This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (23-17-1) at Rakuten Golden Eagles (22-18-1)
Friday, August 7th, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Rakuten Golden Eagles: RHP Takahiro Norimoto (3-3, 3.55 ERA)
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks: RHP Nao Higashihama (2-0, 2.35 ERA)
Game Preview
The Golden Eagles and the Hawks have been the best teams in the Pacific League this season and, unsurprisingly, both sit at the top of the standings – although the Hawks have a slim one-game lead over Rakuten ahead of this matchup. The recent form should favor the hosts, however, as they have gone 3-2 in their last five contests, while the visitors are 2-3. The Golden Eagles have also shortened the differential at the top of the standings since they have won two of the three meetings both teams have had this week so far. The pitching matchup Friday faces two productive arms, as Nao Higashihama will pitch for the Hawks and Takahiro Norimoto will get the nod for the Eagles. Higashihama has posted better numbers, going 2-0 with a sterling 2.35 ERA so far in 2020.
Injuries
Alfredo Despaigne - Out - 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
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (23-17-1) at Rakuten Golden Eagles (22-18-1)
Friday, August 7th, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
Rakuten Golden Eagles: RHP Takahiro Norimoto (3-3, 3.55 ERA)
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks: RHP Nao Higashihama (2-0, 2.35 ERA)
Game Preview
The Golden Eagles and the Hawks have been the best teams in the Pacific League this season and, unsurprisingly, both sit at the top of the standings – although the Hawks have a slim one-game lead over Rakuten ahead of this matchup. The recent form should favor the hosts, however, as they have gone 3-2 in their last five contests, while the visitors are 2-3. The Golden Eagles have also shortened the differential at the top of the standings since they have won two of the three meetings both teams have had this week so far. The pitching matchup Friday faces two productive arms, as Nao Higashihama will pitch for the Hawks and Takahiro Norimoto will get the nod for the Eagles. Higashihama has posted better numbers, going 2-0 with a sterling 2.35 ERA so far in 2020.
Injuries
Alfredo Despaigne - Out - 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.
Yurisbel Gracial - Out - Not Injury Related
7/7 10:40 PM IST - Gracial (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, Gracial and outfielder Alfredo Despaigne 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, Gracial and Despaigne 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 second season with the Hawks in 2019, Gracial slashed .319/.365/.595 with 28 home runs, 68 RBI and 61 runs scored over 410 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.
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.
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.
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.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Expected Lineup:
SP - Takahiro Norimoto
1. Eigoro Mogi
3. Jabari Blash
8. Hikaru Ohta
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Expected Lineup:
SP - Nao Higashihama
8. Takuya Kai
Top Picks
Yuki Yanagita, Hawks: Yanagita has been one of the top hitters in the NPB this season, and he enters this matchup slashing an excellent .371/.494/.693 with 10 home runs and 28 RBI. He costs 15 credits and is one of the most expensive players on the slate, but he is worth every credit.
Stefen Romero, Golden Eagles: Romero has 11 homers and 27 RBI, but he has achieved those lofty numbers while also hitting .328 in 131 at-bats. He should be Rakuten's biggest offensive threat in this matchup.
Kenta Imamiya, Hawks: Imaniya has four homers and 17 RBI this season. Those numbers do not jump off the page, but he is one of the top low-cost, high-reward presences in this slate. He should be a solid addition for most lineups.
Eigoro Mogi, Golden Eagles: Mogi is hitting .324 with three homers and 15 RBI this season. His game doesn't rely on power, but his strong contact rate will allow him to get on base more often than not. He has a stellar .422 on-base percentage this season.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Nao Higashihama
C – Takashi Umino
IF – Eigoro Mogi
IF – Kenta Imamiya
IF – Hideto Asamura
OF – Yuki Yanagita (C)
OF – Seiji Uebayashi
OF – Stefen Romero (VC)
OF – Akita Nakamura
