Fubon Guardians foreign pitcher Wegener starts on the road in Taoyuan today against the Rakuten Monkeys, in a game that could well determine whether he stays with the team. For him, the news is mostly bad.

• Wegener has struggled this season, going 1-4 in six starts with an ERA above 5, and is 0-2 against Rakuten.
• New foreign pitcher Hanrio is already waiting in the second team, and threw three scoreless innings in his first outing — a direct threat to Wegener's spot.
• The CPBL's "Aug. 31 deadline" is approaching. It is the last date on which clubs can replace foreign players, and manager Mitsutaka Goto has said the standard is the same for every foreign player.
• Morilan, Shunsuke Suzuki and Mathis are all likely to be retained, leaving Wegener and Hanrio to compete for the last foreign pitcher slot.

Outlook: If he is off form again today, Fubon will most likely turn to Hanrio before the end of the month.