This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.
Hanshin Tigers (22-26-3) at Tokyo Yakult Swallows (22-24-5)
Friday, August 21st, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Tokyo Yakult Swallows: RHP Daiki Yoshida (1-1, 4.81 ERA)
Hanshin Tigers: RHP Shintaro Fujinami (0-4, 4.00 ERA)
Game Preview
These two teams are riding in opposite directions despite their similar records – the Tigers are on a four-game winless streak (D1, L3) with three defeats in a row, while the Swallows are coming off a win and are 3-2 in their last five games. If the season ended today, the Tigers would make the Central League playoffs. Aiming to grab a tighter grip in that seed, the Swallows will send righty Daiki Yoshida and his 4.81 ERA to the mound. The Tigers will counter with Shintaro Fujinami, who has a 4.00 ERA but a severe lack of support from the offense every time he's out there.
Injuries
Kyuji Fujikawa - Out - Upper Body
8/14 1:23 AM IST - The Tigers deactivated Fujikawa on Thursday, citing an upper-body injury, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Fujikawa previously missed time in July with a right shoulder injury, so it's possible the reliever is dealing with a related setback. The 40-year-old was lights out at the back of the Hanshin bullpen in 2019, but he's struggled mightily so far this season, posting a 7.20 ERA and 10:9 K:BB in 10 innings while converting only two saves.
Joe Gunkel - Out - Back
7/14 2:41 PM IST - Gunkel was removed from the Tigers' active roster Tuesday
Hanshin Tigers (22-26-3) at Tokyo Yakult Swallows (22-24-5)
Friday, August 21st, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Tokyo Yakult Swallows: RHP Daiki Yoshida (1-1, 4.81 ERA)
Hanshin Tigers: RHP Shintaro Fujinami (0-4, 4.00 ERA)
Game Preview
These two teams are riding in opposite directions despite their similar records – the Tigers are on a four-game winless streak (D1, L3) with three defeats in a row, while the Swallows are coming off a win and are 3-2 in their last five games. If the season ended today, the Tigers would make the Central League playoffs. Aiming to grab a tighter grip in that seed, the Swallows will send righty Daiki Yoshida and his 4.81 ERA to the mound. The Tigers will counter with Shintaro Fujinami, who has a 4.00 ERA but a severe lack of support from the offense every time he's out there.
Injuries
Kyuji Fujikawa - Out - Upper Body
8/14 1:23 AM IST - The Tigers deactivated Fujikawa on Thursday, citing an upper-body injury, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Fujikawa previously missed time in July with a right shoulder injury, so it's possible the reliever is dealing with a related setback. The 40-year-old was lights out at the back of the Hanshin bullpen in 2019, but he's struggled mightily so far this season, posting a 7.20 ERA and 10:9 K:BB in 10 innings while converting only two saves.
Joe Gunkel - Out - Back
7/14 2:41 PM IST - Gunkel was removed from the Tigers' active roster Tuesday after experiencing back tightness during pregame warmups. Gunkel had made one start for the Tigers this season, but he'll have to wait until he's able to pitch again. The severity of the injury is unclear, but the right-hander will be forced to miss at least 10 days as a result of the injury. Gunkel allowed three runs while striking out three over four innings in his first start this year.
Yuhei Nakamura - Out - Undisclosed
6/20 10:09 AM IST - Nakamura was removed from the Yakult Swallows' roster Friday due to an undisclosed injury, BaseballKings reports. Nakamura didn't appear in the team's season opener, and he'll now miss time with an injury, although it's unclear how long he'll be sidelined. Nakamura appeared in 126 games last season, logging a .269 batting average with five home runs and 36 RBI. Suguru Ino was promoted in a corresponding move.
Yasutaka Shiomi - Out - Undisclosed
8/13 2:41 AM IST - The Swallows deactivated Shiomi on Wednesday due an undisclosed reason, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. The 27-year-old outfielder has been productive in a limited sample of 57 plate appearances this season, batting .294 with five home runs and three stolen bases. It's unclear when Shiomi might be ready to resume playing for the Swallows.
Albert Suarez - Out - Not Injury Related
7/10 5:49 AM IST - The Swallows deactivated Suarez on Wednesday, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Though the right-hander is sitting on a microscopic 0.53 ERA through three starts, the Swallows want Suarez to hit the reset button and work on his mechanics after he walked seven batters in Tuesday's win over the Dragons. The Swallows replaced Suarez on the active roster with lefty Keiji Suzuki, but it's not expected that the 30-year-old will miss more than one turn through the rotation.
Tokyo Yakult Swallows Expected Lineup
6. Yuhei Takai
Hanshin Tigers Expected Lineup
3. Yoshio Itoi
5. Justin Bour
6. Jerry Sands
8. Seiya Kinami
Top Picks From Each Team
Munetaka Murakami, Swallows: Murakami has been one of the top offensive threats in the league and that's enough reason to trust him with a captaincy role in this matchup. His numbers don't lie, as he's slashing .330/.441/.555 with eight homers and 43 RBI in 220 plate appearances. The power are not quite there yet, but he is capable of creating offense in more ways than just going yard.
Yusuke Ohyama, Tigers: Ohyama has 11 home runs and 27 RBI, but he's not the only thing he's done in an anemic Tigers offense – he is also hitting .264 with a stellar .864 OPS in 47 games.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Daiki Yoshida
C – Ryutaro Umeno
IF – Munetaka Murakami (C)
IF – Naomichi Nishiura
IF – Yusuke Ohyama
IF – Justin Bour
OF – Jerry Sands
OF – Tomotaka Sakaguchi
OF – Norichika Aoki (VC)
