This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Hanwha Eagles (16-44) at KT Wiz (30-29)
Wednesday, July 15th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Bum Soo Kim (2-5, 3.95 ERA) vs RHP Min Soo Kim (2-2, 5.73 ERA)
Game Preview
The Eagles and the Wiz are riding opposite runs of form when entering this matchup. On one hand, the Eagles remain at the bottom of the standings with a 16-44 record and have limited – if any – chances of fighting for a playoff berth this season. The same can't be said about the Wiz, though, as they are 30-29 and firmly on the rise. The Wiz have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games, and that's the best record in the KBO during that stretch. Meanwhile, the Eagles have won just four games during that 10-game span. The pitching matchup will feature a lefty against a righty, with Bum Soo Kim taking the ball for the Eagles and Min Soo Kim getting the nod for the Wiz. The Eagles' lefty has the better ERA, but he also has a tougher matchup considering how hot the Wiz have been of late. Don't rule Kim out from having a solid performance against the lowly Eagles offense.
Injuries
Eagles
Brandon Barnes - Out - Not Injury Related
7/1 4:12 PM IST - Barnes will arrive in South Korea early Thursday, Jee Ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. The 34-year-old signed a contract on June 22 that would allow him to play with Hanwha for the rest of this
Hanwha Eagles (16-44) at KT Wiz (30-29)
Wednesday, July 15th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Bum Soo Kim (2-5, 3.95 ERA) vs RHP Min Soo Kim (2-2, 5.73 ERA)
Game Preview
The Eagles and the Wiz are riding opposite runs of form when entering this matchup. On one hand, the Eagles remain at the bottom of the standings with a 16-44 record and have limited – if any – chances of fighting for a playoff berth this season. The same can't be said about the Wiz, though, as they are 30-29 and firmly on the rise. The Wiz have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games, and that's the best record in the KBO during that stretch. Meanwhile, the Eagles have won just four games during that 10-game span. The pitching matchup will feature a lefty against a righty, with Bum Soo Kim taking the ball for the Eagles and Min Soo Kim getting the nod for the Wiz. The Eagles' lefty has the better ERA, but he also has a tougher matchup considering how hot the Wiz have been of late. Don't rule Kim out from having a solid performance against the lowly Eagles offense.
Injuries
Eagles
Brandon Barnes - Out - Not Injury Related
7/1 4:12 PM IST - Barnes will arrive in South Korea early Thursday, Jee Ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. The 34-year-old signed a contract on June 22 that would allow him to play with Hanwha for the rest of this season. The outfielder will self-quarantine for 14 days before being allowed to train with the Eagles. If everything goes as planned, Barnes can debut for the team in the back half of July.
Chad Bell - 10-Day IL - Elbow
7/15 3:42 AM IST - Bell (elbow) is expected to return from the injured list next week and is tentatively lined up to start July 23 versus the Tigers, Sang-Gyeong Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Bell's sore elbow prevented him from making his scheduled start last weekend, but he looks poised to miss only more turn through the rotation as a result of the injury. Assuming Bell is able to throw without complications in the next couple of days, he shouldn't face any major restrictions with his pitch count if he does in fact re-enter the rotation next week.
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.
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.
Si Hwan Noh - Out - Not Injury Related
6/22 11:42 PM IST - Noh was removed from the Eagles' roster on Monday, Soo Jin Park of Star News reports. Noh started regularly for Hanwha after being called up in mid-May, but a rough stretch at the plate has his batting average down to .186, so the Eagles decided to send him down to work on some things. It remains to be seen who will take Noh's place in the lineup, but Tae Hyung No appears to be the favorite.
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.
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.
Wiz
Je Seong Bae - Out - Not Injury Related
7/8 11:14 PM IST - Bae was removed from KT's roster Wednesday, according to kyeonggi.com. Bae is throwing the ball well this season, going 5-2 with a 3.60 ERA over 11 starts. However, manager Kang Cheol Lee felt the 23-year-old Bae would benefit from a break, so he took him off the roster for the time being. Bae will rejoin KT's rotation at some point later this month.
Min Kim - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
6/16 3:39 PM IST - An MRI taken on Kim's injured shoulder revealed inflammation, but not a serious injury, according to Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV. It appears Kim will miss a turn through KT's rotation, but if the swelling in his shoulder dissipates, it's possible he could avoid missing any further action beyond that.
Dae Eun Lee - Out - Side
7/3 1:30 AM IST - Lee (side) threw a 45-pitch simulated game Thursday, Taewoo Kim of SpoTVNews.co.kr reports. Lee experienced no side discomfort during the throwing session, so he's expected to join the Wiz's Futures League affiliate as soon as Sunday to begin a rehab assignment. The right-handed reliever has not pitched for the Wiz since May 19 due to the injury, so he may need an appearance or two in the Futures League before rejoining the big club. Once he's activated, Lee could be a candidate to close for the Wiz with Jae Yoon Kim (6.05 ERA, 1.71 WHIP in 19.1 innings) having struggled in that role so far this season.
Tae Gon Oh - 10-Day IL - Ankle
7/14 11:30 PM IST - Oh was placed on the injured list Tuesday with a right ankle injury, according to chosun.com. It's not clear how long Oh will be sidelined, but he will miss at least a few days. His absence should not have a noticeable effect, as he totaled just two at-bats since July 3.
Eagles' Expected Lineup
SP - Bum Soo Kim
1. Yong Kyu Lee
2. Eun Won Jung
3. Tae Kyun Kim
4. Jin Haeng Choi
5. Ju Seok Ha
6. Sun Jin Oh
7. Jae Hoon Choi
8. Jong Chan Lim
9. Jang Hyeok Yoo
Wiz Expected Lineup
SP - Min Soo Kim
1. Yong Ho Jo
2. Jae Gyun Hwang
3. Mel Rojas
4. Baek Ho Kang
5. Han Joon Yoo
6. Jeong Dae Bae
7. Kyung Soo Park
8. Sung Woo Jang
9. Woo Jun Sim
Top Picks
Mel Rojas Jr., Wiz: What else can be said about Rojas that hasn't been said before? The slugging outfielder is a clear MVP candidate and has been one of the best offensive players in the KBO this season. He enters this matchup riding an eight-game hitting streak.
Baek Ho Kang, Wiz: Kang has hit for .317 with two home runs and nine RBI in 41 July at-bats so far, and he had a 4-for-4 performance only a few days ago. He should be one of the Wiz's biggest threats in this contest.
Min Soo Kim, Wiz: Kim might enter this matchup with a 5.73 ERA, but he will face an Eagles team that has been struggling all year long while also suffering several injuries to key players. When it comes to the two starting pitchers, he has the easiest matchup of the two.
Eun Won Jung, Eagles: Jung has a .364 average (8-for-22) against the Wiz this season: That's a small-sample size, but he might be one of the best sources for offense in an anemic Eagles lineup that has been hampered by injuries all year long.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Min Soo Kim
C – Sung Woo Jang
IF – Kyung Soo Park
IF – Eun Won Jung
IF – Jae Gyun Hwang
IF – Tae Kyun Kim
OF – Mel Rojas (C)
OF – Baek Ho Kang (VC)
OF – Jang Hyeok Yoo
