This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.
Chunichi Dragons (7-8) vs Tokyo Yakult Swallows (7-7)
Tuesday, July 7th, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Yuya Yanagi (1-1, 2.08 ERA) vs RHP Albert Suarez (2-0, 0.82 ERA)
Game Preview
The Swallows and the Dragons sit in third and fourth place of the Central League standings, respectively, and it seems these two franchises will battle it out during most of the season for the third and final spot in the CL playoffs. Both teams enter this tie in almost equal runs of form – both have won three of their last five contests while also going 1-2 over their last three. Perhaps the lone difference is the fact that the Dragons avoided the sweep against the Giants on Sunday, while the Swallows couldn't win the series against the BayStars following Sunday's defeat. The pitching matchup faces Yuya Yanagi against Albert Suarez. The Dragons' righty has gone 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings this season, while the Venezuelan right-hander has been even better for the Swallows and owns a 0.82 ERA so far following his first two outings.
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 – Yuya Yanagi
Swallows' Expected Lineup
1B – Tomotaka Sakaguchi
2B – Tetsuto Yamada
LF – Norichika Aoki
3B – Munetaka Murakami
CF – Yasutaka Shiomi
RF – Yuhei Takai
SS – Alcides
Chunichi Dragons (7-8) vs Tokyo Yakult Swallows (7-7)
Tuesday, July 7th, 5:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Yuya Yanagi (1-1, 2.08 ERA) vs RHP Albert Suarez (2-0, 0.82 ERA)
Game Preview
The Swallows and the Dragons sit in third and fourth place of the Central League standings, respectively, and it seems these two franchises will battle it out during most of the season for the third and final spot in the CL playoffs. Both teams enter this tie in almost equal runs of form – both have won three of their last five contests while also going 1-2 over their last three. Perhaps the lone difference is the fact that the Dragons avoided the sweep against the Giants on Sunday, while the Swallows couldn't win the series against the BayStars following Sunday's defeat. The pitching matchup faces Yuya Yanagi against Albert Suarez. The Dragons' righty has gone 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings this season, while the Venezuelan right-hander has been even better for the Swallows and owns a 0.82 ERA so far following his first two outings.
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 – Yuya Yanagi
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 – Albert Suarez
Top Picks
Munetaka Murakami, Swallows: Murakami carries a 10.5-credit tag, which isn't that bad considering the NPB prices in Dream11, but he has outperformed that value so far. The talented third baseman enters this matchup with a .354/.475/.646 slash line, while notching three home runs and 14 RBI.
Albert Suarez, Swallows: Suarez is one of the most expensive pitchers in this slate since he costs 11 credits, but he is more than worth the price considering the way he has been pitching in his first two starts. He has a 0.82 ERA after allowing just one earned run in 11 innings of work, fanning nine and walking just three.
Dayan Viciedo, Dragons: Viciedo has been one of the most consistent players for the Dragons this season and he enters this matchup with a .305/.359/.593 slash line, to go along with five home runs and 13 RBI. He is the team's best offensive option against a tough pitcher such as Suarez.
Shuhei Takahashi, Dragons: Takahashi hits right after Viciedo, which means these two players could form a great one-two punch for the Dragons offense. The numbers back up Chunichi's third baseman, as he has a .345 batting average through his first 58 at-bats.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Albert Suarez (VC)
C – Suguru Ino
IF – Munetaka Murakami (C)
IF – Shuhei Takahashi
IF – Dayan Viciedo
IF – Naomichi Nishiura
IF – Tetsuto Yamada
OF – Zoilo Almonte
OF – Ryosuke Hirata
