This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Lotte Giants (18-16) at LG Twins (21-13)
Sunday, June 14, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Adrian Sampson (1-2, 6.91 ERA) vs RHP Casey Kelly (2-1, 5.06 ERA)
Game Preview
These two teams split the first two tightly-fought games of this three-game set, with the Twins winning 3-2 in 10 innings Friday and the Giants winning 7-6 on Saturday. A pair of Americans will face off in Sunday's rubber match. The Giants will send out Adrian Sampson, whose season debut was delayed as he returned to America to be with his ailing father and then had to wait through a two-week quarantine upon returning to Korea. He hasn't looked good in his three starts, struggling to a 6.91 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP, though he did hold the Eagles to three runs in 6.2 innings in his last outing. Casey Kelly will take the hill for the Twins. He's alternated between poor starts and great ones in his six outings, leading to a mediocre 5.06 ERA overall, but his 2.55 ERA in his first KBO season last year suggests things should be far better going forward.
Injuries
Jeong Hoon, Giants - 10-Day IL - Abdomen
June 3 - Giants manager Mun-hoe Her said Monday Wednesday that Jeong is coming along faster than expected in his recovery from a ruptured inner abdominal muscle, Sang Kyung Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Her estimated that Jeong was about "80 to 90 percent" recovered from the injury, with his rapid progress coming
Lotte Giants (18-16) at LG Twins (21-13)
Sunday, June 14, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Adrian Sampson (1-2, 6.91 ERA) vs RHP Casey Kelly (2-1, 5.06 ERA)
Game Preview
These two teams split the first two tightly-fought games of this three-game set, with the Twins winning 3-2 in 10 innings Friday and the Giants winning 7-6 on Saturday. A pair of Americans will face off in Sunday's rubber match. The Giants will send out Adrian Sampson, whose season debut was delayed as he returned to America to be with his ailing father and then had to wait through a two-week quarantine upon returning to Korea. He hasn't looked good in his three starts, struggling to a 6.91 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP, though he did hold the Eagles to three runs in 6.2 innings in his last outing. Casey Kelly will take the hill for the Twins. He's alternated between poor starts and great ones in his six outings, leading to a mediocre 5.06 ERA overall, but his 2.55 ERA in his first KBO season last year suggests things should be far better going forward.
Injuries
Jeong Hoon, Giants - 10-Day IL - Abdomen
June 3 - Giants manager Mun-hoe Her said Monday Wednesday that Jeong is coming along faster than expected in his recovery from a ruptured inner abdominal muscle, Sang Kyung Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Her estimated that Jeong was about "80 to 90 percent" recovered from the injury, with his rapid progress coming as a pleasant surprise after the Giants initially expected him to miss at least four weeks when he got hurt May 15. Jeong could still be sent to the Futures League for a rehab game or two before rejoining the Giants, but based on the comments from Her, it sounds like the 32-year-old could be back with the big club in about a week or so.
Jung Bo-geun, Giants - Out - Abdomen
June 11 - Jung was removed from the Giants' first-team entry on Thursday, Ik-rae Choi of The Dong-A Ilbo reports. The 20-year-old is reportedly suffering from enteritis, resulting in fellow catcher Ji Sung-joon's immediate promotion to the first team. Jung hit .132 through 26 games to begin the 2020 season.
Lee Hyung-jong, Twins - Out - Hand
5/10 10:28 PM IST - Lee, who suffered a fractured wrist in a preseason game, is expected to return in late May or early June, Newsis News Agency reports. Lee broke the fifth metacarpal in his left hand, but he should be a big part of LG's offense when he returns after hitting .286 with 13 home runs and an .800 OPS last season. Park Yong-taik has received more playing time as a result of Lee's injury.
Roberto Ramos, Twins - 10-Day IL - Ankle
June 12 - Ramos was placed on the injured list Friday with ankle and back pains, Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency reports. The KBO's home-run leader hurt his ankle in Thursday's doubleheader, and to make matters worse, Ramos woke up Friday with an achy back. In the KBO, there is no minimum requirement for an IL stay, though Ramos is expected to miss this entire weekend's series at the very least. Kim Yong-yi figures to step in at first base in Ramos' absence.
Giants Expected Lineup
1. Min Byung-hun
2. Son Ah-seop
3. Jeon Jun-woo
4. Lee Dae-ho
5. An Chi-hong
6. Oh Yoon-suk
7. Kim Joon-tae
9. Kim Jae-yoo
Twins Expected Lineup
1. Lee Chun-woong
2. Kim Hyun-soo
3. Park Yong-taik
4. Chae Eun-sung
5. Kim Min-sung
6. Kim Ho-eun
7. Jeong Keun-woo
8. Yoo Kang-nam
9. Oh Ji-hwan
Top Picks
Casey Kelly, Twins: You could certainly make a case to select Adrian Sampson and save 5.5 credits, as his three unimpressive starts aren't nearly enough to prove that he doesn't have what it takes to succeed in the KBO. Kelly was one of the better pitchers in the league last year, though, and the Giants rank eighth in scoring, so he seems to be the better play and is worthy of captain consideration.
An Chi-hong, Giants: Since Kelly is quite expensive, you'll want to find a few cheap Giants to fill out the required three slots from that team. An fits the bill at a modest 11.5 credits. His .315 batting average last season suggests his decent .268 mark this year should improve, but he's been able to provide value with his legs even as his bat remains fairly quiet, stealing seven bases.
Kim Hyun-soo, Twins: Kim takes over the mantle as the Twins' top hitter in the absence of Roberto Ramos (ankle/back). Kim's .353 batting average and 27 runs would make him the best hitter on several KBO teams.
Chae Eun-sung, Twins: Chae isn't an elite hitter, but, at 10.5 credits, he isn't priced like one. He's a productive bat in the heart of the Twins' order, hitting .296 while scoring 24 runs and driving in 24 more.
Captaincy Options
1. Casey Kelly
2. Kim Hyun-soo
3. Chae Eun-sung
Dream11 Team
P Casey Kelly (C)
C Kim Joon-tae
IF An Chi-hong
IF Kim Min-sung
IF Oh Yoon-suk
OF Kim Hyun-soo
OF Chae Eun-sung
OF Lee Chun-woong
OF Park Yong-taik
