This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
SK Wyverns (15-37) at Lotte Giants (24-26)
Sunday, July 5th, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Jong Hoon Park (3-4, 5.64 ERA) vs RHP Se Woong Park (2-4, 5.87 ERA)
Game Preview
Two teams that have been plagued by inconsistencies while sitting in the bottom part of the standings will collide Sunday, as the Wyverns will visit the Giants in the final game of this three-game series. The Giants have the better record by a wide margin, though that hasn't been noticeable if we look at both teams' recent form – Lotte are 4-6 and the Wyverns are 3-7 in their last 10 contests. The pitching matchup looks to be a close one in this duel of right-handers between Jong Hoon Park and Se Woong Park. Both pitchers offer similar stats and ERAs between 5.60 and 5.90, so it's hard to trust either of them ahead of this duel. The Wyverns hurler lasted just 4.2 innings in his previous outing, while the Giants' pitcher is coming off a quality start – three runs allowed in six innings – in his most recent appearance.
Injuries
Giants
Seung Heon Lee - 10-Day IL - Forehead
6/16 9:13 PM IST - Lee (forehead) was cleared to resume working out with the Giants on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reports. Lee has been on the shelf since May 17, when he was removed from his start against Hanwha after taking a line drive to the forehead. The right-hander was diagnosed with a microfracture in
SK Wyverns (15-37) at Lotte Giants (24-26)
Sunday, July 5th, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Jong Hoon Park (3-4, 5.64 ERA) vs RHP Se Woong Park (2-4, 5.87 ERA)
Game Preview
Two teams that have been plagued by inconsistencies while sitting in the bottom part of the standings will collide Sunday, as the Wyverns will visit the Giants in the final game of this three-game series. The Giants have the better record by a wide margin, though that hasn't been noticeable if we look at both teams' recent form – Lotte are 4-6 and the Wyverns are 3-7 in their last 10 contests. The pitching matchup looks to be a close one in this duel of right-handers between Jong Hoon Park and Se Woong Park. Both pitchers offer similar stats and ERAs between 5.60 and 5.90, so it's hard to trust either of them ahead of this duel. The Wyverns hurler lasted just 4.2 innings in his previous outing, while the Giants' pitcher is coming off a quality start – three runs allowed in six innings – in his most recent appearance.
Injuries
Giants
Seung Heon Lee - 10-Day IL - Forehead
6/16 9:13 PM IST - Lee (forehead) was cleared to resume working out with the Giants on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reports. Lee has been on the shelf since May 17, when he was removed from his start against Hanwha after taking a line drive to the forehead. The right-hander was diagnosed with a microfracture in his forehead, but he was fortunate to avoid surgery and looks to have progressed well in his recovery over the past month. Lee expects to increase the intensity of his workouts over the next several days, but it's uncertain when or if he'll return to the Giants' active roster. The Giants no longer have an opening in the rotation for Lee with Adrian Sampson having since rejoined the team in May after completing his quarantine upon returning from North America.
Kyung Eun Noh - 10-Day IL - Wrist
6/29 8:34 PM IST - The Giants placed Noh on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a wrist issue, Ik-Rae Choi of The Dong-a Ilbo reports. Noh's injury isn't considered a major concern, so he could be re-enlisted on the Giants' roster before the full 10 days. He'll at least miss out on his previous scheduled start Tuesday against the Dinos, with reliever Dae Woo Kim now getting the nod for the series opener in Noh's stead.
Yoon Suk Oh - 10-Day IL - Hamstring
6/15 9:57 PM IST - Oh will be placed on the injured list with a right hamstring injury, Ik Rae Choi of The Dong-A Ilbo reports. It's not yet clear how long Oh will be sidelined, but he will not be able to play again until he is activated by the Giants. Oh has provided a nice boost for the Giants since making his season debut June 3, posting an .847 OPS over 11 games, but the team will now be forced to turn to another option on the infield.
Jin Hyung Park - Out - Elbow
7/1 11:09 PM IST - Park is dealing with a sore elbow and was removed from the Giants' roster Wednesday, according to chosun.com. Park posted a 1.76 ERA over his first 19 appearances out of the Giants' bullpen this season, but he was knocked around a bit the last couple weeks, and it's possible the injury was to blame. It remains to be seen how long Park will be sidelined, but the Giants will be forced to use other pitchers in the setup role until he returns.
