Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Fighters at Buffaloes

ORIX Buffaloes (5-11-2) vs Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (7-9-2)

Friday, July 10th, 5:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

RHP Tsubasa Sakakibara (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs RHP Kohei Arihara (0-3, 5.40 ERA)

Game Preview

Both the Buffaloes and the Fighters are not exactly "contending" teams in the Pacific League, as both sit in the bottom half of the standings. That said, the Fighters look like the better team on paper thanks to their superior winning percentage and a stronger lineup. When it comes to the pitching duel, Tsubasa Sakakibara will start for the Buffaloes, while Kohei Arihara will grab the ball for the Fighters. Sakakibara has made just one start in 2020 and allowed one earned run off five hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings. Meanwhile, Arihara has lost his first three decisions but has delivered good sensations when looking at his peripheral stats. Despite an inflated 5.40 ERA, he has a strong 1.25 WHIP and also owns a 16:2 K:BB in 20 innings this year.

ORIX Buffaloes Expected Lineup:

1B – Takahiro Okada

DH – Aderlin Rodriguez

LF – Masataka Yoshida

RF – Adam Jones

3B – Keita Nakagawa

2B – Koji Ohshiro

C – Kenya Wakatsuki

SS – Ryoichi Adachi

CF – Shunta Gotoh

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Expected Lineup:

CF – Haruki Nishikawa

RF – Taishi Ohta

LF – Kensuke Kondoh

1B – Sho Nakata

DH – Po-Jung Wang

2B – Ryo Watanabe

SS – Kazunari Ishii

3B – Yuki Nomura

C – Shingo Usami

Top Picks

Sho Nakata, Fighters: Few hitters in the NPB have been as productive as Nakata in 2020. The star first baseman is hitting for .286, but he has posted an excellent on-base percentage of .410 while also racking up seven home runs with 17 RBI.

Masataka Yoshida, Buffaloes: Yoshida has four home runs and 12 RBI this season, but he supplements that with a strong slash line of .397/.481/.632. He is undoubtedly the team's best offensive option, albeit the Buffaloes lineup isn't very threatening overall.

Taishi Ohta, Fighters: There is a sizable downgrade of quality in the Fighters roster when comparing Nakata and the rest of the hitters, but Oita could be a strong choice for a bigger role in this matchup. He enters this contest with two home runs and 12 RBI. His power should mitigate a poor contact rate that translates to a .192 average.

Kohei Arihara, Fighters: The 2015 NPB Rookie of the Year might not be a sexy pick since he has a 5.40 ERA in three starts this season, but he has posted a 1.25 WHIP and a 16:2 K:BB in 20 innings, so he has been pitching better than what his ERA indicates. He could turn things around here.

Captaincy Options

1. Sho Nakata
2. Masataka Yoshida
3. Taishi Ohta

Dream11 Team

P – Kohei Arihara

C – Ryo Ishikawa

IF – Sho Nakata (C)

IF – Ryo Watanabe

OF – Takahiro Okada

OF – Kodai Sano

OF – Masataka Yoshida (VC)

OF – Taishi Ohta

OF – Kensuke Kondoh