Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Swallows at Giants

Yomiuri Giants (10-5-1) vs Tokyo Yakult Swallows (9-7-1)

Saturday, July 11th, 5:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

RHP Angel Sanchez (2-1, 2.63 ERA) vs RHP Yasuhiro Ogawa (2-0, 5.19 ERA)

Game Preview

Friday's game between these two teams got postponed, but both saw action during Thursday's slate – while the Giants fell 2-1 against the Hanshin Tigers, the Swallows secured an 8-6 win over the Chunichi Dragons. That said, the Giants remain the team to beat in the Central League with a 10-5-1 record, while the Swallows sit in second place of the standings with a 9-7-1 record. The pitching matchup here will feature two righties, as Angel Sanchez will take the ball for the Giants and Yasuhiro Ogawa will get the nod for the Swallows. Sanchez has been the better pitcher of the two by a wide margin – he enters this contest with a 2.63 ERA and just four runs allowed in 13.2 innings. Meanwhile, Ogawa has posted a 5.19 ERA. That could be troublesome when facing a tough lineup as the Giants' one.

Giants' Expected Lineup

2B – Naoki Yoshikawa
SS – Hayato Sakamoto
CF – Yoshihiro Maru
3B – Kazuma Okamoto
LF – Yoshiyuki Kamei
1B – Hiroyuki Nakajima
RF – Gerardo Parra
C – Ginjiro Sumitani
P – Angel Sanchez

Swallows' Expected Lineup

1B – Tomotaka Sakaguchi
2B – Tetsuto Yamada
LF – Norichika Aoki
3B – Munetaka Murakami
CF – Yasutaka Shiomi
RF – Yuhei Takai
SS – Alcides Escobar
C – Motohiro Shima
P – Yasuhiro Ogawa

Top Picks

Kazuma Okamoto, Giants: Okamoto has been the driving force behind the Giants' torrid offense since he leads the team in both home runs (five) and RBI (12), but he has also done by posting a strong .387 average and a .694 slugging percentage. He should be a popular name in most lineups.

Gerardo Parra, Giants: Parra, a seasoned MLB veteran, has been playing at a high level ever since the NPB season began. He has three home runs and 10 RBI, and he has settled himself as the team's second-best hitter behind Kazuma Okamoto. He is also hitting a solid .288 with a .851 OPS in 57 plate appearances.

Munetaka Murakami, Swallows: Murakami has been one of the league's top run producers with 18 RBI and three home runs, but he complements that with a .328 average and a great eye at the plate – as evidenced by his .446 on-base percentage. He has been the Swallows' best offensive threat to date.

Angel Sanchez, Giants: Sanchez has plenty of experience and even though he doesn't overpower hitters with his velocity, which ultimately leads to a small strikeout total, he has been limiting the damage. He is the best option in this matchup between the two starting pitchers.

Captaincy Options

1. Kazuma Okamoto
2. Gerardo Parra
3. Munetaka Murakami

Dream11 Team

P – Angel Sanchez
C – Ginjiro Sumitani
IF – Kazuma Okamoto (C)
IF – Munetaka Murakami
IF – Naomichi Nishiura
IF – Takumi Kitamura
OF – Gerardo Parra
OF – Kotaro Yamasaki
OF – Tomotaka Sakaguchi