Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Hawks at Lions

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (3-4) at Saitama Seibu Lions (3-4)

Saturday, June 27, 1:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

RHP Wataru Matsumoto (0-1, 2.84 ERA) vs LHP Tsuyoshi Wada (0-0, 1.42 ERA)

Game Preview

This matchup pits two of the best two teams in the Pacific League against each other. The Lions had the top regular season record in the league last season, but it was the Hawks who advanced to (and eventually won) the Japan Series, winning their third title in a row and their fifth in the last six years. Both teams have stumbled out of the gate this year, winning just three of their first seven games, but there's still plenty of time for them to turn things around. The visiting Lions will send second-year pitcher Wataru Matsumoto to the mound as they look to take a 2-0 lead in the series. He wasn't particularly impressive in his rookie campaign, posting a 4.54 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in 85.1 innings. Opposing him will be 39-year-old lefty Tsuyoshi Wada, who recorded a solid 3.90 ERA last season. He owns a lifetime 3.13 ERA in his 13-year NPB career.

Lions' Last Lineup

LF Cory Spangenberg

SS Sosuke Genda

C Tomoya Mori

1B Hotaka Yamakawa

2B Shuta Tonosaki

3B Takeya Nakamura

DH Takumi Kuriyama

RF Fumikazu Kimura

CF Yuji Kaneko

Hawks' Last Lineup 

1B Ryoya Kurihara

SS Kenta Imamiya

CF Yuki Yanagita

DH Wladimir Balentien

LF Yuya Hasegawa

RF Seiji Uebayashi

3B Nobuhiro Matsuda

2B Taisei Makihara

C Takuya Kai

Top Picks

Tsuyoshi Wada, Hawks: Wada may be well past his peak, but he's remained quite an effective arm in his late 30s, while Matsumoto has yet to show much in his young career. The veteran looked good in his first start of the season, allowing just one run in 6.1 innings while striking out seven.

Yuki Yanagita, Hawks: Like most of his Hawks' teammates, Yanagita hasn't gotten off to a particularly hot start, hitting just .227 through his first seven games, but he's one of the most talented hitters on either roster. He missed most of last season due to injuries, but he hit .352 with 36 homers and 21 steals in 2018.

Wladimir Balentien, Hawks: Balentien also hasn't gotten off to the best start, either, hitting .222 so far, but he's one of the most consistent power threats in Japan. In all eight of his full NPB seasons, he's hit at least 31 home runs.

Hotaka Yamakawa, Lions: The stocky first baseman has emerged as one of the top power hitters in NPB in recent seasons, hitting a total of 90 homers over his last two campaigns. He already has three this year to go along with a .304 batting average, making him the top captain choice for a Lions-based lineup.

Captaincy Options

1. Yuki Yanagita

2. Wladimir Balentien

3. Hotaka Yamakawa

Dream11 Team

P Tsuyoshi Wada

C Tomoyo Mori

IF Hotaka Yamakawa

IF Tetsuro Nishida

OF Wladimir Balentien (VC)

OF Cory Spangenberg

OF Yuki Yanagita (C)

OF Shohei Suzuki

OF Seiji Uebayashi