This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Doosan Bears (53-41-3) at Samsung Lions (43-52-1)
Thursday, September 3rd, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Seung Jin Lee (0-2, 6.63 ERA) vs RHP Tae In Won (6-5, 4.08 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears and the Lions are in opposite runs of form, and that is extremely noticeable when looking at each team's position in the standings – while the Bears are in fourth place and very much alive for a spot in the 2020 KBO playoffs, the Lions are in eight place nearly 10 games below the .500 threshold and are already thinking about what they will do in the 2021 season. That said, the Lions might have an opportunity to win this game off the mound as Tae In Won (6-5, 4.08 ERA) is a far better pitcher than Seung Jin Lee, who has a 12.00 ERA when facing Samsung this season.
Injuries
Doosan Bears
Sang Ho Chung - 10-Day IL - Hand
8/20 10:50 PM IST - Chung was removed from Thursday's game against the Giants with a bruised left hand, according to OSEN. Chung was struck on the hand while catching in the third inning and was unable to continue. It remains to be seen if the injury will cost him more time.
Chris Flexen - Out - Foot
8/17 10:03 PM IST - Flexen (foot) is not expected to pitch again until September at the earliest, according to chosun.com. Flexen continues to work his way back from a broken foot, and it
Doosan Bears (53-41-3) at Samsung Lions (43-52-1)
Thursday, September 3rd, 5:30 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Seung Jin Lee (0-2, 6.63 ERA) vs RHP Tae In Won (6-5, 4.08 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears and the Lions are in opposite runs of form, and that is extremely noticeable when looking at each team's position in the standings – while the Bears are in fourth place and very much alive for a spot in the 2020 KBO playoffs, the Lions are in eight place nearly 10 games below the .500 threshold and are already thinking about what they will do in the 2021 season. That said, the Lions might have an opportunity to win this game off the mound as Tae In Won (6-5, 4.08 ERA) is a far better pitcher than Seung Jin Lee, who has a 12.00 ERA when facing Samsung this season.
Injuries
Doosan Bears
Sang Ho Chung - 10-Day IL - Hand
8/20 10:50 PM IST - Chung was removed from Thursday's game against the Giants with a bruised left hand, according to OSEN. Chung was struck on the hand while catching in the third inning and was unable to continue. It remains to be seen if the injury will cost him more time.
Chris Flexen - Out - Foot
8/17 10:03 PM IST - Flexen (foot) is not expected to pitch again until September at the earliest, according to chosun.com. Flexen continues to work his way back from a broken foot, and it looks like he still has several steps to go in his recovery.
Duk Joo Ham - Out - Not Injury Related
8/21 2:01 PM IST - Ham was sent down by the Bears on Friday, Ik Rae Choi of The Dong-A Ilbo reports. It is unclear as to why the southpaw lasted just one day with Doosan since returning from an elbow injury. Ham faced two batters during Thursday's 6-5 loss against Lotte.
Yong Chan Lee - Out - Elbow
6/4 2:49 PM IST - Lee will undergo Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss at least a year, Daniel Kim of DKTV reports. Lee has started regularly for Doosan since 2018, but his 2020 season will come to an early and abrupt end as a result of his elbow injury. It remains to be seen who will enter the rotation in Lee's place, as the Giants have only needed five starting pitchers to date.
Jae Won Oh - 10-Day IL - Back
8/19 10:13 PM IST - Oh is dealing with a sore back and will undergo tests to determine the extent of his injury, according to Ik Rae Choi of The Dong-A Ilbo. The extent of Oh's injury is not yet known, but the Bears figure to release an update on his status after he is checked out by doctors.
Samsung Lions
Jung Hyun Baek - Out - Elbow
7/23 1:53 AM IST - Samsung removed Baek from its active roster Wednesday due to a left elbow sprain, Hyun-Seok Jeong of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The southpaw picked up the injury coming out of his start Tuesday, during which he surrendered five runs on nine hits over 5.1 innings. Seong Hwan Yoon is expected to assume Baek's spot in the rotation.
Young Jin Choi - Out - Ankle
7/28 2:51 AM IST - Choi will miss about six weeks with an ankle injury, according to chosun.com. Choi was diagnosed with ligament damage after leaving Sunday's game with the injury, and he is now facing an extended absence. Choi has been one of the Lions' top hitters against lefties this season, but the team will need to turn elsewhere against southpaws until he is ready to return.
Yoon Dong Heo - Out - Not Injury Related
8/27 9:47 PM IST - Heo was removed from the Lions' roster Thursday, according to the team's official Twitter account. Heo was called up to start Wednesday's game, but he was not sharp, so the team decided to send him back down for the time being.
Hak Ju Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
8/24 9:44 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Lions' roster Monday, according to OSEN. Lee rejoined Samsung's first team last week after spending time in the minors, but he went hitless in eight at-bats over three games, so the Lions sent him back down to continue working on his swing.
Sung Hwan Yoon - Out - Not Injury Related
8/21 10:58 PM IST - Yoon surrendered four runs on two hits and three walks through 1.2 innings in Friday's 8-6 loss to SK. He hit two batters. Yoon pitched his shortest game of 2020 by throwing 41 pitches and netting only five outs. A late Samsung lead prevented the loss, but he remains winless with a displeasing 1.61 WHIP and 5.3 BB/9 across five starts.
Samsung Lions Expected Lineup
SP - Tae In Won
1. Hae Min Park
2. Sang Su Kim
3. Ja Wook Koo
4. Daniel Palka
5. Won Seok Lee
7. Min Ho Kang
8. Ji Chan Kim
Doosan Bears Expected Lineup
SP - Seung Jin Lee
1. Kun Woo Park
3. Jae Il Oh
4. Jae Hwan Kim
7. Soo Bin Jung
8. Jae Ho Kim
9. Se Hyuk Park
Top Picks From Each Team
Jose Fernandez, Bears: Fernandez has hit .370 with a .890 OPS, two homers and 22 RBI in 26 games since the beginning of August. The power numbers are not as strong as they were earlier in the season, but it's clear the slugger is one of the top offensive forces in the KBO.
Daniel Palka, Lions: Palka is only eight games into his KBO career and, while he's hitting a meager .154, he already went yard and has enough potential to develop into a terrorizing presence in the middle of the Lions lineup. He might wake up here against a struggling pitcher such as Seung Jin Lee.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Seung Jin Lee
C – Min Ho Kang
IF – Jose Fernandez
IF – Jae Il Oh
IF – Ji Chan Kim
OF – Jae Hwan Kim
OF – Kun Woo Park (VC)
OF – Chan Do Park
OF – Daniel Palka
