This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy CPBL series.
Rakuten Monkeys (7-2) at Fubon Guardians (4-6)
Projected Starters
LHP Justin Nicolino (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Bryan Woodall (0-1, 14.14 ERA)
Game Preview
Both teams enter the series having lost two out of three games over the weekend. The Monkeys began the season 7-0 before losing two straight to the Lions. They turn to southpaw Justin Nicolino to halt their brief skid. The 28-year-old has yet to record any official CPBL stats, as his only appearance thus far came in a game cut short due to rain. Nicolino spent parts of three seasons in MLB with the Marlins, posting a respectable 4.65 ERA, though he was limited to Triple-A action for the past two seasons. The Guardians, who halted a three-game losing streak by beating the Brothers on Sunday, will trot out fellow American Bryan Woodall. Woodall never reached the majors during his time in his home country but has had success in Taiwan. The 33-year-old is in his sixth season in the CPBL. While he recorded an ERA below 4.00 in each of his first four campaigns in the league, he slipped to a 5.48 mark last season. He hasn't shown signs of turning things around through his first two starts this year, allowing 11 runs in seven innings of work.
Monkeys' Last Lineup
RF Chen Chen-Wei
3B Lin Li
LF Lan Yin-Lun
C Lin Hung-Yu
1B Chu Yu-Hsien
2B Kuo Yen-Wen
DH Liao Chien-Fu
SS Kuo Yung-Wei
CF Cheng Chin
Guardians' Last Lineup
DH Hu Chin-Lung
2B
Rakuten Monkeys (7-2) at Fubon Guardians (4-6)
Projected Starters
LHP Justin Nicolino (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Bryan Woodall (0-1, 14.14 ERA)
Game Preview
Both teams enter the series having lost two out of three games over the weekend. The Monkeys began the season 7-0 before losing two straight to the Lions. They turn to southpaw Justin Nicolino to halt their brief skid. The 28-year-old has yet to record any official CPBL stats, as his only appearance thus far came in a game cut short due to rain. Nicolino spent parts of three seasons in MLB with the Marlins, posting a respectable 4.65 ERA, though he was limited to Triple-A action for the past two seasons. The Guardians, who halted a three-game losing streak by beating the Brothers on Sunday, will trot out fellow American Bryan Woodall. Woodall never reached the majors during his time in his home country but has had success in Taiwan. The 33-year-old is in his sixth season in the CPBL. While he recorded an ERA below 4.00 in each of his first four campaigns in the league, he slipped to a 5.48 mark last season. He hasn't shown signs of turning things around through his first two starts this year, allowing 11 runs in seven innings of work.
Monkeys' Last Lineup
RF Chen Chen-Wei
3B Lin Li
LF Lan Yin-Lun
C Lin Hung-Yu
1B Chu Yu-Hsien
2B Kuo Yen-Wen
DH Liao Chien-Fu
SS Kuo Yung-Wei
CF Cheng Chin
Guardians' Last Lineup
DH Hu Chin-Lung
2B Yang Chin-Hao
CF Lin Che-Hsuan
3B Chiang Chih-Hsien
1B Fan Kuo-Chen
LF Kao Kuo-Lin
C Dai Pei-Feng
SS Chen Kai-Lun
RF Chang Cheng-Wei
Top Picks
Justin Nicolino, Monkeys: While Nicolino remains untested in the CPBL, he's clearly the sensible choice for your pitcher in this contest. There's little reason to pay 4.5 extra credits for Woodall, who's struggled this season and is facing an offense that has scored 8.8 runs per game (compared to 6.5 runs per game by the Guardians).
Chiang Chih-Hsien, Guardians: As mentioned in the preview for Sunday's game, Chiang is the rare lefty who doesn't seem to struggle against opposing left-handers. He demonstrated as much by going 2-for-4 with a homer on Sunday, bringing his season slash line to .341/.372/.634 through 10 games.
Lin Hung-Yu, Monkeys: A catcher with a strong enough bat to hit cleanup is a rare commodity, but Lin certainly fits that bill. He's hit .359 with three home runs through nine games this season after hitting .350 with 26 homers (four shy of the league lead) last year.
Chu Yu-Hsien, Monkeys: Last year's MVP and home run leader has been on a tear this season, hitting .514 with eight homers and 17 RBI through nine games. He should continue that hot streak against a struggling Woodall in this contest.
Captaincy Options
1. Chu Yu-Hsien
2. Lin Hung-Yu
Dream11 Team
C Lin Hung-Yu (VC)
IF Chu Yu-Hsien (C)
IF Chen Chun-Hsiu
IF Chiang Chih-Hsien
IF Yang Chin-Hao
OF Lin Che-Hsuan
OF Lan Yin-Lun
OF Kao Kuo-Lin
