Dream11 Fantasy KBO: Dinos at Giants

NC Dinos (47-26-2) vs Lotte Giants (38-35-1)

Wednesday, August 12th, 5:30 AM EDT

Projected Starters

RHP Drew Rucinski (11-1, 2.31 ERA) vs RHP Dan Straily (6-3, 1.99 ERA)

Game Preview

The Dinos are a virtual lock to end the 2020 KBO season in first place of the standings, although their margin for error has been reduced following a 3-7 stretch and now they only a "mere" 3.5-game lead over the second-placed team, the Kiwoom Heroes. The Giants, on the other hand, arrive into this game in seventh place of the standings but are clearly on the rise – they're on a five-game winning run while going 7-2-1 over their last 10 contests. The biggest matchup here will come on the mound, as two of the best hurlers in the league will go toe-to-toe when Drew Rucinski goes up against Dan Straily. Rucinski has a 11-1 record and a 2.31 ERA in 16 starts, while Straily has posted a sterling 1.99 ERA in 17 outings. Both pitchers are among the Top 5 in the league in the ERA department.

Injuries

Lotte Giants

Dae Woo Kim - Out - Ankle

7/17 9:06 PM IST - Kim (ankle) was removed from the Giants' roster Friday, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. Kim left his last outing with the ankle injury, and it turns out he will miss at least several more days.

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.

Jun Won Seo - Out - Not Injury Related

8/5 9:16 PM IST - Seo was removed from the Giants' roster Wednesday, according to daum.net. Seo is coming off one of his best outings of the season, but the 19-year-old is on pace to easily surpass the 97 innings he threw in his 2019 rookie season, so the Giants decided it would be best to give him extra time before his next start.

NC Dinos

Jin Sung Kang - Out - Thumb

8/7 11:04 PM IST - Kang (thumb) was removed from the Dinos' roster Friday, according to Su Jin Park of Star News. Kang was presumably placed on the injured list after leaving Thursday's contest with the thumb injury. The extent of his injury is uncertain, so it remains to be seen how long he will be sidelined.

Tae Jin Kim - 10-Day IL - Ankle

7/11 1:59 AM IST - Kim will miss four weeks with the ankle injury he suffered Wednesday, according to chosun.com. Kim is not a starter when the Dinos' infield is healthy, but he is the team's top reserve infielder, and his injury will force manager Dong Wook Lee to turn elsewhere when he wants to give one of his regulars a day off in the coming weeks.

Chang Mo Koo - 10-Day IL - Forearm

8/10 10:25 PM IST - Koo is dealing with soreness in his left forearm, and a date for his return to the mound has not been established, according to chosun.com. Koo landed on the injured list in late July, and it initially appeared he was simply getting extra rest between starts. However, he was diagnosed with inflammation in his pitching arm shortly thereafter and has not thrown since. It seems the Dinos are taking the cautious route with their stellar young pitcher, and they figure to continue doing so. As such, it remains to be seen when he will make his next start for NC's top club.

Min Woo Park - 10-Day IL - Hamstring

8/4 3:56 PM IST - Park landed on the injured list Tuesday because of hamstring pain, per mydaily.co.kr. Park's hamstrings have come into play again by forcing the second baseman to miss more time. The 27-year-old previously sat out five games with a hamstring injury at the beginning of July. NC promoted Joon Young Park before Tuesday's postponed game against the Eagles.

Lotte Giants Expected Lineup

SP - Dan Straily

1. Hoon Jung

2. Ah Seop Son

3. Jun Woo Jeon

4. Dae Ho Lee

5. Dong Hee Han

6. Dixon Machado

7. Chi Hong An

8. Byung Hun Min

9. Joon Tae Kim

NC Dinos Expected Lineup

SP - Drew Rucinski

1. Myung Gi Lee

2. Hee Dong Kwon

3. Suk Min Park

4. Sung Bum Na

5. Chang Min Mo

6. Jin Hyuk No

7. Aaron Altherr

8. Eui Ji Yang

9. Suk Hoon Ji

Top Picks

Sung Bum Na, Dinos: Na should be the biggest offensive threat ahead of this matchup, and the numbers back him up. The veteran slugger is riding a three-game hitting streak while posting a .292/.452/.625 slash line with three homers and seven RBI in 24 at-bats this month. That's a low benchmark compared to what he's done all year long, as he has hit for .305 with 19 homers and 58 RBI in 2020.

Aaron Altherr, Dinos: Altherr missed a few games due to injury, but he has been one of the best hitters in the league all season long and should be a strong choice for a captaincy bet in this matchup. The former MLBer has a .600 slugging percentage that currently ranks third in the league, and he has also racked up 19 homers with 64 RBI this season.

Ah Seop Son, Giants: Son is the Giants' biggest offensive threat, and the talented outfielder enters this matchup while riding an 11-game hitting streak. Son has slashed .364/.451/.523 with a .974 OPS, one homer and seven RBI in that stretch.

Eui Ji Yang, Dinos: Yang is the best offensive catcher in the KBO and the numbers back him up. The backstop has 11 home runs and 53 RBI this season, while hitting .284 with a .868 OPS in 248 plate appearances.

Captaincy Options

1. Sung Bum Na
2. Aaron Altherr
3. Ah Seop Son

Dream11 Team

P – Drew Rucinski

C – Eui Ji Yang

IF – Suk Hoon Ji

IF – Dong Han Kim

IF – Suk Min Park

OF – Sung Bum Na (C)

OF – Jae Yoo Kim

OF – Aaron Altherr (VC)

OF – Ah Seop Son