This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
NC Dinos (44-22-2) at Lotte Giants (33-34)
Wednesday, July 29th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Sung Young Choi (1-1, 5.21 ERA) vs LHP Won Sam Jang (0-2, 8.38 ERA)
Game Preview
The Dinos remain the team to beat in the KBO this season, and they currently sit at the top of the standings with a comfortable 5.5-game lead over the second-placed Doosan Bears. Plus, they have gone 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, although their recent three-game losing streak might be a bit worrisome. As for the Giants, they are 5-5 in their last 10 games but sit in eighth place of the standings with a 33-34 record – they are one of three teams playing under-.500 baseball at the moment. The pitching matchup will be a battle of lefties, as Sung Young Choi will get the nod for the Dinos, and Won Sam Jang will take the ball for the Giants. Neither pitcher has delivered consistent results but, at least on paper, Choi's ERA looks far better than Jang's inflated 8.38 mark.
Injuries
Lotte 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
NC Dinos (44-22-2) at Lotte Giants (33-34)
Wednesday, July 29th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Sung Young Choi (1-1, 5.21 ERA) vs LHP Won Sam Jang (0-2, 8.38 ERA)
Game Preview
The Dinos remain the team to beat in the KBO this season, and they currently sit at the top of the standings with a comfortable 5.5-game lead over the second-placed Doosan Bears. Plus, they have gone 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, although their recent three-game losing streak might be a bit worrisome. As for the Giants, they are 5-5 in their last 10 games but sit in eighth place of the standings with a 33-34 record – they are one of three teams playing under-.500 baseball at the moment. The pitching matchup will be a battle of lefties, as Sung Young Choi will get the nod for the Dinos, and Won Sam Jang will take the ball for the Giants. Neither pitcher has delivered consistent results but, at least on paper, Choi's ERA looks far better than Jang's inflated 8.38 mark.
Injuries
Lotte 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.
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.
NC Dinos
Tae Jin Kim - 10-Day IL - Ankle
7/11 1:59 AM IST - Kim will miss four weeks with the ankle injury he suffered Wednesday, according to chosun.com. Kim is not a starter when the Dinos' infield is healthy, but he is the team's top reserve infielder, and his injury will force manager Dong Wook Lee to turn elsewhere when he wants to give one of his regulars a day off in the coming weeks.
Chang Mo Koo - Out - Not Injury Related
7/27 11:46 PM IST - Koo will get extra rest after his last start Sunday and will be skipped next time through the Dinos' rotation, according to hankyung.com. The decision to skip Koo is certainly not performance-related, as he leads the entire league in both ERA and strikeouts. However, he is on pace to easily surpass the career-high 133 innings he threw in 2018, so the first-place Dinos will take the opportunity to manage his workload. He will rejoin NC's rotation at some point in early August.
NC Dinos Expected Lineup
SP - Sung Young Choi
1. Min Woo Park
2. Myung Gi Lee
3. Sung Bum Na
4. Eui Ji Yang
6. Suk Min Park
7. Jin Hyuk No
Lotte Giants Expected Lineup
SP - Won Sam Jang
1. Hoon Jung
2. Ah Seop Son
3. Jun Woo Jeon
4. Dae Ho Lee
5. Dong Hee Han
7. Chi Hong An
9. Joon Tae Kim
Top Picks
Aaron Altherr, Dinos: Altherr has two homers and six RBI – while hitting a robust .333 – in 18 at-bats against the Giants this season. If we also add into the mix his role as one of the top run producers in the league (62, second-best mark in the KBO), then he is a strong bet to occupy a captaincy role in this matchup.
Sung Bum Na, Dinos: Na is "only" hitting .300 with one home runs and five RBI in 20 at-bats against the Giants this season, but he remains one of the league's elite offensive forces. The veteran slugger ranks fifth in the league in RBI (55), second in home runs (18), and 13th in batting average (.307) in 2020.
Ah Seop Son, Giants: Son is one of the few reliable presences in the Giants lineup, and he is among the Top 10 in the league when it comes to batting average (.345), while registering more walks (36) than strikeouts (32). He only has three homers, but he has driven in 39 runs thus far.
Jin Sung Kang, Dinos: Kang has 46 RBI this season, and the slugging first baseman has also hit safely in nine of this last 10 games. He owns a .375/.405/.450 slash line with one home run and six RBI during that stretch.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Sung Young Choi
C – Joon Tae Kim
IF – Tae Jin Kim
IF – Jin Hyuk No
IF – Dong Hee Han
OF – Aaron Altherr (C)
OF – Sung Bum Na (VC)
OF – Ah Seop Son
OF – Jin Sung Kang
