SAPPORO, Japan (Interstat) — The struggling Saitama Seibu Lions look to halt a three-game skid when they visit the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to open a three-game series Friday night at Sapporo Dome.

The Lions (6-11-1) arrive reeling after being swept in a three-game set by the Orix Buffaloes, including a 7-1 loss on Thursday. Their offense managed just three total runs in the series. The Fighters (8-9) also seek a rebound after dropping two of three to the Chiba Lotte Marines, falling 5-3 in the series finale.

A key matchup will feature two pitchers coming off contrasting recent performances. For Seibu, reliever Shinnosuke Hada has been a consistent bright spot. In his last four appearances spanning 4.0 innings, he has allowed just three hits and zero earned runs while striking out four. He worked a perfect inning with two strikeouts in Thursday’s loss.

Nippon-Ham will counter with starter Haruki Hosono, who seeks to regain his dominant early-season form. Hosono pitched a complete-game, no-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts against Lotte on March 31. However, in his two starts since, he is 0-2, allowing five earned runs over 10 innings in losses to Rakuten and Lotte.

According to Interstat, the Fighters are heavy favorites with a 67.3% probability to win. Their game simulator projects a 5-3 Nippon-Ham victory. Betting markets list the Fighters as a 1.5-run favorite with an over/under of 7.5 total runs.

The series continues through the weekend, with games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Sapporo before both clubs embark on new series next week.