This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Doosan Bears (20-12) at Hanwha Eagles (7-26)
June 12th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Won-Joon Choi (0-0, 7.64 ERA) vs LHP Chad Bell (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears are tied for second place in the standings with a 20-12 record, while the Eagles sit dead last with a 7-26 mark following 17 straight losses. Nearly every statistic favors the Bears over the Eagles, especially on offense, as the Bears are hitting .301 as a team while the Eagles have hit just .235 thus far. Both pitchers enter this game without much success this year, as both own ERAs above the 7.50 mark. Choi is yet to start this season, however, and it remains to be seen how he will handle the rigors of a new role after posting a 7.64 ERA with a 1.58 WHIP in 17.2 innings as a reliever. Bell, on the other hand, is yet to surpass 4.0 innings in any of his first three starts of the season while also suffering from a clear lack of run support. It's safe to say neither pitcher represents a very strong play ahead of this matchup.
Injuries
Kyoung Min Heo, Bears - Out - Finger
June 4 - Heo will miss 1-to-2 weeks with a fracture in his right little finger, according to Tae Woo Kim of SpoTV. Heo was a late scratch from Wednesday's lineup because of his injury, and he will now miss several more games for the same reason.
Doosan Bears (20-12) at Hanwha Eagles (7-26)
June 12th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected starters
RHP Won-Joon Choi (0-0, 7.64 ERA) vs LHP Chad Bell (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears are tied for second place in the standings with a 20-12 record, while the Eagles sit dead last with a 7-26 mark following 17 straight losses. Nearly every statistic favors the Bears over the Eagles, especially on offense, as the Bears are hitting .301 as a team while the Eagles have hit just .235 thus far. Both pitchers enter this game without much success this year, as both own ERAs above the 7.50 mark. Choi is yet to start this season, however, and it remains to be seen how he will handle the rigors of a new role after posting a 7.64 ERA with a 1.58 WHIP in 17.2 innings as a reliever. Bell, on the other hand, is yet to surpass 4.0 innings in any of his first three starts of the season while also suffering from a clear lack of run support. It's safe to say neither pitcher represents a very strong play ahead of this matchup.
Injuries
Kyoung Min Heo, Bears - Out - Finger
June 4 - Heo will miss 1-to-2 weeks with a fracture in his right little finger, according to Tae Woo Kim of SpoTV. Heo was a late scratch from Wednesday's lineup because of his injury, and he will now miss several more games for the same reason.
Jae Won Oh, Bears - 10-Day IL - Hamstring
June 10 - Doosan manager Tae-hyoung Kim said Wednesday that Oh (hamstring) will rejoin the Bears this weekend to resume training with the club, The Chosun Ilbo reports. While Kim didn't provide an estimate for when Oh might be ready to come off the 10-day injured list, the fact the infielder is traveling with the club for its series at Hanwha suggests the hamstring injury he sustained June 5 perhaps isn't as serious as initially anticipated. The Bears will likely wait and see how Oh's hamstring responds to on-field work before offering up a clearer timeline for his return.
Ju Seok Ha, 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 Si Hwan Noh in the middle infield.
Sun Jin Oh, 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 Ju Seok Ha and Oh since mid-May while both have battled thigh injuries, opening up regular work in the middle infield for Si Hwan Noh. 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.
Doosan Bears Expected Lineup
SP - Won-Joon Choi
1. Kun Woo Park
3. Jae Il Oh
4. Jae Hwan Kim
6. Se Hyuk Park
7. Jae Ho Kim
8. Soo Bin Jung
Hanwha Eagles Expected Lineup
SP - Chad Bell
1. Eun Won Jung
2. Jin Ho Jung
3. Yong-Kyu Lee
4. Jared Hoying
5. In Ho Choi
6. Si Hwan Noh
7. Tae-Kyun Kim
9. Han Min Jo
Top picks
Jose Fernandez, Bears: Fernandez made himself one of the early MVP favorites following an excellent first month of the season, as he ranks second in the league in batting average with a stellar .403 mark in 134 at-bats. He also has five home runs, 30 RBI and a 1.025 OPS, making him an absolute menace every time he steps to the plate.
Jae Il Oh, Bears: The first baseman has back-to-back multi-hit performances, hitting safely in four of the Bears' last five contests and reaching base safely in 11 of his last 12 games. He owns a .333/.412/.556 slash line with six RBI and six walks during that 12-game stretch.
Won-Joon Choi, Bears: It's hard to trust either pitcher in this matchup, but Choi should be the better play of the two. He allowed two earned runs without recording a single out in his latest relief outing Wednesday, but he'd made six straight scoreless appearances prior to that poor showing. He'll look to recover his best form against the Eagles' anemic offense.
Jared Hoying, Eagles: Hoying has reached basely in five of his last six games, including each of his last three contests since returning from a brief absence due to a foot injury. The struggling eagles are very short on reliable hitters, but Hoying did hit a solid .284 in 2019.
Captaincy Options
2. Jae Il Oh
Dream11 Team
P – Won-Joon Choi
C – Se Hyuk Park
IF – Jose Fernandez (C)
IF – Jae Il Oh (VC)
IF – Jae Ho Kim
IF – Si Hwan Noh
OF – Jae Hwan Kim
OF – Yong-Kyu Lee
OF – Jin Hyuk Jang
