TOKYO (Interstat) — The Central League’s top two teams meet Wednesday evening at Tokyo Dome when the Yakult Swallows visit the Yomiuri Giants in a pivotal early-July series.

Yakult (38-31-1) holds a half-game lead over Yomiuri (37-31-2) in the standings heading into the contest. The Swallows are coming off a 4-3 victory at Yomiuri on Tuesday, a win that pushed them past their rivals in the tight race. Wednesday’s game is the second in this renewed series.

Right-hander Taichi Yamano is a player to watch for Yakult. He has been dominant in two recent starts, both victories. On Tuesday against Yomiuri, he threw five innings, allowing three hits and no earned runs while striking out seven. On June 23 at Hanshin, he tossed six shutout innings with two strikeouts in another 4-3 win. Yamano did not record a hit in either game, going 0 for 2 in each, but his work on the mound has been critical. His lone rocky outing came June 13 at SoftBank, when he allowed five earned runs over 5 2/3 innings in a loss.

For Yomiuri, right-hander Shosei Togo will take the mound looking to reverse his recent luck against Yakult. Togo pitched well in Tuesday’s loss, allowing one earned run on four hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts. He went 1 for 2 at the plate. Togo has been excellent overall this season, including a complete-game shutout with 14 strikeouts on June 10 at Rakuten. He also pitched a scoreless inning of relief June 3 against Orix.

The most recent head-to-head meetings have favored Yakult. The Swallows have won five of the last six matchups, including Tuesday’s one-run decision. Yomiuri’s only win in that span came May 19, a 2-0 shutout at Yakult. The teams have played 10 times this season, with Yakult holding a 7-3 edge.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 Yakult victory, though the organization’s ELO system gives Yomiuri a 55.70 percent probability of winning.

Following Wednesday’s contest, Yakult returns home to host Yokohama BayStars for a three-game series starting Friday. Yomiuri travels to Chunichi for a three-game set beginning Friday. The teams will meet again July 14 at Yakult.