strikeout rate is fairly poor. His counterpart, 24-year-old Park Se-woong, doesn't have much of a track record, either. He's struggled to a 5.93 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP this season, though he recorded a decent 4.20 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in 12 starts last year.
Injuries
Baek Jung-hyun, Lions - 10-Day IL - Calf
May 23 - Manager Sam Young Heo is uncertain when Baek (calf) will be ready to return to action, according to chosun.com. It has been nearly two weeks since Baek started his last game, and Heo's comments indicate Baek could be out at least until sometime in June. Samsung has had to get creative to fill Baek's spot in the rotation, and they will have to continue doing so until he is back on the mound.
Koo Ja-wook, Lions - Out - Thigh
May 26 - Koo will be out four weeks with his left thigh injury, KBO analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. The news regarding Koo's injury has gotten progressively worse, as he went from leaving a game with a sore thigh, to missing the next game altogether, to being removed from the roster, and now being ruled out for a month. Koo has gotten off to a fast start this season, so his extended absence certainly won't help a Lions team looking to keep pace in the standings.
Lee Seong-gyu, Lions - Out - Head
May 16 - Lee was removed from Samsung's first-group entry Saturday, according to the team's official Twitter account. It's not certain why Lee was taken off the roster, but it likely has something to do with him taking a pitch off his helmet just a couple nights ago.
Ben Lively, Lions - Out - Side
May 23 - Lively will be out eight weeks with a torn side muscle, KBO analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. It was announced earlier Saturday that Lively's injury forced him off Samsung's roster, and it's now clear that he is facing an extended absence. With Lively out at least until July, and a return date for Opening Day starter Baek Jung-hyun (calf) uncertain, Samsung's starting pitching options will be thin for the foreseeable future.
Oh Seung-hwan, Lions - Out - Suspension
May 13 - Oh is sitting out the first 30 games of this season for a suspension first levied back in 2016, due to an incident that occurred in November 2014. The former Cardinals and Rockies reliever has a long history of pitching well as a closer for Samsung. A tweet from 2018 from former FanGraphs writer and current Lotte Giants employee Sung Min Kim describes the situation, and a 2016 article from Criz Hombrebueno of CalvinAyre.com details the actual incident the suspension stems from. Upon return, Oh will be a candidate to resume his closing duties for the Lions.
Jung Hoon, Giants- 10-Day IL - Abdomen
May 18 - Lotte announced Monday that Jeong would be sidelined for at least four weeks due to a ruptured left abdominal muscle, Sang-Kyung Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Jeong didn't appear in either of the Giants' past two games, and the injury now looks to be the cause of both of those absences. He'll undergo regular treatment and rehab until at least mid-June before the Giants determine when he'll be ready to return to game action. Jeong had primarily served as a designated hitter for Lotte this season, batting .367 with a home run, two doubles and seven RBI through eight games.
Lee Seung-heon, Giants - 10-Day IL - Forehead
May 18 - Lee relayed Monday that he believes he'll avoid surgery after he was diagnosed with a microfracture of his forehead following his removal from Sunday's 9-4 loss to the Eagles, Sang-Kyung Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Making his season debut for Lotte, Lee was pulled in the third inning after being struck in the head by a comebacker. He was quickly sent to a hospital to address the injury, and the 21-year-old is optimistic that he'll avoid a long-term absence. Lee acknowledged that he'll undergo an additional evaluation later Monday and is expected to remain hospitalized for about 5-to-7 days before a potential timeline for his return is established. The Giants are expected to return Adrian Sampson (personal) to the rotation later this week or early next week, so Lee wasn't expected to continue making regular starts for Lotte beyond his turn Sunday.
Lions Expected Lineup
P Won Tae-in
1. Kim Sang-su
2. Kim Ji-Chan
3. Lee Hak-ju
4. Kim Dong-yeop
5. Lee Won-seok
6. Kim Heon-gon
8. Kang Min-ho
9. Park Chan-do
Giants Expected Lineup
P Park Se-woong
1. Min Byung-hun
2. Son Ah-seop
3. Jeon Jun-woo
4. Lee Dae-ho
5. An Chi-hong
6. Han Dong-hee
7. Heo Il
8. Jung Bo-geun
Top Picks
Park Se-woong, Giants: This is one of the more difficult pitcher choices of the season. Neither starter inspires much confidence, and the lineups they'll be facing are similarly weak, each scoring 4.7 runs per game. Both pitchers cost 8.5 credits, making the choice even more difficult, but Park gets the slight edge due to the fact that the Lions' best hitter, Koo Ja-wook, is out with a thigh injury.
Lee Dae-ho, Giants: The 37-year-old slugger can still mash the ball, as his .353 batting average suggests. He's hit just one homer after managing a modest 16 last year, but power is rising across the league this season, so there's certainly a chance he returns to the 30-homer plateau he reached in both 2017 and 2018.
Son Ah-seop, Giants: Son's biggest strength is his eye for the strike zone, as he's walked 16 times in 18 games while striking out just six times. That's helped him to an incredible .494 on-base percentage, which has in turn helped him score 16 runs, the third-highest total in the league.
Kim Ji-chan, Lions: The 19-year-old doesn't have much of a track record, receiving just 26 plate appearances thus far in his rookie season. He's an interesting option because he's very cheap (7.5 credits) and has hit second in each of the Lions' last three games, grabbing a hit in all three to bring his batting average to .304.
Captaincy Options
1. Lee Dae-ho
2. Son Ah-seop
3. Jeon Jun-woo
Dream11 Team
P Park Se-woong
C Jung Bo-geun
IF Kim Sang-su
IF Lee Dae-ho (C)
IF Jeon Jun-woo
IF An Chi-hong
IF Kim Ji-chan
OF Son Ah-seop (VC)
OF Kim Dong-yeop
