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SoftBank Hosts Lotte in Series Finale at Fukuoka Dome

FUKUOKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks host the Chiba Lotte Marines on Sunday evening at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome in the finale of a three-game series.

SoftBank (18-17) holds a 2-1 edge in the season series after Lotte evened the set with a 5-4 victory Saturday. The Hawks have won four of the seven meetings between the Pacific League rivals this season.

Lotte (15-20) enters on a 4-6 stretch over its last 10 games. The Marines have struggled on the road, where they are 7-12 this season.

Players to Watch

Lotte catcher Toshiya Satoh has been productive against SoftBank this week. He went 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs in Saturday’s win, following a 1-for-2, two-RBI performance Friday. Satoh also had a two-homer, four-RBI game against the Hawks on April 25. Over his last 10 games, he is batting .286 with four home runs.

SoftBank first baseman Hotaka Yamakawa also homered twice Saturday, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs in the losing effort. Yamakawa has struggled for consistency this season, batting .125 (1-for-8) in the two games prior to Saturday’s outburst. He is hitting .238 over his last 10 games with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-3 SoftBank victory. The Hawks hold a 69.00 percent win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system.

Upcoming Schedule

Lotte returns home Tuesday for a three-game series against Hokkaido Nippon Ham, followed by three games against Orix. SoftBank hosts Seibu for three games starting Tuesday before traveling to Rakuten for three games next weekend.

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