This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Doosan Bears (23-16) at LG Twins (25-14)
Saturday, June 20, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Park Jong-gi (0-1, 5.79 ERA) vs RHP Casey Kelly (3-1, 5.21 ERA)
Game Preview
This matchup is the second in a three-game series between a pair of rivals that both call Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul home. Both sides made the playoffs last year, with the Bears taking home the Korean Series title, and both occupy playoff spots thus far this year, with the Twins sitting second and the Bears sitting third. The defending champions took the first game of the series in a blowout win Friday, winning an 18-10 game in which they scored 13 runs in the first two innings. Given the pitching matchup Saturday, however, the Bears may not be favored in this contest. They'll give the start to 25-year-old righty Park Jong-gi, who turned in an unimpressive performance against the lowly Eagles, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings, in his lone start of the year and his only KBO appearance since 2015. The Twins will turn to former MLB pitcher Casey Kelly, who's likely better than his 5.21 ERA suggests, as he cruised to a 2.55 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in his debut season in the league last year.
Injuries
Hur Kyoung-min Hur, Bears - 10-Day IL - Finger
June 4 - Heo will miss 1-to-2 weeks with a fracture in his right little finger, according to Tae Woo Kim of SpoTV. Heo was a late scratch from
Doosan Bears (23-16) at LG Twins (25-14)
Saturday, June 20, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Park Jong-gi (0-1, 5.79 ERA) vs RHP Casey Kelly (3-1, 5.21 ERA)
Game Preview
This matchup is the second in a three-game series between a pair of rivals that both call Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul home. Both sides made the playoffs last year, with the Bears taking home the Korean Series title, and both occupy playoff spots thus far this year, with the Twins sitting second and the Bears sitting third. The defending champions took the first game of the series in a blowout win Friday, winning an 18-10 game in which they scored 13 runs in the first two innings. Given the pitching matchup Saturday, however, the Bears may not be favored in this contest. They'll give the start to 25-year-old righty Park Jong-gi, who turned in an unimpressive performance against the lowly Eagles, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings, in his lone start of the year and his only KBO appearance since 2015. The Twins will turn to former MLB pitcher Casey Kelly, who's likely better than his 5.21 ERA suggests, as he cruised to a 2.55 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in his debut season in the league last year.
Injuries
Hur Kyoung-min Hur, Bears - 10-Day IL - Finger
June 4 - Heo will miss 1-to-2 weeks with a fracture in his right little finger, according to Tae Woo Kim of SpoTV. Heo was a late scratch from Wednesday's lineup because of his injury, and he will now miss several more games for the same reason.
Oh Jae-il, Bears - 10-Day IL - Side
June 15 - Oh appears to be dealing with a serious side injury, Kyung Yoon Kim of the Yonhap News Agency reports. The Bears are expected to provide more details about Oh's status before their next game Tuesday, but he was already removed from the roster, so he will miss more time. Just how much remains to be seen, but Oh owns a 1.039 OPS on the season, so his presence will be greatly missed until he gets back on the field.
Jung Ju-hyeon, Twins - Day-To-Day - Finger
June 19 - Jung left Friday's game against the Bears with a bruised finger on his left hand, according to hankyung.com. Jung started Friday for the fourth game in a row, but he was unable to finish the contest. He does not appear to be dealing with a serious injury, but it remains to be seen if he will be in the lineup for the Twins' next game Saturday.
KIm Min-sung, Twins - 10-Day IL - Thigh
June 15 - The Twins placed Kim (thigh) on the 10-day injured list Monday, Young-rock Kim of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The transaction comes as little surprise after a recent MRI revealed that Kim sustained a left adductor injury Sunday that will keep him sidelined for at least 2-to-3 weeks. The Twins also removed reliever Lee Sang-gyu from the active roster Monday and replaced him and Kim with reliever Han Sun-tae and outfielder Jeon Min-su.
Lee Hyung-jong, Twins - Out - Hand
May 10 - Lee, who suffered a fractured wrist in a preseason game, is expected to return in late May or early June, Newsis News Agency reports. Lee broke the fifth metacarpal in his left hand, but he should be a big part of LG's offense when he returns after hitting .286 with 13 home runs and an .800 OPS last season. Yong-taik Park has received more playing time as a result of Lee's injury.
Bears Expected Lineup
P Park Jong-gi
1. Park Kun-woo
3. Choi Joo-hwan
4. Kim Jae-hwan
5. Kim Jae-ho
6. Park Se-hyuk
7. Kuk Hae-sung
8. Jung Soo-bin
9. Seo Ye-il
Twins Expected Lineup
1. Lee Chun-woong
2. Kim Hyun-soo
3. Chae Eun-sung
5. Park Yong-taik
6. Yoo Kang-nam
7. Jeong Keun-woo
8. Oh Ji-hwan
9. Koo Bon-hyeok
Top Picks
Casey Kelly, Twins: Park's 16.5-credit price tag is far too expensive for his performance level this year, but his strong 2.55 ERA from his debut season in Korea last year gives hope that he'll be worth paying for in this one. Both lineups are capable of punishing most pitchers in the league, but the gap between Kelly, who has pitched at the MLB level, and Park Jong-gi, who has only thrown seven KBO innings in his career, could hardly be larger.
Kim Jae-ho, Bears: If we're going with Kelly as our pitcher, we'll want to save most of our budget for the Twins' top hitters. Kim is the best of the Bears' cheapest batters, as he'll hit near the heart of the order and owns an excellent .395 batting average over his last 12 games.
Kim Hyun-soo, Twins: Through June 6, Kim owned an excellent .374 batting average but had hit just one home run. In his last 11 games, however, he's homered three times while maintaining a high batting average, hitting .333 over that stretch.
Roberto Ramos, Twins: Ramos has gone hitless in two games since returning from ankle and back issues, which is enough for me to drop him from captain to vice captain. There's some risk that he's not yet fully healthy, but he's absolutely still a bat I want in my lineup due to his massive upside, as he's hitting .353 with a league-leading 13 homers this season.
Captaincy Options
1. Kim Hyun-soo
3. Chae Eun-sung
Dream11 Team
C Park Se-hyuk
IF Roberto Ramos (VC)
IF Kim Jae-ho
IF Seo Ye-il
IF Jung Ju-hyeon
OF Kim Hyun-soo (C)
OF Chae Eun-sung
OF Lee Chun-woong
