Chunichi Dragons (27-30-4) at Yomiuri Giants (33-21-3)
Sunday, August 28th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Yomiuri Giants: LHP Nobutaka Imamura (1-0, 6.23 ERA)
Chunichi Dragons: RHP Yariel Rodriguez (2-0, 1.40 ERA)
Game Preview
The Giants are comfortably leading the Central League and have a 4.5-game lead over the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, meaning they shouldn't have major problems to reach the postseason later in the year. The Dragons are undoubtedly on the rise and, despite sitting near the bottom of the standings a few weeks ago, now they're in fourth place and just one game behind the third-placed Hanshin Tigers. To make things even better for the Dragons, they will send Yariel Rodriguez to the mound, and the righty has a 1.40 ERA that should scare opposing hitters. The Giants will counter with Nobutaka Imamura and his 6.23 ERA.
Injuries
Ryosuke Hirata - Out - Elbow
7/23 1:30 AM IST - The Dragons deactivated Hirata on Monday due to a right elbow injury. One of the Dragons' more reliable batsmen over the past couple of seasons, Hirata was dropped from the active roster after struggling early on in the 2020 campaign. Over 73 plate appearances, Hirata was batting just .164. Masataka Iryo is expected to take over as the Dragons' primary option in right field in Hirata's stead.
Shun Ishikawa - Out - Hand
7/22 1:24 AM IST - Ishikawa was removed from the Dragons' active roster ahead of Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Giants due to cartilage damage in
Chunichi Dragons (27-30-4) at Yomiuri Giants (33-21-3)
Sunday, August 28th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Yomiuri Giants: LHP Nobutaka Imamura (1-0, 6.23 ERA)
Chunichi Dragons: RHP Yariel Rodriguez (2-0, 1.40 ERA)
Game Preview
The Giants are comfortably leading the Central League and have a 4.5-game lead over the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, meaning they shouldn't have major problems to reach the postseason later in the year. The Dragons are undoubtedly on the rise and, despite sitting near the bottom of the standings a few weeks ago, now they're in fourth place and just one game behind the third-placed Hanshin Tigers. To make things even better for the Dragons, they will send Yariel Rodriguez to the mound, and the righty has a 1.40 ERA that should scare opposing hitters. The Giants will counter with Nobutaka Imamura and his 6.23 ERA.
Injuries
Ryosuke Hirata - Out - Elbow
7/23 1:30 AM IST - The Dragons deactivated Hirata on Monday due to a right elbow injury. One of the Dragons' more reliable batsmen over the past couple of seasons, Hirata was dropped from the active roster after struggling early on in the 2020 campaign. Over 73 plate appearances, Hirata was batting just .164. Masataka Iryo is expected to take over as the Dragons' primary option in right field in Hirata's stead.
Shun Ishikawa - Out - Hand
7/22 1:24 AM IST - Ishikawa was removed from the Dragons' active roster ahead of Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Giants due to cartilage damage in his left hand. The Dragons have yet to announce a timeline for Ishikawa's potential return to the active roster. The 30-year-old corner infielder has appeared in 11 games for Chunichi in 2020, going 3-for-10 with a triple and two RBI.
Shotaro Kasahara - Out - Oblique
7/31 3:09 AM IST - Kasahara was diagnosed with a right oblique injury Saturday and has been ruled out indefinitely. Oblique injuries often carry volatile timetables, but it's probably safe to expect the left-hander to be sidelined for multiple weeks. He went 3-2 over his eight outings with the Dragons this season, posting a 5.71 ERA in 34.2 innings.
Seiji Kobayashi - Out - Forearm
6/23 2:14 PM IST - Kobayashi will miss 3-to-4 weeks with a fractured left forearm, according to sponichi.co.jp. Kobayashi started the Giants' first and third games behind the plate, but he will not take the field again until sometime in July. Ginjiro Sumitani and Takumi Oshiro are in line to share the catching duties for the Giants until Kobayashi returns.
CC Mercedes - Out - Elbow
8/20 2:37 AM IST - Mercedes was removed in the top of the first inning of his start in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Tigers with an apparent elbow injury, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. The Giants will send Mercedes in for further observation before determining whether he's fit to make his next start or if he'll need to be shut down due to the injury. Over nine appearances on the season, Mercedes has gone 2-4 with a 3.66 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 46.2 innings.
Kota Yamashita - Out - Hand
7/9 4:36 AM IST - Yamashita, who has been sidelined all season with a broken right hand, was able to complete some on-field activities Wednesday, Sponichi.co.jp reports. The 19-year-old outfielder/first baseman only has 13 career NPB plate appearances to his name, but manager Tatsunori Hara suggested Yamashita could be a candidate for an everyday role before he sustained the injury shortly before Opening Day. Yamashita was at least fortunate that the injury was to his non-throwing hand, so he may have a shorter recovery timeline than one normally associated with a fracture. He was able to hit off the tee and play catch Wednesday, so expect him to ramp up his activities in the weeks to come.
Yomiuri Giants Expected Lineup
Chunichi Dragons Expected Lineup
3. Toshiki Abe
6. Yota Kyoda
7. Takuma Katoh
Top Picks From Each Team
Kazuma Okamoto, Giants: Okamoto has 18 homers with 49 RBI this season and, despite hitting just .261, he offers a deadly combo of power (.563 slugging) and on-base ability (.336 OBP). That's why he's one of the top offensive threats for the Giants.
Dayan Viciedo, Dragons: Viciedo has been one of the most unstoppable offensive threats in the NPB this season, and the numbers back him up. The star infielder is hitting .280 this season while adding a .810 OPS, 12 homers and 46 RBI. Those are strong numbers regardless of the team he's playing for.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Yariel Rodriguez
C – Takumi Ohshiro
IF – Kazuma Okamoto (C)
IF – Dayan Viciedo (VC)
IF – Zelous Wheeler
IF – Akihiro Wakabayashi
OF – Yohei Ohshima
OF – Seiya Matsubara
OF – Yoshihiro Maru
