Dream11 Fantasy KBO: Dinos at Eagles

NC Dinos (21-6) at Hanwha Eagles (7-21)

Saturday, June 6, 1:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

LHP Koo Chang-mo (4-0, 0.51 ERA) vs LHP Chad Bell (0-0, 5.14 ERA)

Game Preview

Baseball games don't get much more lopsided than this one. The first-place Dinos travel to face the last-place Eagles, with the favorites hoping to win their second game of the series after blowing out the hosts by a 13-2 score in Friday's series opener. These two teams' places in the standings are a very fair representation of their abilities, as the Dinos have outscored their opponents by 2.9 runs per game this season while the Eagles have been outscored by an average of 2.6 runs per game. Saturday's pitching matchup will only serve to widen the gap between these two sides. The Dinos' 23-year-old lefty Koo Chang-mo is in the midst of a breakout season, allowing just two total runs through his first five starts while striking out 30.9 percent of opposing batters. Fellow left-hander Chad Bell will take the hill for the Eagles. The veteran cruised to a solid 3.50 ERA in his first season in the KBO last year but battled elbow pain at the start of this season and has only made a pair of appearances. He hasn't looked good in those outings, giving up 14 baserunners across seven innings while striking out just four batters and walking seven.

Injuries

Kim Joon-wan, Dinos- 10-Day IL - Side

June 1 - Kim felt soreness in his right side last week, according to OSEN, and was placed on the injured list. It's not clear how long Kim will be sidelined, but the Dinos' reserve outfielder has not played since May 28 and will apparently miss more time. Kim Sung-wook was added to the roster in Joon Wan Kim's place.

Mo Chang-min, Dinos - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

June 2 - Mo (shoulder) played in a Futures League game Tuesday, according to chosun.com. Mo has missed more time than expected because of his injury, but his absence is on the verge of ending. It remains to be seen exactly when Mo will be activated, but when he is, the Dinos will have to figure out how to get both him and the red-hot Kang Jin-sung into the lineup.

Ha Ju-seok, Eagles - 10-Day IL - Thigh

June 2 - Eagles manager Yong-duk Han admitted Tuesday that Ha (thigh) is recovering from his injury slower than anticipated and will likely be sidelined until July, The Chosun Ilbo reports. When Ha injured his right thigh in a May 17 game, the Eagles were optimistic that he would complete his rehab in four weeks and rejoin the club around mid-to-late June. The shortstop's recovery timeline now looks like it will fall more in the six-week range, if not longer, given his lack of progress to date. Ha's ongoing absence should continue to open up regular work for Noh Si-hwan in the middle infield.

Oh Sun-jin, Eagles - 10-Day IL - Thigh

June 2 - Eagles manager Yong-duk Han said Tuesday that Oh (thigh) is recovering from his injury slower than anticipated and will likely be sidelined until July, The Chosun Ilbo reports. Hanwha has been down its top two shortstops in Ha Ju-seok and Oh since mid-May while both have battled thigh injuries, opening up regular work in the middle infield for Noh Si-hwan. Though Ha and Oh were both expected to require only four weeks to heal up from their respective injuries, the limited progress both players have made to date appears to have prompted Hanwha to push their recovery timelines back to at least six weeks. Before going down with the injury, Oh went 9-for-26 with a home run, two doubles and five RBI in nine games with Hanwha.

Dinos Expected Lineup

P Koo Chang-mo

1. Park Min-woo

2. Lee Myung-gi

3. Na Sung-bum

4. Yang Eui-ji

5. Park Suk-min

6. Kang Jin-sung

7. Aaron Altherr

8. No Jin-hyuk

9. Kwon Hee-dong

Eagles Expected Lineup 

P Chad Bell

1. Jung Eun-won

2. Jung Jin-ho

3. Jared Hoying

4. Lee Sung-yeol

5. Kim Tae-kyun

6. Song Kwang-min

7. Choi Jae-hoon

8. Noh Si-hwan

9. Lee Yong-kyu

Top Picks

Koo Chang-mo, Dinos: There might never be an easier pitcher choice than this one. Koo costs one credit less than Chad Bell despite looking like the best pitcher in the league this season, and he'll get to face the league's worst offense while Bell is stuck facing the league's best.

Yang Eui-ji, Dinos: Yang is the rare catcher who's worth captain consideration, though Koo's dominance makes him the top choice for the role Saturday. Yang is hitting .300 with four homers this season, though there's room for him to be even better, as he hit a remarkable .354 last season.

Kang Jin-sung, Dinos: Kang deserves a spot in every contest involving the Dinos, at least for as long as he comes in at an incredibly cheap seven credits. His cheap price is likely due to the fact that he had almost no track record heading into this year, but he's been on a remarkable tear so far this season, hitting .443 with six home runs.

Na Sung-bum, Dinos: Na misses out on one of my two captain spots in this one due to the fact that the Eagles will be starting with a lefty on the mound, but he's been so good this year that he's worth a spot in your lineup at his high price nonetheless. His two home runs in Friday's series opener gave him 10 on the season, good for second-best in the league.

Captaincy Options

1. Koo Chang-mo

2. Yang Eui-ji

3. Na Sung-bum

Dream11 Team

P Koo Chang-mo (C)

C Yang Eui-ji (VC)

IF Song Kwang-min

IF Noh Si-hwan

OF Na Sung-bum

OF Aaron Altherr

OF Jared Hoying

OF Kwan Hee-dong

OF Kang Jin-Sung