This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
LG Twins (28-22) at Samsung Lions (27-24)
Friday, July 3rd, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Tyler Wilson (3-3, 4.47 ERA) vs LHP Jung Hyun Baek (3-3, 4.50 ERA)
Game Preview
The Twins enter this matchup fresh off a loss against the KT Wiz, and they dropped the final two games of that three-game series. Meanwhile, the Lions are coming off a 6-2 win over the SK Wyverns and continue to rise in the standings thanks to their current three-game winning streak. The Lions are just 1.5 games behind the Twins and could move into the top half of the standings with a few strong performances in this upcoming three-game set. Samsung will send Jung Hyun Baek to the mound, although he struggled in his lone previous outing against the Twins this season, going just four innings while allowing 11 runs (eight earned) and 14 hits. Wilson will take the mound for the Twins, and he gave up just three runs (two earned) across seven frames in his lone start against Samsung in 2020.
Injuries
Twins
Min Sung Kim - 10-Day IL - Thigh
6/15 10:18 PM IST - The Twins placed Kim (thigh) on the 10-day injured list Monday, Young-rock Kim of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The transaction comes as little surprise after a recent MRI revealed that Kim sustained a left adductor injury Sunday that will keep him sidelined for at least 2-to-3 weeks. The Twins also removed reliever Sang Gyu Lee from the active roster Monday and
LG Twins (28-22) at Samsung Lions (27-24)
Friday, July 3rd, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Tyler Wilson (3-3, 4.47 ERA) vs LHP Jung Hyun Baek (3-3, 4.50 ERA)
Game Preview
The Twins enter this matchup fresh off a loss against the KT Wiz, and they dropped the final two games of that three-game series. Meanwhile, the Lions are coming off a 6-2 win over the SK Wyverns and continue to rise in the standings thanks to their current three-game winning streak. The Lions are just 1.5 games behind the Twins and could move into the top half of the standings with a few strong performances in this upcoming three-game set. Samsung will send Jung Hyun Baek to the mound, although he struggled in his lone previous outing against the Twins this season, going just four innings while allowing 11 runs (eight earned) and 14 hits. Wilson will take the mound for the Twins, and he gave up just three runs (two earned) across seven frames in his lone start against Samsung in 2020.
Injuries
Twins
Min Sung Kim - 10-Day IL - Thigh
6/15 10:18 PM IST - The Twins placed Kim (thigh) on the 10-day injured list Monday, Young-rock Kim of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The transaction comes as little surprise after a recent MRI revealed that Kim sustained a left adductor injury Sunday that will keep him sidelined for at least 2-to-3 weeks. The Twins also removed reliever Sang Gyu Lee from the active roster Monday and replaced him and Kim with reliever Sun Tae Han and outfielder Min-Su Jeon.
Woo Seok Ko - 10-Day IL - Knee
6/30 8:25 PM IST - Ko (knee) is expected to join the Twins' Futures League affiliate for a rehab assignment next week, Seaho Yoon of Sports Seoul reports. Assuming Ko's surgically repaired left knee responds to the rehab assignment as anticipated, he should be activated from the injured list in mid-July. Coming off a 2019 campaign in which he saved 35 games and posted a 1.52 ERA, Ko made it through just two appearances this season before going down with the knee injury. Once he's back in action for the Twins, it shouldn't be long before he wrests closing duties away from Woo Young Jung.
Hyung Jong Lee - Out - Hand
6/30 8:22 PM IST - Lee (hand) is expected to join the Twins' Futures League affiliate for a rehab assignment this week before rejoining the parent club around mid-July, Seaho Yoon of Sports Seoul reports. Lee has been sidelined since the preseason with a fractured wrist, but he looks like he's finally reached the final stage of his lengthy recovery process. Due to his extensive time off, Lee will require multiple rehab games to get his timing at the plate back and his conditioning in order, but he could become a fixture in the Twins' lineup once he's officially activated. He appeared in 120 games for the Twins in 2019, slashing .286/.358/.442 with 13 home runs, six stolen bases and 63 RBI across 482 plate appearances.
Min Ho Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/1 10:36 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Twins' roster Wednesday, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. This move is mainly procedural, as the Twins have been skipping Lee every other time through the rotation in order to limit the 19-year-old's workload. The plan is working to perfection thus far, as Lee has posted a 1.84 ERA and 1.23 WHIP since joining the rotation May 21. Expect him to make his next start around the end of the second week of July.
