OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Orix Buffaloes, clinging to playoff hopes, host the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon at Kyocera Dome Osaka in the opener of a three-game series.

Orix (69-64-3) enters the weekend series four games above .500 and in the hunt for a postseason berth. The Buffaloes are looking to rebound after dropping their last two games to the Chiba Lotte Marines, including a 6-4 loss on Thursday. Tomoya Mori provided a bright spot in that contest with a three-run home run.

The Buffaloes have won five of their last 10 games. They will face a Rakuten squad that has struggled recently, losing three straight and five of its last six. The Golden Eagles (65-70-3) fell 4-3 to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Friday despite solid relief pitching from Katsutoshi Tai, who struck out three in one inning of work.

The season series between the two clubs has been tightly contested, with Rakuten holding a slight 8-7 edge in the 15 games played so far. Their most recent meeting in August saw Orix take two of three games in Rakuten’s home ballpark.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Orix is projected to win a close one, 4-3. The ELO rating system gives the Buffaloes a 55.6% probability of victory.

First pitch is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, Sept. 27, 2025. The series continues with games on Sunday and Monday.