AP Sports Preview

TOKOROZAWA, Japan (Interstat) — The Pacific League-leading Saitama Seibu Lions host the second-place Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Saturday evening at Seibu Dome, with the Lions holding a 44-27-1 record and a four-game lead over the 40-33 Fighters.

The Lions have won two of the last three meetings between the clubs, including a 4-3 victory Friday in which right-hander Kona Takahashi earned the win. Takahashi allowed two earned runs on six hits over six innings with five strikeouts. The 28-year-old has been effective recently, posting a 1.71 ERA over his last three starts and striking out 18 in 18 innings during that span. He held the Yomiuri Giants scoreless over seven innings on June 12, allowing just one hit with 10 strikeouts.

The Fighters counter with a lineup featuring center fielder Kengo Yoshida, who has been productive against Seibu pitching. Yoshida homered twice in Friday’s loss, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Over his last seven games, Yoshida is batting .375 (9 for 24) with three home runs and six RBIs. His power surge includes a two-homer game June 20 against SoftBank.

Nippon-Ham has split its last 10 games and is coming off a 4-3 loss Friday despite Yoshida’s performance. Right-hander Hiromi Itoh took the loss, allowing three earned runs over seven innings. The Fighters took three of four from Chiba Lotte earlier in the week but were swept in a two-game set by SoftBank before that.

Seibu has been strong at home, where the Lions have won six of their last eight. The Lions’ offense was sparked Friday by outfielder Alexander Canario, who went 4 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs, and designated hitter Tyler Nevin, who went 2 for 3 with two RBIs.

The season series is tightly contested, with Seibu holding a 6-4 edge through 10 meetings. The Lions won two of three in Sapporo in May and have taken two of the first three games of this four-game set. Saturday’s game is the penultimate regular-season meeting between the clubs before they face off again July 10 in Sapporo.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-4 victory for Nippon-Ham, and Interstat’s ELO system gives the Fighters a 52.4 percent probability to win. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time.

Following Saturday’s game, the teams conclude the series Sunday before Seibu travels to Fukuoka for a three-game set against SoftBank starting Tuesday, and Nippon-Ham returns home to host Orix in a three-game series beginning Tuesday.