This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
LG Twins (30-25) at Doosan Bears (32-23)
Thursday, July 9th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Tyler Wilson (3-4, 4.47 ERA) vs RHP Raul Alcantara (7-1, 3.45 ERA)
Game Preview
Both the Twins and the Bears are among the teams with enough talent to put pressure on the NC Dinos at the top of the standings, and both sides sit comfortably above the .500 mark. This game finds both teams coming off 5-5 records in their last 10 games as well, so it looks like a very even matchup on paper. The pitching matchup faces two hurlers with experience and pedigree, as Tyler Wilson (4.47 ERA) will go up against Raul Alcantara (3.45 ERA). The latter also has experience against the Twins this season, going 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA against LG. Meanwhile, this will be Wilson's first start of the campaign against the Bears.
Injuries
Bears
Yong Chan Lee - Out - Elbow
6/4 2:49 PM IST - Lee will undergo Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss at least a year, Daniel Kim of DKTV reports. Lee has started regularly for Doosan since 2018, but his 2020 season will come to an early and abrupt end as a result of his elbow injury. It remains to be seen who will enter the rotation in Lee's place, as the Giants have only needed five starting pitchers to date.
Twins
Woo Chan Cha - Out - Not Injury Related
7/8 11:18 PM IST - Cha was assigned to the
LG Twins (30-25) at Doosan Bears (32-23)
Thursday, July 9th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Tyler Wilson (3-4, 4.47 ERA) vs RHP Raul Alcantara (7-1, 3.45 ERA)
Game Preview
Both the Twins and the Bears are among the teams with enough talent to put pressure on the NC Dinos at the top of the standings, and both sides sit comfortably above the .500 mark. This game finds both teams coming off 5-5 records in their last 10 games as well, so it looks like a very even matchup on paper. The pitching matchup faces two hurlers with experience and pedigree, as Tyler Wilson (4.47 ERA) will go up against Raul Alcantara (3.45 ERA). The latter also has experience against the Twins this season, going 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA against LG. Meanwhile, this will be Wilson's first start of the campaign against the Bears.
Injuries
Bears
Yong Chan Lee - Out - Elbow
6/4 2:49 PM IST - Lee will undergo Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss at least a year, Daniel Kim of DKTV reports. Lee has started regularly for Doosan since 2018, but his 2020 season will come to an early and abrupt end as a result of his elbow injury. It remains to be seen who will enter the rotation in Lee's place, as the Giants have only needed five starting pitchers to date.
Twins
Woo Chan Cha - Out - Not Injury Related
7/8 11:18 PM IST - Cha was assigned to the Twins' Futures League team Wednesday, according to chosun.com. Cha has posted a 6.04 ERA this season and has really struggled of late, allowing 20 earned runs over his last 10.2 innings (16.87 ERA), so the Twins decided he could use some time in the minors to try and iron things out.
Chan Heon Jung - Out - Not Injury Related
7/6 10:39 PM IST - Jung was removed from the Twins' roster Monday, according to koreadaily.com. Jung continues to throw the ball well for LG, but the team is also sticking to its plan of using him only every other time through the rotation, so he was taken off the roster until he makes his next start sometime next week.
Min Sung Kim - 10-Day IL - Thigh
6/15 10:18 PM IST - 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 Sang Gyu Lee from the active roster Monday and replaced him and Kim with reliever Sun Tae Han and outfielder Min-Su Jeon.
Woo Seok Ko - 10-Day IL - Knee
7/8 12:54 AM IST - Ko (knee) is set to make a rehab appearance for the Twins' Futures League affiliate Wednesday, Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency reports. The LG closer has made rapid progress since undergoing left knee surgery May 18. Though Ko was initially expected to miss three months, he looks poised to cut that recovery timeline nearly in half. If Ko's knee holds up well during Wednesday's appearance in the minors, he could be added back to the big club's roster for this weekend's series with the Dinos. Ko was one of the KBO's top end gamers in 2019, notching 35 saves to go with a 1.52 ERA.
Min Ho Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/1 10:36 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Twins' roster Wednesday, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. This move is mainly procedural, as the Twins have been skipping Lee every other time through the rotation in order to limit the 19-year-old's workload. The plan is working to perfection thus far, as Lee has posted a 1.84 ERA and 1.23 WHIP since joining the rotation May 21. Expect him to make his next start around the end of the second week of July.
Hyung Jong Lee - Out - Hand
7/5 11:26 PM IST - Lee (hand) is expected to appear in a rehab game for the Twins' Futures League affiliate Tuesday, Hyun-seok Jeong of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Lee has been sidelined all season with a fractured left hand, so he'll presumably need at least a few rehab games before the Twins are comfortable activating him. The 31-year-old was a regular in the Twins outfield in 2019, slashing .286/.358/.442 with 13 home runs, six stolen bases, 56 runs and 63 RBI over 482 plate appearances.
Yong Taik Park - Out - Hamstring
6/24 2:15 PM IST - Park will miss four weeks with a right hamstring injury, Se Ho Yoon of Sports Seoul reports. The news comes as no surprise, considering the 19-year LG vet struggled to exit Tuesday's game with Kiwoom under his own power. Park now joins Eun Sung Chae (ankle) and Min Sung Kim (thigh) on the list of starting position players out for the injury-riddled Twins. As a result of Park's injury, 20-year-old prospect Jae Won Lee was summoned to the first team and will start Wednesday.
Eun Beom Song - Out - Not Injury Related
7/6 10:47 PM IST - Song was removed from the Twins' roster Monday, according to koreadaily.com. Song returned to action last week after missing some time with a bruised thigh, but he was not particularly sharp over his last couple outings, so the Twins decided he could use more time to work on his mechanics in the minors.
Twins' Expected Lineup
SP - Tyler Wilson
1. Chun Woong Lee
2. Hyun Soo Kim
3. Eun Sung Chae
4. Roberto Ramos
5. Ho Eun Kim
6. Ji Hwan Oh
7. Kang Nam Yoo
8. Seung Hyun Baek
9. Ju Hyeon Jung
Bears' Expected Lineup
SP - Raul Alcantara
1. Kyoung Min Hur
2. Jose Fernandez
3. Kun Woo Park
4. Jae Hwan Kim
5. Jae Il Oh
6. Joo Hwan Choi
7. Jae Ho Kim
8. Se Hyuk Park
9. Soo Bin Jung
Top Picks
Jose Fernandez, Bears: Fernandez went through a four-game hitless streak earlier this month, but he has bounced back with six hits, one homer and four runs scored in his last two games. He has been extremely consistent all year long and should be a strong captaincy alternative once again.
Hyun Soo Kim, Twins: Kim blasted two home runs Wednesday and he's now posted multi-hit performances in each of his last four games. He has been dominant all season long and has hit .333 over his last 10 contests.
Roberto Ramos, Twins: Ramos went through a slump between June 18 to July 1, notching just seven hits in 40 at-bats with no home runs and just two extra-base hits. He has left that in the rear view, however, and he's now hit safely in five of his last six games, notching two homers and three multi-hit efforts during that stretch.
Jae Il Oh, Bears: Oh produced two hits in five at-bats during Wednesday's contest and he has hit safely in back-to-back games, but he has registered such feat in nine of his last 11 outings. He has hit for .396 with six RBI and a .542 slugging percentage in that stretch.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Raul Alcantara
C – Sung Woo Lee
IF – Roberto Ramos
IF – Jose Fernandez (C)
IF – Jae Il Oh
IF – Keun Woo Jeong
OF – Hyun Soo Kim (VC)
OF – Soo Bin Jung
OF – Chang Gi Hong
