OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Orix Buffaloes host the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Friday evening at Osaka Dome, with both teams looking to gain early momentum in a critical Pacific League series.

Orix (21-12) enters as the clear favorite, holding a five-game lead over the .458 Fighters (16-19) in the standings. The Buffaloes have won two of the three most recent head-to-head meetings, including a 10-9 slugfest May 2, though Nippon Ham bounced back with a 3-0 shutout win May 3.

Right-hander Hiromi Itoh will start for Nippon Ham. He has been dominant recently, throwing seven innings of one-run ball in a 12-2 win at Rakuten on May 6, and seven innings of one-run ball in a 3-2 win at Seibu on April 30. However, his lone start this season against Orix resulted in a 2-3 loss on April 24, when he allowed three earned runs over eight innings with seven strikeouts.

Orix counters with Daiki Tajima, who tossed six shutout innings in a 3-0 win over Lotte on May 6. He has been efficient but less dominant against quality lineups, allowing three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings in a 5-4 win over Softbank on April 29. Tajima did not face the Fighters in their late-April series.

In their most recent games, the Fighters’ offense erupted for 12 runs against Rakuten on May 6, led by Kota Yazawa (2-for-4, home run, three RBIs) and Ryohei Hosokawa (1-for-1, home run, three RBIs). The Buffaloes managed just three runs in their win over Lotte on Wednesday, with Naruki Teranishi and Andres Machado combining for two scoreless innings of relief.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-4 Orix victory, and the ELO system gives the Buffaloes a 51.2 percent win probability. Orix is a pregame favorite with a spread of +1.5. The over/under is set at 6.5 runs.

Following Friday’s contest, the teams will meet again Saturday and Sunday at Osaka Dome. Nippon Ham then travels to Chiba for a three-game set starting May 12, while Orix heads to Rakuten for a two-game series beginning May 12.