This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
NC Dinos (11-1) at Doosan Bears (7-5)
Wednesday, May 20, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Koo Chang-mo (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Chris Flexen (2-0, 3.75 ERA)
Game Preview
Can anyone stop the Dinos? Winners of seven straight, including a 5-4 victory in the series opener, they've pulled out to a three-game lead just 12 games into the season. Meanwhile, the defending-champion Bears sit in a tie for fourth place, with the league's worst pitching so far mostly canceling out the league's second-best offense. Koo Chang-mo takes the hill for the visitors as they search for their eighth straight win. The 23-year-old lefty has been the best pitcher in the league this season, striking out 18 while allowing just nine baserunners and zero runs in 14 innings. He was quite good last year as well, recording a 3.20 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and a 25.4 percent strikeout rate. Opposing him for the Bears will be Chris Flexen. The American righty's 8.07 ERA in 68 MLB innings sent him looking for work overseas, but he's looked quite good through his first two KBO starts, posting a 3.75 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. With two strong lineups facing two strong pitchers, this could be one of the games of the season so far.
Injuries
Mo Chang-min, Dinos - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
May 12 - Mo will miss the next two weeks as a result of his shoulder injury, KBO Analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. Mo sat out NC's last game
NC Dinos (11-1) at Doosan Bears (7-5)
Wednesday, May 20, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Koo Chang-mo (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Chris Flexen (2-0, 3.75 ERA)
Game Preview
Can anyone stop the Dinos? Winners of seven straight, including a 5-4 victory in the series opener, they've pulled out to a three-game lead just 12 games into the season. Meanwhile, the defending-champion Bears sit in a tie for fourth place, with the league's worst pitching so far mostly canceling out the league's second-best offense. Koo Chang-mo takes the hill for the visitors as they search for their eighth straight win. The 23-year-old lefty has been the best pitcher in the league this season, striking out 18 while allowing just nine baserunners and zero runs in 14 innings. He was quite good last year as well, recording a 3.20 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and a 25.4 percent strikeout rate. Opposing him for the Bears will be Chris Flexen. The American righty's 8.07 ERA in 68 MLB innings sent him looking for work overseas, but he's looked quite good through his first two KBO starts, posting a 3.75 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. With two strong lineups facing two strong pitchers, this could be one of the games of the season so far.
Injuries
Mo Chang-min, Dinos - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
May 12 - Mo will miss the next two weeks as a result of his shoulder injury, KBO Analyst Jin-Hyeok Jang reports. Mo sat out NC's last game Sunday after injuring his shoulder in the club's previous game Friday, and it turns out he will miss extended time beyond that. Lee Won-jae, as well as another player or two, should see more action in Mo's absence.
Dinos Expected Lineup
P Koo Chang-mo
1. Park Min-woo
3. Na Sung-bum
4. Yang Eui-ji
5. Park Suk-min
6. No Jin-hyuk
7. Kang Jin-sung
8. Lee Myung-gi
9. Kwon Hee-dong
Baers Expected Lineup
1. Park Kun-woo
3. Oh Jae-il
4. Kim Jae-hwan
5. Choi Joo-hwan
6. Kim Jae-ho
7. Park Se-hyuk
8. Hur Kyoung-min
9. Jung Soo-bin
Top Picks
Koo Chang-mo, Dinos: Both lineups are strong, and while the Bears' may be slightly stronger, it's also heavily left-handed. That's good news for the lefty Koo, who's been incredible this season, striking out 18 batters in 14 innings without allowing a single run. He has the upside to be an excellent captain choice if everything goes well, but there's plenty of downside here as well given the talent of the Bears' best hitters.
Na Sung-bum, Dinos: As he does against every right-handed pitcher, Na makes for a strong option for one of your two captaincy spots. After two straight multi-hit contests, Na's season slash line sits at .283/.411/.543. He's scored 12 runs in 12 games.
Kang Jin-sung, Dinos: Cheap options like Kang, who comes in at just seven credits, are vital to filling out a Dream11 lineup. Kang barely played in the Dinos' first several games but has started each of the last five. He's hit three homers and driven in nine runs in just 18 at-bats this season.
Jose Fernandez, Bears: All of the Bears' top bats hit left-handed, so they'll all be at a disadvantage against Dinos' lefty Koo. That means any batter you pick to captain a Bears-focused lineup will be in for a tougher game than normal. If you're set on a Bears-based lineup nonetheless, Fernandez could make for the best choice, as he's hitting an absurd .453/.491/.679 through his first 12 games.
Captaincy Options
1. Koo Chang-mo
2. Na Sung-bum
Dream11 Team
P Koo Chang-mo (C)
C Yang Eui-ji
IF Rak Suk-min
IF Oh Jae-il
IF Park Min-woo
IF Kim Jae-ho
OF Na Sung-bum (VC)
OF Kang Jin-sung
