Preview: Chunichi Dragons at Yokohama BayStars

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Interstat) — Two Central League teams seeking to reverse early-season struggles will meet Tuesday night when the Chunichi Dragons visit the Yokohama BayStars at Yokohama Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature near 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 Celsius).

Both clubs enter with identical 2-7 records across all competitions, leaving them at the bottom of the league standings. Each is coming off a series loss, with Chunichi falling 7-5 at Tokyo Yakult on Sunday and Yokohama dropping a 3-2 decision at Yomiuri the same day.

The matchup features a compelling pitching duel between two players who have been bright spots despite their teams’ losses.

Chunichi will send right-hander Hiroto Takahashi to the mound. Takahashi (0-1, 2.25 ERA) has been excellent, allowing just three earned runs over 14 innings in his two starts. He tossed eight scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a hard-luck 1-0 loss at Hiroshima on March 29. In his last outing Sunday, he went six-plus innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out eight in a no-decision against Yakult.

Yokohama will counter with right-hander Yutaro Ishida (0-2, 4.00 ERA). Ishida also pitched well in a losing effort Sunday, holding the Giants to two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings with five strikeouts. He took the loss despite the quality start.

Offense has been a problem for both sides. The Dragons have scored three or fewer runs in six of their nine games. The BayStars have been held to three runs or less in five of their contests.

According to Interstat, its game simulator projects a narrow 2-1 victory for the Dragons. However, the same service’s ELO rating system gives the BayStars a 63.3% probability to win. Betting markets list Chunichi as a slight underdog with a spread of +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is set at 7.0.

Following Tuesday’s game, the two teams will meet again Wednesday in Yokohama to conclude the brief two-game series.