TOKYO (Interstat) — The Tokyo Yakult Swallows and Yomiuri Giants renew their fierce rivalry Tuesday evening at Tokyo Dome, with both teams entering the June 30 contest separated by just a half-game in the Central League standings.

Yakult (37-31-1) visits as the designated away team despite the shared Tokyo home venue, while Yomiuri (37-30-2) looks to build on its narrow 2-1 win at Yokohama on Sunday.

Right-hander Kojiro Yoshimura is the player to watch for the Swallows. The 24-year-old has been a workhorse, earning three consecutive wins in his last three decisions. On June 28 against Chunichi, he tossed six innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs while striking out three in a 4-3 victory. That followed a dominant seven-inning, four-hit, two-earned-run outing June 19 against Hiroshima, and a 5.2-inning, six-hit, two-earned-run start June 12 at SoftBank.

For the Giants, left-hander Haruto Inoue has been equally impressive. In his most recent start Sunday at Yokohama, Inoue worked seven scoreless innings, yielding just two hits with six strikeouts in a 2-1 win. The 26-year-old has allowed only one earned run across his last 12.2 innings. He also threw a complete game June 5 against Lotte, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.

The head-to-head series has been closely contested. Yakult won the most recent meeting, 3-1, on May 21, but the Giants took the previous game, 2-0, on May 19. Overall, the teams have split their 10 matchups this season. Yakult has scored five or more runs in three of those games, while Yomiuri has been held to two runs or fewer in six of the 10 meetings.

Yakult enters the matchup after winning two of its last three, including Sunday’s 4-3 victory over Chunichi. Catcher Yudai Koga went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and third baseman Ayuto Matsushita homered.

Yomiuri has won three of its last four, with center fielder Trey Cabbage going 3-for-3 with an RBI in Sunday’s win. Closer Raidel Martinez earned a save with a scoreless inning.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 Yakult victory, while the Interstat ELO system gives Yomiuri a 56.3 percent probability of winning.

The teams continue the series Wednesday at Tokyo Dome. Yakult then hosts Yokohama, while Yomiuri visits Chunichi.