SAPPORO, Japan (Interstat) — The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters host the Saitama Seibu Lions on Friday evening at Sapporo Dome in a key Pacific League matchup.

Nippon-Ham enters with a 47-36-2 record, second in the league. Seibu is 45-34-3, trailing the Fighters by one game in the standings. The season series is tight, with Nippon-Ham holding a 6-4 edge, including wins June 27-28 in Saitama.

Seibu is expected to start right-hander Yutaro Watanabe. In his last outing July 8 against Rakuten, Watanabe pitched seven innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts in a 5-2 loss. He struggled in his June 28 start against Nippon-Ham, yielding three earned runs over six innings in a 5-1 defeat.

For Nippon-Ham, outfielder Kengo Yoshida is a key bat. Yoshida went 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs in the Fighters’ 7-2 win at Lotte on July 8. He has been productive against Seibu, hitting .400 (4-for-10) with three home runs and four RBIs in a three-game series June 26-28.

Seibu lost its last game 5-2 in 10 innings Wednesday to Rakuten. Pitchers Yuta Nakamura and Hiroshi Kaino each threw a scoreless inning in relief. Nippon-Ham won its last contest 7-2 at Lotte on Wednesday, with Chusei Mannami adding a home run and three RBIs.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-2 Nippon-Ham victory, and its ELO system gives the Fighters a 60.90 percent win probability.

The teams play again Saturday and Sunday at Sapporo Dome before Seibu returns home to face Lotte next week.