This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
SK Wyverns (17-39) at Hanwha Eagles (14-42)
Friday, July 10th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Joo Han Kim (0-4, 7.20 ERA) vs RHP Min Woo Kim (1-5, 4.83 ERA)
Game Preview
The two worst teams in the KBO this season will go head to head on Friday, as the Wyverns will collide against the Eagles in a battle of struggling teams. The Wyverns edge the Eagles by just three wins in the standings, but it's hard to trust either team right now due to two main factors – the losing factor and the fact both teams are hampered by injuries. The pitching matchup in this duel will face Joo Han Kim with Min Woo Kim. While the Wyverns hurler is coming off allowing five earned runs in four innings against the Lotte Giants, Min Woo Kim gave up just one run in five frames against a tough matchup such as the Doosan Bears. Will any of these two pitchers extend those runs into this contest?
Injuries
Eagles
Brandon Barnes - Out - Not Injury Related
7/1 4:12 PM IST - Barnes will arrive in South Korea early Thursday, Jee Ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. The 34-year-old signed a contract on June 22 that would allow him to play with Hanwha for the rest of this season. The outfielder will self-quarantine for 14 days before being allowed to train with the Eagles. If everything goes as planned, Barnes can debut for the team as early as
SK Wyverns (17-39) at Hanwha Eagles (14-42)
Friday, July 10th, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Joo Han Kim (0-4, 7.20 ERA) vs RHP Min Woo Kim (1-5, 4.83 ERA)
Game Preview
The two worst teams in the KBO this season will go head to head on Friday, as the Wyverns will collide against the Eagles in a battle of struggling teams. The Wyverns edge the Eagles by just three wins in the standings, but it's hard to trust either team right now due to two main factors – the losing factor and the fact both teams are hampered by injuries. The pitching matchup in this duel will face Joo Han Kim with Min Woo Kim. While the Wyverns hurler is coming off allowing five earned runs in four innings against the Lotte Giants, Min Woo Kim gave up just one run in five frames against a tough matchup such as the Doosan Bears. Will any of these two pitchers extend those runs into this contest?
Injuries
Eagles
Brandon Barnes - Out - Not Injury Related
7/1 4:12 PM IST - Barnes will arrive in South Korea early Thursday, Jee Ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. The 34-year-old signed a contract on June 22 that would allow him to play with Hanwha for the rest of this season. The outfielder will self-quarantine for 14 days before being allowed to train with the Eagles. If everything goes as planned, Barnes can debut for the team as early as mid-July.
Jin Young Kim - 10-Day IL - Hand
7/8 10:55 PM IST - Kim was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a hand injury, according to chosun.com. Kim left his last outing with a bruised hand, and it was determined he will need several days to rest and recover. Kim has been busy this season, pitching in roughly half the games the Eagles have played, so some time off could help him regain some stamina.
Ee Whan Kim - Out - Not Injury Related
6/8 12:54 PM IST - Kim was removed from Hanwha's first-team entry Monday, Young Eun Bae of Daily Sports Backstroke reports. The 19-year-old Kim got off to a good start this season, but he did not make it out of the fourth inning in each of his last four outings, so he will pitch for Hanwha's second team for the time being.
Seong Yul Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/4 11:50 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Eagles roster Friday, according to koreadaily.com. Lee has not been able to get it going at the plate this season, so he will try to find his swing in the Futures League for the second time in the last few weeks.
Soo Kwang Noh - Out - Ribs
6/24 3:36 PM IST - Noh will miss three weeks with a fractured right rib, Kyung Yoon Kim of the Yonhap News Agency reports. It comes as terrible news for a struggling Hanwha team that traded for the 29-year-old less than a week ago. Before suffering the rib injury, Noh hit .350 with three runs scored in his first five games for the Eagles.
Si Hwan Noh - Out - Not Injury Related
6/22 11:42 PM IST - Noh was removed from the Eagles' roster on Monday, Soo Jin Park of Star News reports. Noh started regularly for Hanwha after being called up in mid-May, but a rough stretch at the plate has his batting average down to .186, so the Eagles decided to send him down to work on some things. It remains to be seen who will take Noh's place in the lineup, but Tae Hyung No appears to be the favorite.
Kwang Min Song - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
7/8 10:48 PM IST - Song was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a shoulder injury, according to chosun.com. Song does not appear to be dealing with a serious injury, but he will need at least a few days to rest and recover, so Hanwha decided to place him on the injured list and free up a roster spot.
Wyverns
Jeong Choi - 10-Day IL - Pelvis
7/8 2:45 PM IST - Jeong was placed on the injured list due to right pelvic soreness, Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV reports. It comes as bad news for a struggling SK side, as the 33-year-old was one of few consistent hitters from the offense. Jeong led the Wyverns with 11 home runs and a .909 OPS through 53 games in the 2020 season.
