This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.
Chiba Lotte Marines (38-26-3) at Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (38-26-3)
Sunday, September 6th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Chiba Lotte Marines: RHP Kota Futaki (2-2, 5.03 ERA)
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks: RHP Shuta Ishikawa (6-0, 2.36 ERA)
Game Preview
The two best teams in the Pacific League will continue clashing this week and this is a series that could have major playoff implications down the stretch – the Hawks are at the top of the standings while the Marines are just 2.5 games behind them in second place. Both are likely to finish in first and second place once it's all said and done, but the Marines feel they still have a shot at overtaking the Hawks with a good run of results. The pitching matchup gives an edge to the Hawks, however, as Shuta Ishikawa has been one of the top hurlers in the NPB this season. The Marines will counter with Kota Futaki, who has a 5.03 ERA.
Injuries
Alfredo Despaigne - Day-To-Day - Not Injury Related
7/7 10:42 PM IST - Despaigne (not injury related) is scheduled to arrive in Japan on July 19 and will then quarantine for 14 days before reporting to the Hawks, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Due to travel restrictions in their native Cuba, Despaigne and infielder Yurisbel Gracial have thus far been unable to join the Hawks, and it appears their season debuts won't be coming at any point in July. Even once they arrive in Japan and complete their quarantine periods, Despaigne and
Chiba Lotte Marines (38-26-3) at Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (38-26-3)
Sunday, September 6th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Chiba Lotte Marines: RHP Kota Futaki (2-2, 5.03 ERA)
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks: RHP Shuta Ishikawa (6-0, 2.36 ERA)
Game Preview
The two best teams in the Pacific League will continue clashing this week and this is a series that could have major playoff implications down the stretch – the Hawks are at the top of the standings while the Marines are just 2.5 games behind them in second place. Both are likely to finish in first and second place once it's all said and done, but the Marines feel they still have a shot at overtaking the Hawks with a good run of results. The pitching matchup gives an edge to the Hawks, however, as Shuta Ishikawa has been one of the top hurlers in the NPB this season. The Marines will counter with Kota Futaki, who has a 5.03 ERA.
Injuries
Alfredo Despaigne - Day-To-Day - Not Injury Related
7/7 10:42 PM IST - Despaigne (not injury related) is scheduled to arrive in Japan on July 19 and will then quarantine for 14 days before reporting to the Hawks, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Due to travel restrictions in their native Cuba, Despaigne and infielder Yurisbel Gracial have thus far been unable to join the Hawks, and it appears their season debuts won't be coming at any point in July. Even once they arrive in Japan and complete their quarantine periods, Despaigne and Gracial will likely both require rehab games in the minors to get their timing right at the plate before SoftBank elects to add either player to the active roster. In his sixth NPB season and third with the Hawks in 2019, Despaigne slashed .259/.355/.520 with 36 home runs, 88 RBI and 61 runs in 519 plate appearances.
Yuya Hasegawa - Out - Side
7/7 2:47 PM IST - Hasegawa was removed from the Hawks' active roster Tuesday due to a right side bruise that is expected to keep him sidelined for approximately three weeks. The left fielder had a .400 OBP with one RBI and nine strikeouts over his first 11 games, so his loss is a significant one for the Hawks. The 35-year-old will likely be sidelined until at least late July with the injury.
Kenta Imamiya - Out - Undisclosed
8/20 9:18 AM IST - Imamiya went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's tie against the Marines. Both teams got off to strong starts offensively Wednesday, but the bats quieted considerably later in the game. Imamiya provided one of the Hawks' two runs in the first inning as the two teams settled for a tie. Imamiya now carries a .730 OPS with six home runs and 22 RBI this season.
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.
Matt Moore - Out - Calf
7/9 4:41 AM IST - Moore is expected to miss about six weeks after he was diagnosed with a left calf muscle damage following an MRI on Wednesday, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Moore will miss significant time for the second consecutive season due to a lower-body injury, as he was limited to just two starts with MLB's Detroit Tigers in 2019 due to right knee surgery. After making the jump to Japan over the winter, Moore looked good in his first two turns through the Hawks rotation, collecting 14 strikeout over 10 innings. He'll now be on the shelf until the second half of August after picking up the calf injury in a workout Tuesday.
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.
Dennis Sarfate - Out - Not Injury Related
7/7 2:10 AM IST - Sarfate joined the Hawks on Saturday after completing a 14-day quarantine following his recent return from the United States, Yahoo Sports Japan reports. Though Sarfate is back with the Hawks, he'll have to get his arm reconditioned again after the layoff before he's deemed ready to contribute out of the bullpen. The Hawks are expected to assign Sarfate to the minors, where he'll make an appearance or two before being registered to the big-league roster.
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.
Rick van den Hurk - Out - Back
7/17 4:47 AM IST - Van den Hurk (1-2) allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out zero over 2.2 innings as he was charged with the loss Thursday against the Buffaloes. After a dominant season debut, things have gone downhill for van den Hurk over his last three starts, and he's now been charged with losses in back-to-back starts. He failed to record any strikeouts Thursday while allowing seven baserunners. The right-hander carries a 7.29 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 21 innings this year.
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Expected Lineup
8. Takuya Kai
Chiba Lotte Marines Expected Lineup
5. Seiya Inoue
Top Picks / Captaincy Options
- Yuki Yanagita, Hawks
- Seiya Inoue, Marines
- Shuta Ishikawa, Hawks
- Seiji Uebayashi, Hawks
Dream11 Team
P – Shuta Ishikawa
C – Ryoya Kurihara
IF – Seiya Inoue
IF – Kenta Chatani
IF – Kenta Imamiya
OF – Koshiro Wada
OF – Yuki Yanagita (C)
OF – Akira Nakamura
OF – Seiji Uebayashi (VC)
