YOKOHAMA, Japan (Interstat) — The Yomiuri Giants and Yokohama BayStars, two Central League clubs hovering near .500, meet Sunday evening at Yokohama Stadium. First pitch is scheduled under cloudy skies with a temperature of 73 degrees.

Yomiuri brings a 30-38-2 record into the contest, while Yokohama sits at 30-36-2. The teams enter having split a pair of scoreless ties Friday and Saturday — the latter a 0-0 deadlock that likely left both offenses searching for answers.

Right-hander Shosei Togo is scheduled to start for the Giants. Togo has been dominant of late, most recently earning the win Tuesday at Hiroshima after allowing three earned runs over 6 1/3 innings. His June 10 outing was even sharper: a complete-game shutout against Rakuten, scattering five hits while striking out 14. Togo also worked a scoreless inning of relief June 3 against Orix.

Yokohama will counter with right-hander Kentaro Taira, who is looking to snap a personal three-start losing streak. Taira lasted four innings Thursday at Chunichi, allowing one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts in a 3-1 loss. His previous two outings were also defeats — a 4-1 loss at Nippon-Ham on June 9 and a 7-3 loss to Rakuten on June 2.

The season series heavily favors Yomiuri. The Giants have won five of seven completed meetings, including a three-game sweep at Yokohama in April (4-1, 7-2, 1-2 in 11 innings) and two of three at home in May. Yomiuri’s pitching has held the BayStars to two runs or fewer in six of those seven games.

Yomiuri enters off a 7-3 win Tuesday at Hiroshima, its only completed game since June 21. Shortstop Yuta Izuguchi drove in three runs in that victory. Yokohama last played a full game Thursday, falling 3-1 at Chunichi. The BayStars had won the previous two games of that series.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-2 Yomiuri victory, with the Giants holding a 50.9 percent win probability per the ELO rating system.

Following Sunday’s game, both clubs open homestands Tuesday. Yomiuri hosts Yakult for two games, then visits Chunichi. Yokohama welcomes Hiroshima for two games before traveling to Yakult.