This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Doosan Bears (41-31) at NC Dinos (45-23)
Sunday, August 2nd, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Raul Alcantara (10-1, 2.80 ERA) vs LHP Sung Young Choi (1-1, 5.21 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears and the Dinos have been two of the best teams in the KBO this season, and both clubs seem set to play in the upcoming postseason. The Bears have one of the best offenses in the league and hit for .302 as a team, while the Dinos have averaged .292 as a whole while racking up 100 homers. As such, all signs indicate the offenses might decide what happens in this contest. The pitching matchup for this duel might tip the scales slightly in the Bears' direction, as Raul Alcantara has been one of the best pitchers in the league thanks to a 10-1 record and a 2.80 ERA. He has also gone 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA against the Dinos. Meanwhile, Sung Young Choi will take the ball for the Dinos and his results have not been nearly as good as Alcantara's ones. He has posted a 6.52 ERA against Doosan, while going 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA in 2020.
Injuries
Doosan Bears
Chris Flexen - Out - Foot
7/17 8:54 PM IST - Flexen suffered a broken left foot in his last start Thursday, according to chosun.com. Flexen was struck by a batted ball in the first inning of Thursday's contest. Although he finished the frame, he was removed from the contest afterward and
Doosan Bears (41-31) at NC Dinos (45-23)
Sunday, August 2nd, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Raul Alcantara (10-1, 2.80 ERA) vs LHP Sung Young Choi (1-1, 5.21 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears and the Dinos have been two of the best teams in the KBO this season, and both clubs seem set to play in the upcoming postseason. The Bears have one of the best offenses in the league and hit for .302 as a team, while the Dinos have averaged .292 as a whole while racking up 100 homers. As such, all signs indicate the offenses might decide what happens in this contest. The pitching matchup for this duel might tip the scales slightly in the Bears' direction, as Raul Alcantara has been one of the best pitchers in the league thanks to a 10-1 record and a 2.80 ERA. He has also gone 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA against the Dinos. Meanwhile, Sung Young Choi will take the ball for the Dinos and his results have not been nearly as good as Alcantara's ones. He has posted a 6.52 ERA against Doosan, while going 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA in 2020.
Injuries
Doosan Bears
Chris Flexen - Out - Foot
7/17 8:54 PM IST - Flexen suffered a broken left foot in his last start Thursday, according to chosun.com. Flexen was struck by a batted ball in the first inning of Thursday's contest. Although he finished the frame, he was removed from the contest afterward and will now likely miss at least a month.
Yong Chan Lee - Out - Elbow
6/4 2:49 PM IST - Lee will undergo Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss at least a year, Daniel Kim of DKTV reports. Lee has started regularly for Doosan since 2018, but his 2020 season will come to an early and abrupt end as a result of his elbow injury. It remains to be seen who will enter the rotation in Lee's place, as the Giants have only needed five starting pitchers to date.
Myung Joon Yoon - Out - Not Injury Related
7/17 3:11 PM IST - Yoon was removed from Doosan's roster Friday, Su Jin Park of Star News reports. The sixth-year pitcher will receive some time to recharge after surrendering five runs through his last 6.1 innings. Because of this recent drop in form, Yoon now has a 5.04 ERA over 26 games.
NC Dinos
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 - Out - Not Injury Related
7/27 11:46 PM IST - Koo will get extra rest after his last start Sunday and will be skipped next time through the Dinos' rotation, according to hankyung.com. The decision to skip Koo is certainly not performance-related, as he leads the entire league in both ERA and strikeouts. However, he is on pace to easily surpass the career-high 133 innings he threw in 2018, so the first-place Dinos will take the opportunity to manage his workload. He will rejoin NC's rotation at some point in early August.
NC Dinos Expected Lineup
SP - Sung Young Choi
1. Min Woo Park
2. Myung Gi Lee
3. Sung Bum Na
4. Eui Ji Yang
5. Suk Min Park
6. Jin Hyuk No
Doosan Bears Expected Lineup
SP - Raul Alcantara
1. Kun Woo Park
3. Jae Il Oh
4. Jae Hwan Kim
7. Jae Ho Kim
8. Soo Bin Jung
Top Picks
Jose Fernandez, Bears: Fernandez has been one of the best players in the KBO this season and should be a must-start player in all lineups at this point. The slugger enters this matchup after hitting safely in 10 of his last 13 games, racking up three homers, 14 RBI and a .353 average during that stretch.
Aaron Altherr, Dinos: Altherr has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, and he has racked up three home runs during that stretch. The power-hitting outfielder has only posted a .243 average in that span, but that won't matter much as long as he keeps producing runs.
Jae Il Oh, Bears: Oh is riding a five-game hitting streak, although he hasn't recorded any extra-base hit in that span. He is hitting .375 in that stretch, and he hit .330 with 15 RBI during July.
Sung Bum Na, Dinos: Na hasn't had very good results against the Bears this season (.234 with a .265 on-base percentage in 47 at-bats), but he remains one of the top offensive threats in one of the best lineups in the league. The outfielder is currently riding a four-game hitting streak, going 5-for-17 and slashing .294/.350/.529 with one home run and four RBI in that stretch.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Raul Alcantara
C – Se Hyuk Park
IF – Jose Fernandez (C)
IF – Jae Il Oh
IF – Jae Won Oh
OF – Aaron Altherr (VC)
OF – Sung Bum Na
OF – Myung Gi Lee
OF – Joon Wan Kim
