OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Orix Buffaloes host the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Sunday evening at Osaka Dome in a Pacific League clash between division rivals trending in opposite directions.

Orix enters with a 22-13 record across all competitions, while Nippon Ham sits at 17-20. The Buffaloes are 4-1 in their last five meetings against the Fighters, though Nippon Ham countered with a 3-0 shutout Saturday.

The Fighters will look to build on that momentum behind right-hander Takayuki Katoh, who has dominated Orix this season. Katoh threw eight innings of three-hit, shutout ball with three strikeouts in Saturday’s win. In his prior start against the Buffaloes on May 1, he allowed one earned run over 5 2/3 innings in a 5-1 victory. Over his last four starts, Katoh is 3-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings.

Orix will counter with right-hander Kento Kawase. The reliever pitched two scoreless innings with one strikeout in Saturday’s loss. Kawase has been effective in limited duty but has not started a game this season.

The Fighters are 4-6 in their last 10 games overall, while Orix is 6-4.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-4 Orix victory, and its ELO system gives the Buffaloes a 50.9 percent win probability. Despite that, Nippon Ham has been installed as a +1.5 pregame favorite. The over/under is 6.5.

Following Sunday’s game, Nippon Ham travels to Chiba for a three-game series against the Lotte Marines starting Tuesday. Orix heads to Sendai for a two-game set at Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Tuesday.