AP Sports Preview: Buffaloes at Golden Eagles

SENDAI, Japan (Interstat) — Right-hander Allen Kuri will take the mound for the Orix Buffaloes on Wednesday night as they face the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at Kleenex Stadium Miyagi in a rematch of Tuesday’s series opener. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. under partly cloudy skies with a temperature of 78 degrees.

Kuri (42-39-2 overall) enters the game with a 1-1 record and a 3.60 ERA over his past three starts. He allowed two earned runs over six innings in a 3-1 loss to Rakuten on Tuesday, striking out five. In his previous outing against SoftBank, he earned a win with seven innings of two-run ball. The Buffaloes have split their last 10 games and sit above .500 late in the season.

Rakuten (32-49-1) will counter with right-hander Ryota Takinaka, who earned the win Tuesday by holding Orix to one earned run over 6 2/3 innings, striking out six. Takinaka has been inconsistent this season, allowing four earned runs in a July 1 loss to Lotte but earning a win against Seibu on June 23. The Golden Eagles have won four of their past six games.

Wednesday marks the third meeting between the teams in 10 days. Rakuten has won the past two matchups, including a 3-1 decision Tuesday and a 5-1 victory June 27 in Osaka. Orix’s last win in the series came June 28, a 5-2 decision at home.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-3 Orix victory, with a 53.9 percent probability of a Buffaloes win.

Orix begins a three-game set here before hosting Hokkaido Nippon Ham starting Saturday. Rakuten continues its homestand with a Thursday afternoon rubber match before hosting Saitama Seibu for a weekend series.