This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
SK Wyverns (2-11) at Kiwoom Heroes (8-6)
Thursday, May 21, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Moon Seung-won (0-0, 4.63 ERA) vs RHP Han Hyun-hee (1-0, 4.09 ERA)
Game Preview
The Wyverns finally got their second win of the season Wednesday, ending their 10-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory. It's been a surprisingly rough start for a team which finished tied for the best regular-season record in the league last season. Meanwhile, the Heroes, who eliminated the Wyverns in the semifinals last season before getting swept by the Bears in the Korean Series, are off to a decent enough start, sitting fourth in the standings with the league's third-best run differential. The visiting Wyverns will turn to righty Moon Seung-won as they look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. His 4.63 ERA through two starts is mediocre at best, but he's struck out an encouraging 14 batters in 11.2 innings while walking just one. Opposing him on the hill for the Heroes will be Han Hyun-Hee. His 3.41 ERA and 1.21 WHIP last season were both solid marks, though he spent the entire season pitching in relief. He's been decent in his first two starts this year, striking out 11 batters in 11 innings while allowing five runs.
Injuries
Chae Tae-in, Wyverns - 10-Day IL - Ribs
May 12 - Chae will be out six weeks with a right intercostal injury, KBO analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. Chae has not played frequently for SK this season,
SK Wyverns (2-11) at Kiwoom Heroes (8-6)
Thursday, May 21, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Moon Seung-won (0-0, 4.63 ERA) vs RHP Han Hyun-hee (1-0, 4.09 ERA)
Game Preview
The Wyverns finally got their second win of the season Wednesday, ending their 10-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory. It's been a surprisingly rough start for a team which finished tied for the best regular-season record in the league last season. Meanwhile, the Heroes, who eliminated the Wyverns in the semifinals last season before getting swept by the Bears in the Korean Series, are off to a decent enough start, sitting fourth in the standings with the league's third-best run differential. The visiting Wyverns will turn to righty Moon Seung-won as they look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. His 4.63 ERA through two starts is mediocre at best, but he's struck out an encouraging 14 batters in 11.2 innings while walking just one. Opposing him on the hill for the Heroes will be Han Hyun-Hee. His 3.41 ERA and 1.21 WHIP last season were both solid marks, though he spent the entire season pitching in relief. He's been decent in his first two starts this year, striking out 11 batters in 11 innings while allowing five runs.
Injuries
Chae Tae-in, Wyverns - 10-Day IL - Ribs
May 12 - Chae will be out six weeks with a right intercostal injury, KBO analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. Chae has not played frequently for SK this season, but the club will be a bit thin at first base until he recovers from his injury. They should be just fine in his absence, though, as fellow first baseman Jamie Romak has started every game at the position to date.
Nick Kingham, Wyverns - 10-Day IL - Elbow
May 15 - Kingham will head to the injury list with elbow pain, Kyung-yoon Kim of Yonhap News Agency reports. The former MLB pitcher plans to miss a start due to the injury, with southpaw pitcher Seung-geon Baek reportedly set to take his place. Kingham suffered losses during his first two starts, including a devastating outing in which he allowed eight runs to the Twins on May 12.
Ko Jong-wook, Wyverns - Out - Ankle
May 14 - Ko (ankle) is expected to miss about two weeks, Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net reports. Ko appeared to roll his ankle while catching a flyball early in Wednesday's game. He has been removed from the active roster. Soo Kwang Noh replaced Ko in left field Wednesday, and the Wyverns also have Jeong Eui-yoon and Kim Kang-min at their disposal in the outfield.
Lee Jae-won, Wyverns - 10-Day IL - Thumb
May 7 - Lee exited Thursday's 8-4 loss to Hanwha with a fractured right thumb, Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. SK Wyverns has yet to announce a timeline for Lee's return. Lee was hitless in his first two at-bats before he sustained the injury when he was hit by a pitch in his third plate appearance of the day. SK Wyverns will presumably send Lee in for more tests to determine whether surgery is necessary, but even if he avoids a procedure, he appears likely to miss time on account of the injury. Lee's expected absence further thins a weak KBO catcher pool in which the 32-year-old stood out as one of the top fantasy options coming off a 12-homer, 75-RBI 2019 season. Lee Hyun-seok replaced Lee Jae-won in Thursday's game and would presumably be in store for regular work behind the dish while the latter is sidelined.
Byung Wook Lim, Heroes - 10-Day IL - Hamstring
May 17 - Lim (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks, Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News reports. The 24-year-old went down during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with a right hamstring injury, and he may end up spending two months on the injured list. Lim had a .278/.366/.389 slash line with four doubles and three stolen bases through 11 games.
Taylor Motter, Heroes - Out - Not Injury Related
May 16 - Motter was removed from Kiwoom's entry ahead of the club's doubleheader with the LG Twins, according to nocutnews.co.kr. In what amounts to a temporary demotion for Motter, Kiwoom granted him some personal time to spend with his wife, who went into mandatory quarantine upon entering Korea. Motter will be off the roster for at least 10 days, and in his absence Jeon Byung-woo and Kim Joo-hyung will share the third-base duties.
Wyverns Expected Lineup
P Moon Seung-won
1. Jeong Jin-gi
2. Oh Jun-hyeok
3. Choi Jeong
4. Jamie Romak
5. Han Dong-min
6. Jeong Eui-yoon
7. Lee Hong-gu
8. Kim Chang-pyung
9. Jung Hyun
Heroes Expected Lineup
P Han Hyun-hee
1. Seo Keon-chang
2. Kim Ha-seong
3. Lee Jung-hoo
4. Park Byung-ho
5. Lee Taek-keun
6. Park Dong-won
7. Kim Hye-sung
8. Lee Ji-young
9. Park Joon-tae
Top Picks
Han Hyun-hee, Heroes: Both pitchers have similarly decent track records, but Han gets to face a lineup that's been the league's worst this season, while Moon Seung-won faces a Heroes lineup which ranks a respectable sixth in runs per game. If that weren't enough to tip the scale Han's way, the fact that he comes in 3.5 credits cheaper should seal the deal.
Han Dong-min, Wyverns: If you're electing to go with a Wyverns-based lineup, Han is the captain to choose. The left-handed outfielder has been on a tear to start the season, hitting .341 with five home runs. With 11 RBI, he's driven in nearly a quarter of his team's 45 runs so far this season.
Lee Jung-hoo, Heroes: The 21-year-old outfielder has been the Heroes' best hitter this season, recording an excellent .392/.466/.725 slash line with three homers in his first 14 games. That power is somewhat unexpected, as he's never hit more than six homers in his first three KBO campaigns, but he's always been a strong contact hitter and it shouldn't be too surprising that he still has plenty of room to grow at his young age.
Seo Keon-chang, Heroes: The Heroes' leadoff man is off to a strong start this season, hitting .302 with eight runs, 11 RBI and four stolen bases. He's been an excellent table-setter for several seasons, hitting .298 or better with an on-base percentage of at least .377 in each of the last six seasons.
Captaincy Options
1. Han Hyun-hee
2. Lee Jung-hoo
3. Han Dong-min
Dream11 Team
P Han Hyun-hee (C)
C Park Dong-won
IF Jamie Romak
IF Kim Ha-seong
IF Park Byung-ho
IF Seo Keon-chang
OF Han Dong-min
OF Lee Jung-hoo (VC)
OF Jeong Jin-gi
