Preview: Carp, Dragons Look to Reverse Early Struggles in Nagoya

NAGOYA, Japan (Interstat) — Two Central League teams seeking momentum will meet Tuesday evening when the Hiroshima Carp visit the Chunichi Dragons at Nagoya Dome.

Both clubs have stumbled through the opening weeks of the 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball season. The visiting Carp (5-7) arrive after losing two of three over the weekend in Yokohama, including a 6-5 defeat on Sunday. The Dragons (3-11) are in a deeper slump, having been swept at home by Hanshin, including a 3-0 shutout loss Sunday.

The series opener features a compelling pitching rematch from late March. Hiroshima will start right-hander Hiroki Tokoda, who earned the win in a 6-5 victory over Chunichi on March 27, allowing two runs over five innings. In his most recent start, however, he took the loss against Yokohama on April 12, yielding four runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Chunichi counters with right-hander Hiroto Takahashi, who was brilliant in a hard-luck loss to the Carp on March 29. In that outing, he pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing six hits and striking out nine, but Hiroshima won 1-0. He seeks a better result after giving up three runs in five innings against Hanshin last time out.

Recent history favors Hiroshima, which took all three games from Chunichi in a series at Mazda Stadium from March 27-29. Each game was decided by two runs or fewer, including a 1-0 Carp win in the finale started by Takahashi.

Despite their poor record, the Dragons are viewed narrowly as favorites by some metrics. Interstat’s ELO system gives Chunichi a 51.3% probability to win Tuesday. However, the same outlet’s game simulator projects a 3-2 victory for the Carp.

For Hiroshima, outfielder Sandro Fabian, who homered in Sunday’s loss, will be a key bat. Chunichi’s offense, which was blanked in its last two games, desperately needs to find a spark to support Takahashi.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time. The series concludes Wednesday before both clubs embark on new weekend matchups.