Dream11 Fantasy KBO: Twins at Heroes

LG Twins (43-33-1) at Kiwoom Heroes (46-33)

Saturday, August 8th, 5:30 AM EDT

Projected Starters

LHP Yun Sik Kim (0-1, 7.52 ERA) vs LHP Eric Jokisch (9-3, 2.25 ERA)

Game Preview

An authentic clash of titans will take place Saturday at Gocheok Sky Dome, as the Kiwoom Heroes will face the LG Twins in a game between two teams that are vying for a playoff berth. The H2H record between both franchises this season is quite even, with the Heroes edging the Twins by a 6-4 mark in 10 contests, and both teams have posted similar results all year long – the Heroes are above the Twins by just 1.5 games in the standings. As such, the pitching matchup might decide the outcome of this game and, with that in mind, the Heroes might have an advantage with the presence of Eric Jokisch and his excellent 2.25 ERA on the mound. The Twins will send Yun Sik Kim, who has pitched to the turn of a disappointing 7.52 ERA in 2020.

Injuries

Kiwoom Heroes

Tae Hoon Kim - Out - Undisclosed

8/6 9:52 PM IST - Kim will miss a couple weeks with a midsection injury, Su Jin Park of Star News reports. Kim has been one of the Heroes' top relieves this season, but Kiwoom will be without his services until he puts the injury behind him.

Byung Wook Lim - 10-Day IL - Hamstring

7/22 2:22 AM IST - Lim is still dealing with inflammation in his right hamstring and remains without a clear timeline to rejoin the Heroes' active roster, Soo-Jin Park of the Money Today Star News reports. When Lim went down with the injury in the second game of a doubleheader with the Twins on May 16, the Heroes projected him to miss 6-to-8 weeks. That timeline was evidently too conservative, as the outfielder is not yet ready to even begin a rehab assignment in the Futures League some two months later. Prior to going down with the injury, Lim had appeared in 11 games for the Heroes, hitting .278 with three stolen bases and six RBI.

Sung Hyun Moon - Out - Elbow

7/31 3:15 AM IST - Moon hasn't pitched for the Heroes since July 16 due to inflammation in his right elbow, Soo-jin Park of the Money Today Star News reports. Moon is expected to rest up for a few more days before starting a throwing program. The 29-year-old is expected to fill a bullpen role for the Heroes once healthy after posting a 4.20 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 13:11 K:BB over 15 innings prior to being shut down.

LG Twins

Woo Chan Cha - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

7/25 3:32 PM IST - Cha will miss 3-to-4 weeks with pain in his left shoulder, according to chosun.com. The southpaw is scheduled for another examination Monday after LG put him on the injured list Saturday. Cha threw seven scoreless innings in his first start post-demotion, but he will now not return to action until some point in August.

Keun Woo Jeong - 10-Day IL - Quadriceps

7/11 10:39 PM IST - Jeong was placed on the injured list Saturday with a right quad injury, according to hankooki.com. It's not clear how long Jeong will be sidelined, but he will be out at least several games. Jeong has played a part-time role of late and has not seen the ball well in July, going 2-for-17 (.118) at the plate since the start of the month.

Chan Heon Jung - Out - Not Injury Related

7/30 10:15 PM IST - Jung was removed from the Twins' roster Thursday, according to Su Jin Park of Star News. Jung was not sharp his last time out, but even if he had been, he still likely would have been sent down, as the Twins are committed to using him only once every other time through the rotation. Jung's next start will come sometime in early-to-mid August.

Dae Hyun Kim - 10-Day IL - Ankle

7/23 2:03 AM IST - The Twins placed Kim on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to an ankle issue, Sang Kyung Park of The Chosun Ilbo reports. Park has been a mainstay in the LG bullpen all season, but he hasn't been particularly effective when called upon. He's posted a 6.56 ERA and 1.80 WHIP over 23.1 innings on the campaign.

Sang Gyu Lee - Out - Not Injury Related

7/11 10:45 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Twins' roster Saturday, according to hankooki.com. Lee was brilliant to open the season, posting a 1.35 ERA and recording four saves over his first 13 appearances, but he has struggled mightily of late, allowing 13 earned runs in 7.2 innings over his last eight outings. As a result, the Twins decided to send him down to iron some things out.

Min Ho Lee - Out - Not Injury Related

8/6 9:55 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Twins' roster Thursday, according to Su Jin Park of Star News. Lee picked up the win in his last outing, but with the Twins continuing to use him only every other time through the rotation, the team will use his roster spot for another player until he makes his next start.

Chun Woong Lee - Out - Hand

7/18 1:50 PM IST - Lee will miss 3-4 weeks with a fracture in his left hand, Won Chul Shin of SPOTV reports. The 31-year-old exited Friday's game at Seoul early after receiving one accidental pitch to the palm during an at-bat. The injury turned out worse than envisioned, as Lee will miss a few weeks recuperating from his fracture. Chang Gi Hong looks to receive more starts in the outfield until further notice.

Yong Taik Park - Out - Hamstring

8/5 11:44 PM IST - Park (hamstring) is on pace to rejoin the Twins' active roster early next week, Korean baseball writer Min Hoon Ki reports. Park was originally projected to miss around four weeks after he suffered a right hamstring injury June 23, but his recovery ended up taking about two and a half weeks longer than anticipated. In any case, the 41-year-old looks like he'll be ready to go as soon as Tuesday against the Tigers, provided he experiences no setbacks in his rehab process over the next few days.

Kiwoom Heroes Expected Lineup

SP - Eric Jokisch

1. Keon Chang Seo

2. Ha Seong Kim

3. Addison Russell

4. Jung Hoo Lee

5. Dong Won Park

6. Byung Ho Park

7. Hye Sung Kim

8. Woong Bin Kim

9. Joon Tae Park

LG Twins Expected Lineup

SP - Yun Sik Kim

1. Chang Gi Hong

2. Ji Hwan Oh

3. Eun Sung Chae

4. Hyun Soo Kim

5. Min Sung Kim

6. Roberto Ramos

7. Hyung Jong Lee

8. Kang Nam Yoo

9. Ju Hyeon Jung

Top Picks

Eric Jokisch, Heroes: Jokisch has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the KBO this season, and the lefty should be in line for a strong performance once again – he went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in his lone previous start against the Twins this season, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits on May 17.

Jung Hoo Lee, Heroes: Lee enters this matchup on a sizzling 10-game hitting streak, and the veteran slugger has slashed .475/.532/.625 with a 1.157 OPS, 12 RBI, six doubles and nine runs scored during that stretch. He has also hit 12 home runs in 2020.

Eun Sung Chae, Twins: Chae has been the hottest hitter in the KBO after returning to the Twins roster on July 28. Since then, he has hit safely in each of his nine games, slashing .452/.467/.667 with a 1.133 OPS, three homers and 22 RBI. If anyone can do damage against Jokisch, that's Chae.

Roberto Ramos, Twins: In a matchup that won't be short in offensive alternatives, Ramos can be a strong play as well. The Mexican slugger went yard Aug. 7 against Kiwoom and has smacked three homers in his last eight games.

Captaincy Options

1. Eric Jokisch
2. Jung Hoo Lee
3. Eun Sung Chae

Dream11 Team

P – Eric Jokisch (C)

C – Ji Young Lee

IF – Roberto Ramos

IF – Byeong Hwi Kim

IF – Joon Won Jang

IF – Min Sung Kim

OF – Jung Hoo Lee (VC)

OF – Eun Sung Chae

OF – Hyun Soo Kim