Sung Woo Lee - Day-To-Day - Neck
7/3 1:27 AM IST - Lee was removed in the 10th inning of Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Wiz due to a sore neck, Taewoo Kim of SpoTVNews.co.kr reports. Starting behind the plate in the series finale while top backstop Kang Nam Yoo rested, Lee went 0-for-3 before departing with the minor injury. Lee was seen icing his neck after the contest and isn't expected to require any further treatment, so he should be fine the next time Yoo requires another day off.
Yong Taik Park - Out - Hamstring
6/24 2:15 PM IST - Park will miss four weeks with a right hamstring injury, Se Ho Yoon of Sports Seoul reports. The news comes as no surprise, considering the 19-year LG vet struggled to exit Tuesday's game with Kiwoom under his own power. Park now joins Eun Sung Chae (ankle) and Min Sung Kim (thigh) on the list of starting position players out for the injury-riddled Twins. As a result of Park's injury, 20-year-old prospect Jae Won Lee was summoned to the first team and will start Wednesday.
Lions
Ji Gwang Choi - Out - Not Injury Related
6/27 11:19 PM IST - Choi was removed from the Lions' roster Saturday, according to chosun.com. Choi's removal was not performance-related, as he has been one of Samsung's top relievers all season. However, he did pitch 22 times over the team's first 46 games and allowed more earned runs in his last appearance (3) than he did in his first 21 (2), so he will get some time to recharge.
Hyun Joon Im - Out - Not Injury Related
6/29 10:56 PM IST - Im was removed from the Lions' first-team roster Monday, according to the team's official Twitter account. Im was not scored upon in his first 15 appearances out of Samsung's bullpen, but he was tagged for three earned runs over his last five outings, so the team decided to give him a break. He will be eligible to rejoin Samsung's top team during the second week of July.
Hak Ju Lee - Out - Neck
6/30 2:30 PM IST - Lee was placed on the injured list Tuesday with neck and back pain, according to chosun.com. Lee did not play Sunday because of the soreness, and it turns out he will need a bit more time to recover. It remains to be seen exactly how long Lee will be sidelined, but given how frequently he plays when healthy, expect the Lions to give him ample time to get back to 100 percent.
Ben Lively - Out - Side
6/23 11:27 PM IST - Lively (side) was spotted on the field Tuesday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park taking part in long toss, Korean baseball writer Michael Min reports. Though the activity marks a step forward in Lively's recovery from the torn side muscle that has sidelined him since May 22, the Lions aren't expecting him to return from injury until around mid-July. His ongoing absence should continue to open up regular starts for Yoon Dong Heo, who returned from the Futures League last week and re-entered the Samsung rotation.
Tyler Saladino - Out - Back
6/24 3:22 PM IST - Saladino (back) was removed from Samsung's active roster Wednesday, Soo Jin Park of Star News reports. The 30-year-old will likely miss several games due to the injured back, a recurring issue he has dealt with since first hurting it on June 11 versus Kiwoom. The power-lacking Lions will look for Saladino to return as soon as possible, considering he currently leads the team in home runs (six) and slugging percentage (.504).
Twins' Expected Lineup
SP - Tyler Wilson
3. Hyun Soo Kim
6. Kang Nam Yoo
7. Ji Hwan Oh
Lions' Expected Lineup
SP - Jung Hyun Baek
1. Sang Su Kim
2. Hae Min Park
3. Ja Wook Koo
4. Won Seok Lee
6. Heon Gon Kim
8. Min Ho Kang
9. Ji Chan Kim
Top Picks
Hyun Soo Kim, Twins: Kim has gone hitless in his last two appearances, but that doesn't hide the fact that he's been one of the Twins' best hitters all season long. He has hit for a solid .278 with four home runs, 16 RBI, and a .728 OPS in his 108 at-bats since the start of June.
Tyler Wilson, Twins: Wilson already produced a strong start against the Lions this season, allowing just three runs (two earned) across seven frames. He has been solid of late, giving up three or fewer earned runs in all but two outings since May 14.
Hae Min Park, Lions: Park has hit safely in five of his last six appearances, and he has notched four multi-hit appearances during that stretch. He has posted a .371/.421/.543 slash line in his last 10 games.
Ji Hwan Oh, Twins: Oh missed two games in mid-June, but he has been a hitting machine since then – he has hit safely in all but one of his last 16 appearances, tallying eight RBI, three stolen bases and a .355/.403/.452 slash line during that stretch.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Tyler Wilson (VC)
C – Kang Nam Yoo
IF – Ji Hwan Oh
IF – Ji Chan Kim
IF – Jae Hyun Kim
IF – Ju Hyeon Jung
OF – Hae Min Park
OF – Hyun Soo Kim (C)
OF – Eun Sung Chae
