Dream11 Fantasy KBO: Lions at Heroes

Samsung Lions (2-4) at Kiwoom Heroes (5-1)

Tuesday, May 12, 5:30 AM EDT

Projected starters

RHP Ben Lively (0-1, 6.00 ERA) vs LHP Eric Jokisch (0-0, 1.80 ERA)

Note: Korean names are transliterated differently by different sources. The spellings used here are those used by Dream11 in order to make it easier to assemble a lineup on that site.

Game Preview

Two teams riding opposite runs of form will collide in this KBO matchup. While the Heroes lost just one of six games during the opening week and enter this contest riding a three-game winning streak, the Lions were extremely inconsistent and posted a 2-4 record, losing the last time out to the Kia Tigers by a score of 12-3. It's also worth noting that Kiwoom remains undefeated at home this season, while the Lions will be playing their first road game of the year. Looking to pull an upset, Samsung will send Ben Lively to the mound while the Heroes will counter with Eric Jokisch. The latter looked far better in the pair's first starts of the season. While Jokisch allowed one run in five innings of work against Kia, Lively surrendered four runs in six frames against the Dinos.

Injuries

Samsung Lions:

Koo Ja-wook - Day-To-Day - Undisclosed

Koo was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers with an undisclosed issue. Koo started the first five games of the season and went 3-for-12 with a double, two RBI and three walks, but he's now missing from the starting nine for the second straight day.

Lee Hak-ju - Day-To-Day - Knee

Lee has missed the start of the season as a result of a knee injury, ESPN's Jon Sciambi reported during the Kia-Samsung broadcast Friday. Meanwhile, Samsung scout Aaron Tassano relayed that Lee is at 90 percent and posted footage from the Samsung-Kia minor-league game in which Lee played. Lee will start at shortstop once he returns, with Tyler Saladino moving around the diamond after starting at shortstop this week. Lee is a former Tampa Bay Rays prospect who stalled out at Triple-A after four seasons at that level.

Samsung Lions Expected Lineup:

SP - Ben Lively

1. Kim Heon-gon

2. Koo Ja-wook

3. Tyler Saladino

4. Lee Won-seok

5. Yang Woo-hyun

6. Kim Dong-yeop

7. Kang Min-ho

8. Park Hae-min

9. Lee Sung-gyu

Kiwoom Heroes Expected Lineup:

SP - Eric Jokisch

1. Seo Keon-chang

2. Kim Ha-seong

3. Lee Jung-hoo

4. Park Byung-ho

5. Lee Taek-keun

6. Lee Ji-young

7. Taylor Motter

8. Lim Byeong-wuk

9. Park Joon-tae

Top picks:

Lee Jung-hoo, Heroes: Lee has been one of the most pleasant surprises in the Heroes lineup thus far. Kiwoom's number three hitter leads the team in batting average with a .421 mark after going 8-for-25 in the first week of the season. He has two home runs and six RBI in that span.

Park Byung-ho, Heroes: Park might be hitting just .261, but two of his five hits to date have cleared the fence. He has topped the 30-homer mark in each of his last six KBO seasons and is a safe bet to go deep in any game due to his tremendous power.

Ben Lively, Lions: Lively didn't have his best stuff during his season debut, but he'll need to bring his A-game in this difficult matchup against one of the best offenses in the league. He had a 3.95 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP in 2019, so there's a chance his poor outing from last week could be nothing more than an anomaly.

Lim Byeong-wuk, Heroes: The Heroes don't have a shortage of offensive options that can create havoc against opposing pitchers, and Lim has been seeing the ball well in the first games of the 2020 KBO season. He might be hitting just .261, but he's gotten on base in five of his six outings to date while driving in five runs. He could be a sleeper for this contest.

Captaincy Options:

1. Lee Jung-hoo

2. Park Byung-ho

3. Ben Lively

Dream11 Team

P – Ben Lively

C – Lee Ji-young

IF – Park Byung-ho

IF – Lee Sung-gyu

IF – Yang Woo-hyun

OF – Kim Ha-seong

OF – Park Joon-tae

OF – Lim Byeong-wuk

OF – Lee Jung-hoo