This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
KT Wiz (15-22) at SK Wyverns (12-25)
Thursday, June 18th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (2-3, 4.60 ERA) vs RHP Jong Hoon Park (3-1, 3.83 ERA)
Game Preview
The Wiz and the Wyverns have both been poor this year, sitting eighth and ninth, respectively, though the Wiz are trending up after taking the first two games of this three-game series. They've now won four of their last six games while the Wyverns have lost six of their last seven. The Wiz will send star hurler Odrisamer Despaigne to the mound as they look for the sweep, though he's been far from his best of late, allowing 18 runs in 15 innings across his last three starts. The Wyverns will counter with Jong Hoon Park, who has notched two quality starts in his last three outings.
Injuries
Baek Ho Kang, Wiz - Day-To-Day - Hamstring
June 18 - Kang (hamstring) homered as a pinch-hitter in Wednesday's victory over the Wyverns and remained in the game afterward. Kang did not start Wednesday due to some minor hamstring soreness, but he still played a few innings off the bench and hit his eighth long ball of the season. Kang got to test his hamstring late in the contest trying to score from second base, and although he was thrown out, the fact he remained in the game bodes well for his chances of rejoining the lineup Thursday.
Tae Gon Oh, Wiz - Out - Personal
June 3
KT Wiz (15-22) at SK Wyverns (12-25)
Thursday, June 18th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (2-3, 4.60 ERA) vs RHP Jong Hoon Park (3-1, 3.83 ERA)
Game Preview
The Wiz and the Wyverns have both been poor this year, sitting eighth and ninth, respectively, though the Wiz are trending up after taking the first two games of this three-game series. They've now won four of their last six games while the Wyverns have lost six of their last seven. The Wiz will send star hurler Odrisamer Despaigne to the mound as they look for the sweep, though he's been far from his best of late, allowing 18 runs in 15 innings across his last three starts. The Wyverns will counter with Jong Hoon Park, who has notched two quality starts in his last three outings.
Injuries
Baek Ho Kang, Wiz - Day-To-Day - Hamstring
June 18 - Kang (hamstring) homered as a pinch-hitter in Wednesday's victory over the Wyverns and remained in the game afterward. Kang did not start Wednesday due to some minor hamstring soreness, but he still played a few innings off the bench and hit his eighth long ball of the season. Kang got to test his hamstring late in the contest trying to score from second base, and although he was thrown out, the fact he remained in the game bodes well for his chances of rejoining the lineup Thursday.
Tae Gon Oh, Wiz - Out - Personal
June 3 - Oh received paternity leave Wednesday, SpoTV reports. Oh should not be away long, but he will take some time to be with his growing family. Seong Ho Cheon was added to the roster in Oh's place.
Tae In Chae, Wyverns - 10-Day IL - Ribs
May 12 - Chae will be out six weeks with a right intercostal injury, KBO analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. Chae has not played frequently for SK this season, but the club will be a bit thin at first base until he recovers from his injury. They should be just fine in his absence, though, as fellow first baseman Jamie Romak has started every game at the position to date.
Dong Min Han, Wyverns - 10-Day IL - Lower Leg
June 11 - Han (lower leg) is expected to return between late June and early July, Newsis reports. Han still has a ways to go in his recovery, and manager Kyung Yup Yeom said he "will not be in a hurry" to get Han back. However, Han appears to be progressing well and still has a chance to return to the field sooner than originally expected.
Chang Pyung Kim, Wyverns - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
June 15 - Kim (shoulder) is on track to return to action by the end of the month, Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV reports. Kim has not played for SK since May 24, and the Wyverns have been cautious with his recovery because he has dealt with the same issue in the past. However, Kim is nearing the end of the process and could make a Futures League appearance next week. If all goes well, he should resume playing before June comes to a close.
Jae Won Lee - 10-Day IL - Thumb
June 16 - Lee (thumb) appeared in a Futures League game with the Wyverns' affiliate Tuesday, recording one hit, an RBI and three runs, Sang-Kyung Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Lee was making his first game appearance since May 7, when he fractured his right thumb in the Wyverns' season-opening series with the Eagles. The backstop is expected to catch three innings in the Futures League on Wednesday, and if all goes well, he could rejoin the parent club for SK's weekend series with Kiwoom. Lee was a key hitter for the Wyverns in 2109, batting .268 with 12 home runs and 75 RBI in 502 plate appearances.
KT Wiz Expected Lineup:
SP - Odrisamer Despaigne
1. Yong Ho Jo
3. Baek Ho Kang
4. Han Joon Yoo
5. Mel Rojas
9. Woo Jun Sim
SK Wyverns Expected Lineup:
SP - Jong Hoon Park
1. Ji Hoon Choi
2. Jong Wook Ko
3. Jeong Choi
4. Jamie Romak
6. Kang Min Kim
Top picks:
Mel Rojas, Wiz: Rojas continues to be a threat on offense even if his teammates don't help him on a consistent basis. The slugging outfielder is currently riding a six-game hitting streak and has hit safely in all but three contests in June. He's hitting .321/.345/.714 with six homers and 16 RBI this month.
Baek Ho Kang, Wiz: Kang homered as a pinch-hitter in Wednesday's victory over the Wyverns, and all signs point towards him starting on Thursday's series finale. He has eight home runs this season and should provide a huge boost to the Wiz's lineup.
Odrisamer Despaigne, Wiz: Despaigne has allowed 18 earned runs in just 15 innings during his last three starts, so it's safe to say he isn't in his best shape at the moment. However, the Wyverns have been one of the league's weakest offenses and Despaigne was quite good in his first five outings, so this could be a bounce-back performance for him.
Jamie Romak, Wyverns: Romak got off to a slow start this season, but he's beginning to turn things around. He has hit safely in three of his last four contests and is currently hitting a solid .279 with a stellar .439 on-base percentage through 14 games in June. He has four home runs and 15 RBI this month.
Captaincy Options:
1. Mel Rojas
2. Baek Ho Kang
Dream11 Team
C – Hyeon Woo Kang
IF – Jamie Romak
IF – Hyun Jung
IF – Jeong Choi
OF – Mel Rojas (C)
OF – Baek Ho Kang (VC)
OF – Yong Ho Jo
OF – Jeong Dae Bae
