Preview: Seibu Lions at SoftBank Hawks

FUKUOKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks will look to halt a two-game skid and avoid a series sweep when they host the Saitama Seibu Lions on Thursday evening at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome.

The Hawks (7-4) dropped the first two games of this series, including a 2-1 pitchers’ duel on Wednesday. They now face the daunting task of solving Seibu ace Kona Takahashi, who dominated them just one day prior.

Takahashi (1-1, 0.00 ERA) is the Lions’ player to watch after throwing eight scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts in Wednesday’s victory. Over his last two starts, spanning 14 innings, he has allowed zero earned runs while striking out 15. The Lions (4-6-1) will need another stellar performance from their right-hander to extend their winning streak.

SoftBank will counter with Jo-Hsi Hsu (1-1, 0.69 ERA), who was the hard-luck loser in Wednesday’s contest. Hsu yielded only one earned run over seven innings in that outing. In his previous start, a win over Rakuten on April 1, he tossed six scoreless frames.

The Hawks’ offense, held to just one run on three hits Wednesday, seeks a rebound. Despite the recent losses, SoftBank holds a superior record and is a heavy favorite according to analytics. Interstat’s ELO system projects the Hawks with a 72.1% probability to win, and its game simulator predicts a 7-2 SoftBank victory.

Seibu, however, has shown resilience in this series, winning 8-6 on Tuesday before Wednesday’s narrow victory. Key contributors from Wednesday, including Seiya Watanabe (3 for 4, HR, RBI) and Taiga Kojima (HR, RBI), will aim to provide continued support for Takahashi.

Following Thursday’s game, the Lions return home to face the Chiba Lotte Marines for a three-game set beginning Friday. The Hawks hit the road for a two-game series against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters starting Saturday.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time.