This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Hanwha Eagles (18-53-1) at LG Twins (39-31-1)
Friday, July 31st, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Shi Hwan Jang (2-6, 5.02 ERA) vs RHP Casey Kelly (4-5, 4.65 ERA)
Game Preview
The Eagles remain the only team in the KBO this season to not register at least 20 wins, and they are dead last in the standings while going 1-8-1 in their last 10 contests. The Twins are at the other extreme of the spectrum, going 8-2 in their past 10 while riding a four-game winning streak. They have the league's best record during that 10-game stretch and seem ready to make a playoff push in the second half of the season. The pitching matchup will feature two righties, as Shi Hwan Jang will take the ball for the Eagles and Casey Kelly gets the nod for the Twins. Neither pitcher has been particularly impressive, but Kelly's numbers are far better than Jang's, and the former Boston Red Sox draftee has also enjoyed success against Hanwha, going 1-0 with a 0.73 ERA against them this season. For what is worth, Jang is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA against LG in 2020.
Injuries
Hanwha Eagles
Jin Ho Jung - Out - Knee
7/13 10:21 PM IST - Jung was removed from Hanwha's roster Monday due to a left knee injury, according to chosun.com. Jung was having a good month of July, going 10-for-25 (.400) over 10 games, but he will now miss some time as a result of his injury. It
Hanwha Eagles (18-53-1) at LG Twins (39-31-1)
Friday, July 31st, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Shi Hwan Jang (2-6, 5.02 ERA) vs RHP Casey Kelly (4-5, 4.65 ERA)
Game Preview
The Eagles remain the only team in the KBO this season to not register at least 20 wins, and they are dead last in the standings while going 1-8-1 in their last 10 contests. The Twins are at the other extreme of the spectrum, going 8-2 in their past 10 while riding a four-game winning streak. They have the league's best record during that 10-game stretch and seem ready to make a playoff push in the second half of the season. The pitching matchup will feature two righties, as Shi Hwan Jang will take the ball for the Eagles and Casey Kelly gets the nod for the Twins. Neither pitcher has been particularly impressive, but Kelly's numbers are far better than Jang's, and the former Boston Red Sox draftee has also enjoyed success against Hanwha, going 1-0 with a 0.73 ERA against them this season. For what is worth, Jang is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA against LG in 2020.
Injuries
Hanwha Eagles
Jin Ho Jung - Out - Knee
7/13 10:21 PM IST - Jung was removed from Hanwha's roster Monday due to a left knee injury, according to chosun.com. Jung was having a good month of July, going 10-for-25 (.400) over 10 games, but he will now miss some time as a result of his injury. It remains to be seen when he will be ready to rejoin the Eagles' roster.
Bum Soo Kim - Out - Hip
7/30 10:03 PM IST - Kim was removed from the Eagles' roster Thursday due to a hip injury, according to OSEN. It's not yet clear how long Kim will be sidelined, but he has a history of hip issues, so it's possible he could miss some time. Kim is scheduled to meet with a specialist Monday, and a timeline for his recovery should be determined after that.
Jin Young Kim - 10-Day IL - Hand
7/8 10:55 PM IST - Kim was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a hand injury, according to chosun.com. Kim left his last outing with a bruised hand, and it was determined he will need several days to rest and recover. Kim has been busy this season, pitching in roughly half the games the Eagles have played, so some time off could help him regain some stamina.
Ee Whan Kim - Out - Not Injury Related
6/8 12:54 PM IST - Kim was removed from Hanwha's first-team entry Monday, Young Eun Bae of Daily Sports Backstroke reports. The 19-year-old Kim got off to a good start this season, but he did not make it out of the fourth inning in each of his last four outings, so he will pitch for Hanwha's second team for the time being.
Seong Yul Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/4 11:50 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Eagles roster Friday, according to koreadaily.com. Lee has not been able to get it going at the plate this season, so he will try to find his swing in the Futures League for the second time in the last few weeks.
Soo Kwang Noh - 10-Day IL - Ribs
7/15 4:03 AM IST - Hanwha interim manager Won-ho Choi said Tuesday that he doesn't expect Noh (rib) to return from the injured list until around mid-August, Sang-Gyeong Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The Eagles initially ruled Noh out for three weeks when he was diagnosed with a fractured right rib June 24, but that timeline apparently wasn't conservative enough. With Noh having yet to resume baseball activities since being shut down, the Eagles have now extended his timetable to rejoin the big club by another month. Even if Noh is cleared for game action by early August, he'll first have to head out on a rehab assignment in the Futures League, which would put him in line to return from the injured list around the middle of next month. After being acquired by the Eagles on June 17, Noh went 7-for-20 with a double and a stolen base in five games before succumbing to the rib injury.
Sang Won Park - Out - Not Injury Related
7/28 3:01 PM IST - Park was removed from the Hanwha first team Tuesday, Su Jin Park of Star News reports. The Eagles added Ho Sol Yoon to the bullpen before Tuesday's game against Samsung. Park has struggled for Hanwha in 2020, posting a 5.64 ERA over 30.1 innings through 32 games.
