This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (15-9) vs Saitama Seibu Lions (11-11-1)
Saturday, July 18th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Takahiro Shiomi (1-2, 6.61 ERA) vs RHP Wataru Matsumoto (0-2, 6.64 ERA)
Game Preview
These two teams will keep playing throughout the week and so far, Rakuten have won two of the first three games – although the Lions are coming off a comfortable 10-2 victory the last time out. The Golden Eagles sit at the top of the Pacific League standings with a 15-9 record, and they currently hold a two-game lead over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Chiba Lotte Marines. As the season continues to progress, they should feel good about what they've done so far but, at the same time, they don't have a lot of room to get comfortable by any means. As for the Lions, they sit in fourth place of the standings with a 11-11-1 record and three games behind the Golden Eagles. The pitching matchup will feature a lefty, Takahiro Shiomi, for the Eagles against a righty, Wataru Matsumoto, for the Lions. Shiomi has a 6.62 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP through 16.1 innings in 2020, while Matsumoto owns a 6.64 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP with a 14:12 K:BB over 20.1 innings this year.
Golden Eagles Expected Lineup
SS – Eigoro Mogi
3B – Daichi Suzuki
DH – Jabari Blash
2B – Hideto Asamura
LF – Hiroaki Shimauchi
RF – Stefen Romero
1B – Ginji Akaminai
C – Hikaru Ohta
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (15-9) vs Saitama Seibu Lions (11-11-1)
Saturday, July 18th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Takahiro Shiomi (1-2, 6.61 ERA) vs RHP Wataru Matsumoto (0-2, 6.64 ERA)
Game Preview
These two teams will keep playing throughout the week and so far, Rakuten have won two of the first three games – although the Lions are coming off a comfortable 10-2 victory the last time out. The Golden Eagles sit at the top of the Pacific League standings with a 15-9 record, and they currently hold a two-game lead over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Chiba Lotte Marines. As the season continues to progress, they should feel good about what they've done so far but, at the same time, they don't have a lot of room to get comfortable by any means. As for the Lions, they sit in fourth place of the standings with a 11-11-1 record and three games behind the Golden Eagles. The pitching matchup will feature a lefty, Takahiro Shiomi, for the Eagles against a righty, Wataru Matsumoto, for the Lions. Shiomi has a 6.62 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP through 16.1 innings in 2020, while Matsumoto owns a 6.64 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP with a 14:12 K:BB over 20.1 innings this year.
Golden Eagles Expected Lineup
SS – Eigoro Mogi
3B – Daichi Suzuki
DH – Jabari Blash
2B – Hideto Asamura
LF – Hiroaki Shimauchi
RF – Stefen Romero
1B – Ginji Akaminai
C – Hikaru Ohta
CF – Ryosuke Tatsumi
Lions Expected Lineup
LF – Cory Spangenberg
SS – Sosuke Genda
2B – Shuta Tonosaki
1B – Hotaka Yamakawa
C – Tomoya Mori
3B – Takeya Nakamura
DH – Takumi Kuriyama
RF – Seiji Kawagoe
CF – Shohei Suzuki
Top Picks
Stefen Romero, Golden Eagles: Romero has been one of the most consistent hitters in the NPB this season, and the numbers back him up. The right fielder has four home runs with 12 RBI, but he also enters this matchup having hit for .342 with an impressive .419 on-base percentage. He has been an on-base machine for the Golden Eagles in 2020.
Hideto Asamura, Golden Eagles: Asamura could very well challenge Romero for the title of best hitter in the Golden Eagles roster, as he is currently pacing the team in several offensive categories such as home runs (10) and RBI (31). He is doing it while posting an impressive .315/.430/.719 slash line. He is one of the few players in the NPB with double-digit homers in 2020.
Takumi Kuriyama, Lions: Kuriyama has been one of the most productive hitters in the Lions roster, and he enters this contest second in the team in both home runs (three) and RBI (17) while also ranking second in average – among regular starters – with a solid .329 mark.
Hotaka Yamakawa, Lions: Yamakawa is expected to start as the team's designated hitter, and there's no question he's been tearing the ball up of late. He paces the Lions in home runs (seven) and RBI (22) entering this contest, so he can be a strong bet for sustained offense.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Takahiro Shiomi
C – Hikaru Ohta
IF – Hideto Asamura (VC)
IF – Hotaka Yamakawa
IF – Daichi Suzuki
OF – Stefen Romero (C)
OF – Jabari Blash
OF – Takumi Kuriyama
OF – Shohei Suzuki
