Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Marines at Golden Eagles

Chiba Lotte Marines (31-24-2) at Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (29-25-3)

Wednesday, August 26th, 5:00 AM EDT

Game Preview

The Marines and the Golden Eagles are second and third in the Pacific League standings ahead of this game, and both teams would sneak into the playoffs if the season ended today. However, both players are in bad runs of results – the Golden Eagles are coming off three straight losses and just one win in their last five games, while the Marines have dropped two of their last three. Winning here becomes extra important considering these two teams are direct rivals in the race for a playoff spot. The pitching matchup gives an edge for Tohoku, though, as Hideaki Wakui has been one of the best pitchers in the NBP this season. Meanwhile, Kazuya Ojima will get the nod for the Marines.

Injuries

Brandon Laird - Out - Back

8/5 11:54 PM IST - The Marines deactivated Laird on Wednesday while he contends with a stiff back, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Laird's back issue first cropped up Tuesday, resulting in him being pulled in the sixth inning of the Marines' game against the Buffaloes. Rookie Hisanori Yasuda is expected to take over as the Marines' everyday third baseman in place of Laird, who is batting .233 with six home runs and 15 RBI across 147 plate appearances.

Yuji Nishino - Out - Elbow

6/30 10:26 AM IST - Nishino (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Monday. Nishino suffered a torn medical collateral ligament in his right elbow in mid-June, and he underwent surgery to repair it Monday. If all goes smoothly, he should be able to resume throwing in approximately four months.

Takashi Ogino - Out - Biceps

7/23 3:09 PM IST - Ogino was removed from the Marines' active roster Thursday with a right biceps injury. Ogino suffered the injury Wednesday, and he'll miss at least 10 days as a result. It's unclear exactly how much time he'll miss. In his absence Shuhei Fukuda should see an uptick in playing time.

Atsuki Taneichi - Out - Undisclosed

8/3 7:10 AM IST - The Marines deactivated Taneichi on Sunday, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. The 21-year-old's demotion comes after he followed up a 10-strikeout, four-hit shutout July 25 against the Lions with a disaster of an outing in Saturday's 8-0 loss to the Eagles. He struggled with locating his pitches in the start, giving up all eight runs on 12 hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. Assuming there's no physical issue behind his deactivation, Taneichi will likely head to the Marines' farm team for the next week or so to get his command woes figured out before he rejoins the big club.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Expected Lineup

1. Eigoro Mogi

2. Daichi Suzuki

3. Jabari Blash

4. Hideto Asamura

5. Hiroaki Shimauchi

6. Stefen Romero

7. Ginji Akaminai

8. Hikaru Ohta

9. Ryosuke Tatsumi

Chiba Lotte Marines Expected Lineup

1. Takashi Ogino

2. Leonys Martin

3. Ikuhiro Kiyota

4. Hisanori Yasuda

5. Seiya Inoue

6. Shogo Nakamura

7. Hiromi Oka

8. Tatsuhiro Tamura

9. Yudai Fujioka

Top Picks From Each Team

Stefen Romero, Golden Eagles: Romero and Hideto Asamura are, essentially, 1A and 1B when it comes to captaincy options on the Golden Eagles. Romero has 15 homers with 35 RBI, but he is also hitting .298 with a .373 on-base percentage and a 1.003 OPS. He has been extremely productive despite hitting in the lower spots of the lineup.

Leonys Martin, Marines: Martin has been one of the best players for the Marines this season, and he is displaying a power he didn't show during his MLB days. Martin has 14 homers and a .528 slugging percentage this season, while hitting for .262.

Captaincy Options

1. Stefen Romero
2. Hideto Asamura
3. Leonys Martin
4. Hideaki Wakui

Dream11 Team

P – Hideaki Wakui

C – Yuta Yoshida

IF – Daichi Suzuki

IF – Hideto Asamura (VC)

OF – Akito Takabe

OF – Leonys Martin

OF – Kazuki Tanaka

OF – Hiroaki Shimauchi

OF – Stefen Romero (C)