This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.
Yokohama DeNA BayStars (12-10-0) at Chunichi Dragons (9-13-1)
Thursday, July 16th, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Yuichiro Okano (1-1, 6.43 ERA) vs RHP Koh Nakagawa (0-0, 12.00 ERA)
Game Preview
The Dragons are sitting in the bottom part of the Central League standings with only eight wins in 20 games, and it's clear they're not gunning for a playoff berth. In fact, they sit dead last in the standings with an 8-12-0 record and are 4.5 games behind the top spot. The BayStars are in a better scenario, as their 12-10 record has them just 1.5 games behind the first-placed Yomiuri Giants. The BayStars are favorites on paper even if they decide to start Koh Nakagawa, who has a 12.00 ERA in his lone start this season. Yuichiro Okano hasn't done it much better for the Dragons, but his 6.43 ERA reads slightly better than Nakagawa's numbers and, to make things better, he will also be pitching at home.
Dragons' Expected Lineup
CF – Yohei Ohshima
RF – Ryosuke Hirata
LF – Zoilo Almonte
1B – Dayan Viciedo
3B – Shuhei Takahashi
2B – Toshiki Abe
SS – Yota Kyoda
C – Takuma Katoh
P – Yuichiro Okano
BayStars' Expected Lineup
RF – Takayuki Kajitani
CF – Tomo Otosaka
2B – Neftali Soto
LF – Keita Sano
1B – Jose Lopez
3B – Toshiro Miyazaki
C – Hikaru Itoh
SS – Yamato Maeda
P – Koh Nakagawa
Top Picks
Dayan Viciedo, Dragons: Viciedo has been one of
Yokohama DeNA BayStars (12-10-0) at Chunichi Dragons (9-13-1)
Thursday, July 16th, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Yuichiro Okano (1-1, 6.43 ERA) vs RHP Koh Nakagawa (0-0, 12.00 ERA)
Game Preview
The Dragons are sitting in the bottom part of the Central League standings with only eight wins in 20 games, and it's clear they're not gunning for a playoff berth. In fact, they sit dead last in the standings with an 8-12-0 record and are 4.5 games behind the top spot. The BayStars are in a better scenario, as their 12-10 record has them just 1.5 games behind the first-placed Yomiuri Giants. The BayStars are favorites on paper even if they decide to start Koh Nakagawa, who has a 12.00 ERA in his lone start this season. Yuichiro Okano hasn't done it much better for the Dragons, but his 6.43 ERA reads slightly better than Nakagawa's numbers and, to make things better, he will also be pitching at home.
Dragons' Expected Lineup
CF – Yohei Ohshima
RF – Ryosuke Hirata
LF – Zoilo Almonte
1B – Dayan Viciedo
3B – Shuhei Takahashi
2B – Toshiki Abe
SS – Yota Kyoda
C – Takuma Katoh
P – Yuichiro Okano
BayStars' Expected Lineup
RF – Takayuki Kajitani
CF – Tomo Otosaka
2B – Neftali Soto
LF – Keita Sano
1B – Jose Lopez
3B – Toshiro Miyazaki
C – Hikaru Itoh
SS – Yamato Maeda
P – Koh Nakagawa
Top Picks
Dayan Viciedo, Dragons: Viciedo has been one of the steadiest sources of offense for the Dragons lineup, and he enters this matchup as one of the top power hitters in the NPB season. The slugging first baseman has seven home runs and 21 RBI in 100 plate appearances, while also hitting for .308 with a .340 on-base percentage.
Neftali Soto, BayStars: Soto has been as reliable as they come for the BayStars, entering this matchup with a .346 average and a stellar .448 on-base percentage, to go along with six home runs and 16 RBI. He should be one of Yokohama's main offensive threats.
Toshiro Miyazaki, BayStars: Miyazaki might not be as dangerous as Soto, but he is also another player to watch out closely in this contest. He is hovering the .350 mark when it comes to batting average and has also supplied power and run production, with five home runs and 17 RBI.
Shuhei Takahashi, Dragons: Takahashi only has one homer and 10 RBI, but he has also added an impressive .333 average to his batting figure. The Dragons do not boast many dangerous bats in their lineup, but Takahashi can make an impact on any given day.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Yuichiro Okano
C – Hikaru Itoh
IF – Toshiro Miyazaki
IF – Neftali Soto (VC)
IF – Dayan Viciedo (C)
IF – Shuhei Takahashi
OF – Zoilo Almonte
OF – Ryosuke Hirata
OF – Kengo Takeda