Kwang Min Song - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
7/8 10:48 PM IST - Song was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a shoulder injury, according to chosun.com. Song does not appear to be dealing with a serious injury, but he will need at least a few days to rest and recover, so Hanwha decided to place him on the injured list and free up a roster spot.
LG Twins
Woo Chan Cha - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
7/25 3:32 PM IST - Cha will miss 3-to-4 weeks with pain in his left shoulder, according to chosun.com. The southpaw is scheduled for another examination Monday after LG put him on the injured list Saturday. Cha threw seven scoreless innings in his first start post-demotion, but he will now not return to action until some point in August.
Keun Woo Jeong - 10-Day IL - Quadriceps
7/11 10:39 PM IST - Jeong was placed on the injured list Saturday with a right quad injury, according to hankooki.com. It's not clear how long Jeong will be sidelined, but he will be out at least several games. Jeong has played a part-time role of late and has not seen the ball well in July, going 2-for-17 (.118) at the plate since the start of the month.
Chan Heon Jung - Out - Not Injury Related
7/30 10:15 PM IST - Jung was removed from the Twins' roster Thursday, according to Su Jin Park of Star News. Jung was not sharp his last time out, but even if he was he still likely would have been sent down, as the Twins are committed to using him only once every other time through the rotation. Jung's next start will come sometime in early-to-mid August.
Dae Hyun Kim - 10-Day IL - Ankle
7/23 2:03 AM IST - The Twins placed Kim on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to an ankle issue, Sang Kyung Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Park has been a mainstay in the LG bullpen all season, but he hasn't been particularly effective when called upon. He's posted a 6.56 ERA and 1.80 WHIP over 23.1 innings on the campaign.
Chun Woong Lee - Out - Hand
7/18 1:50 PM IST - Lee will miss 3-4 weeks with a fracture in his left hand, Won Chul Shin of SPOTV reports. The 31-year-old exited Friday's game at Seoul early after receiving one accidental pitch to the palm during an at-bat. The injury turned out worse than envisioned, as Lee will miss a few weeks recuperating from his fracture. Chang Gi Hong looks to receive more starts in the outfield until further notice.
Sang Gyu Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/11 10:45 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Twins' roster Saturday, according to hankooki.com. Lee was brilliant to open the season, posting a 1.35 ERA and recording four saves over his first 13 appearances, but he has struggled mightily of late, allowing 13 earned runs in 7.2 innings over his last eight outings. As a result, the Twins decided to send him down to iron some things out.
Min Ho Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/28 2:37 AM IST - Lee was removed from the Twins' roster Monday, according to chosun.com. Lee started Sunday's game, and as has been the pattern this season he will get extra rest before making his next start, which should come sometime in early August.
Yong Taik Park - Out - Hamstring
6/24 2:15 PM IST - Park will miss four weeks with a right hamstring injury, Se Ho Yoon of Sports Seoul reports. The news comes as no surprise, considering the 19-year LG vet struggled to exit Tuesday's game with Kiwoom under his own power. Park now joins Eun Sung Chae (ankle) and Min Sung Kim (thigh) on the list of starting position players out for the injury-riddled Twins. As a result of Park's injury, 20-year-old prospect Jae Won Lee was summoned to the first team and will start Wednesday.
Hanwha Eagles Expected Lineup
SP - Shi Hwan Jang
1. Yong Kyu Lee
2. Eun Won Jung
4. Tae Kyun Kim
6. Ju Seok Ha
7. Si Hwan Noh
LG Twins Expected Lineup
SP - Casey Kelly
2. Ji Hwan Oh
4. Hyun Soo Kim
5. Min Sung Kim
8. Kang Nam Yoo
Top Picks
Eun Sung Chae, Twins: Chae has been absolutely on fire since returning to the first team, going 7-for-16 (.438) with two home runs, 13 RBI, four runs scored and a 1.283 OPS in those three games. He should be a must-start play and a strong captaincy alternative in this matchup against the worst team in the league.
Roberto Ramos, Twins: Ramos has been one of the elite power hitters in the KBO this season, and he has racked up six homers with 13 RBI in 86 July at-bats. He is one of the home-run leaders in the league with 19 in 2020.
Brandon Barnes, Eagles: Barnes debuted for the Eagles on July 18, and he hasn't needed a lot of time to make a positive impact. The slugging outfielder has one home run, four RBI, and a .783 OPS in 33 at-bats. Those are not stellar numbers, but they are good enough to make him one of the most dangerous Hanwha bats ahead of this matchup.
Casey Kelly, Twins: It's hard to back a pitcher as one of the top options in any KBO slate, but Kelly has already experienced success against the Eagles this year and looks like the best pitching alternative in this matchup. He has gone 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in five July starts, but he should be in line for a strong performance here.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Casey Kelly
C – Kang Nam Yoo
IF – Roberto Ramos (VC)
IF – Tae Kyun Kim
IF – Jae Won Choi
OF – Brandon Barnes
OF – Eun Sung Chae (C)
OF – Hyun Soo Kim
OF – Jin Haeng Choi