Wyverns
Jae Hoon Ha - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed
6/23 12:02 AM IST - Ha was removed from the Wyverns' roster on Monday, Soo Jin Park of Star News reports. Ha was removed from the closer's role last week, and after allowing two earned runs in his first appearance after that, he was taken off the roster altogether. No injury has been reported, but Ha simply has not been himself this year after dominating out of the Wyverns' bullpen in 2019. He will get a chance to iron things out and figures to rejoin the top club at some point down the road.
Dong Min Han - 10-Day IL - Lower Leg
6/11 2:22 AM IST - 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.
Ji Kwang Kang - Out - Shoulder
6/15 2:22 PM IST - Kang, who has alternated between position player and relief pitcher the last few seasons, will resume pitching in Futures League games Wednesday, Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV reports. Kang converted from pitcher to hitter when he was drafted in 2009, per the Yonhap News Agency, but he never saw much action as a hitter and gave pitching another shot a couple years ago. The move appeared to be a good one, as he allowed just three earned runs in 16.1 innings (1.65 ERA) over his final 15 appearances last season. However, he was plagued by shoulder soreness that sidelined him after mid-June and entered this season as a hitter again. He is now feeling good enough to give pitching another shot, and if all goes well he could be a factor out of the Wyverns' bullpen at some point soon.
Chang Pyung Kim - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
6/15 5:50 AM IST - 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.
Jong Wook Ko - Out - Not Injury Related
7/4 11:08 PM IST - Ko was removed from the Wyverns' roster Friday, according to MBN. Ko went just 12-for-52 (.231) over 18 games after recovering from an ankle injury, so SK decided to send him down to work on some things. SK frequently rotates its outfielders, so several players could see more action until Ko rejoins the top club.
Jae Won Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/4 10:54 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Wyverns' roster Friday, according to ohmynews.com. Lee went just 4-for-36 over 11 games after recovering from a fractured thumb, so the Wyverns sent him to their Futures League club to try and iron things out there. Hyun Seok Lee will serve as the Wyverns' primary catcher for the time being.
Heung Ryun Lee - Out - Shoulder
6/20 1:02 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Wyverns' roster Saturday due to a shoulder injury, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. It remains to be seen how long Lee will be sidelined, but with SK's starting catcher, Jae Won Lee, being activated from the injured list in the corresponding move, he is in line to fill a reserve role whenever he is ready to play again.
Wyverns' Expected Lineup
SP - Jong Hoon Park
1. Ji Hoon Choi
2. Jun Hyeok Oh
3. Jeong Choi
4. Jamie Romak
5. Tae In Chae
9. Kyung Ho Kim
Giants' Expected Lineup
SP - Se Woong Park
1. Hoon Jung
2. Ah Seop Son
3. Jun Woo Jeon
4. Dae Ho Lee
6. Dong Hee Han
7. Chi Hong An
8. Joon Tae Kim
Top Picks
Ah Seop Son, Giants: Son enters this game on a six-game hitting streak, and he has accounted for one home run, nine RBI, two walks and a stolen base while going 11-for-24 (.458) during that stretch. He is the most dangerous hitter in the Giants roster by a wide margin.
Jeong Choi, Wyverns: Choi is riding a four-game hitting streak but, to make him even more attractive ahead of this matchup, it's also worth mentioning that he has reached basely in each of his last 24 games. He has produced a .317 average with eight home runs, 15 RBI and four doubles during that sizzling streak.
Dixon Machado, Giants: Machado went 0-for-5 during Saturday's contest, but he has been on a tear during the past month. Since June 4 onwards, the shortstop has hit for .323 with 13 RBI, nine walks, six extra-base hits and a strikeout rate of just 9.3 percent. He has been extremely consistent and enters this game with hits in 11 of his last 15 games.
Jamie Romak, Wyverns: Romak extended his hitting streak to five games with a 3-for-4 performance July 4 – he also added a home run and two runs scored in that contest. The slugging first baseman has 10 home runs and 31 RBI while posting a .514 slugging percentage in 52 games in 2020.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Se Woong Park
C – Hyun Seok Lee
IF – Jamie Romak
IF – Dixon Machado
IF – Jeong Choi (VC)
IF – Yoon Suk Oh
IF – Dong Hee Han
OF – Byung Hun Min
OF – Ah Seop Son (C)