Jae Hoon Ha - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed
6/23 12:02 AM IST - Ha was removed from the Wyverns' roster on Monday, Soo Jin Park of Star News reports. Ha was removed from the closer's role last week, and after allowing two earned runs in his first appearance after that, he was taken off the roster altogether. No injury has been reported, but Ha simply has not been himself this year after dominating out of the Wyverns' bullpen in 2019. He will get a chance to iron things out and figures to rejoin the top club at some point down the road.
Dong Min Han - 10-Day IL - Lower Leg
7/8 10:38 PM IST - Han (lower leg) could return to action in the coming days, according to Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV. Han resumed playing in Futures League games last week and continues to do so, so he is not far off from rejoining SK's top club. The team is giving him ample time to get back to 100 percent, though, to ensure he can play his regular role when he comes off the injured list.
Ji Kwang Kang - Out - Shoulder
6/15 2:22 PM IST - Kang, who has alternated between position player and relief pitcher the last few seasons, will resume pitching in Futures League games Wednesday, Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV reports. Kang converted from pitcher to hitter when he was drafted in 2009, per the Yonhap News Agency, but he never saw much action as a hitter and gave pitching another shot a couple years ago. The move appeared to be a good one, as he allowed just three earned runs in 16.1 innings (1.65 ERA) over his final 15 appearances last season. However, he was plagued by shoulder soreness that sidelined him after mid-June and entered this season as a hitter again. He is now feeling good enough to give pitching another shot, and if all goes well he could be a factor out of the Wyverns' bullpen at some point soon.
Chang Pyung Kim - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
7/8 10:43 PM IST - Kim (shoulder) is playing in Futures League games, according to Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV. Kim did not return in late June as expected, but with him at least seeing game action, it should not be long until he is deemed ready to rejoin SK's top club.
Jong Wook Ko - Out - Not Injury Related
7/4 11:08 PM IST - Ko was removed from the Wyverns' roster Friday, according to MBN. Ko went just 12-for-52 (.231) over 18 games after recovering from an ankle injury, so SK decided to send him down to work on some things. SK frequently rotates its outfielders, so several players could see more action until Ko rejoins the top club.
Jae Won Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
7/4 10:54 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Wyverns' roster Friday, according to ohmynews.com. Lee went just 4-for-36 over 11 games after recovering from a fractured thumb, so the Wyverns sent him to their Futures League club to try and iron things out there. Hyun Seok Lee will serve as the Wyverns' primary catcher for the time being.
Heung Ryun Lee - Out - Shoulder
6/20 1:02 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Wyverns' roster Saturday due to a shoulder injury, according to Soo Jin Park of Star News. It remains to be seen how long Lee will be sidelined, but with SK's starting catcher, Jae Won Lee, being activated from the injured list in the corresponding move, he is in line to fill a reserve role whenever he is ready to play again.
Wyverns' Expected Lineup
SP - Joo Han Kim
1. Ji Hoon Choi
2. Jun Hyeok Oh
3. Eui Yoon Jeong
4. Jamie Romak
5. Tae In Chae
6. Joon Woo Choi
7. Suk Min Yoon
8. Hyun Seok Lee
9. Sung Hyun Kim
Eagles' Expected Lineup
SP - Min Woo Kim
1. Yong Kyu Lee
2. Eun Won Jung
3. Ju Seok Ha
4. Tae Kyun Kim
5. Jin Haeng Choi
6. Sun Jin Oh
7. Jin Ho Jung
8. Jae Hoon Choi
9. Jang Hyeok Yoo
Top Picks
Jamie Romak, Wyverns: Romak enters this game in a three-game hitting streak, and he has hit safely in all but one of his appearances during July – he has gone 9-for-29 with two home runs in eight games during that stretch. He represents a strong alternative in a depleted Wyverns roster.
Eui Yoon Jeong, Wyverns: Jeong went hitless in his last two games, but he has hit safely in four of his six games during this month. The Wyverns are lacking some of their best hitters, but Jeong could be a decent alternative for production.
Ju Seok Ha, Eagles: Ha has spent most of the season injured and returned two games ago, but he has gone 2-for-8 with a double and an RBI in that stretch. That's enough reason to trust him in a depleted, offensively-challenged Eagles lineup.
Hyun Seok Lee, Wyverns: Lee has been playing regularly as catcher due to the fact both Jae Won Lee (not injury related) and Heung Ryun Lee (shoulder) are unavailable. He has hit safely in three of his last six games.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Joo Han Kim
C – Hyun Seok Lee
IF – Jamie Romak (C)
IF – Ju Seok Ha
IF – Tae Kyun Kim
OF – Eui Yoon Jeong (VC)
OF – Yong Kyu Lee
OF – Ji Hoon Choi
OF – Jun Hyeok Oh
