OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters aim to continue their dominance over the Orix Buffaloes on Saturday evening when the Pacific League rivals meet at Osaka Dome.

Nippon Ham (49-40) enters the contest having won seven of the last nine meetings between the clubs, including a three-game sweep at home from June 30 to July 2. The Fighters outscored Orix 24-3 in that series, which included a 9-0 shutout and a 9-2 victory.

Orix (42-41-1) returns home following a 12-8 loss at Rakuten on Thursday, a game in which the Buffaloes’ pitching staff surrendered 12 hits. The Buffaloes have dropped four of their past six contests.

Right-handed reliever Taisei Yanagawa is a player to watch for Nippon Ham. Over his past four appearances, Yanagawa has not allowed a hit or an earned run across four innings while striking out four. His most recent outing came Thursday against SoftBank, when he pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Yanagawa has been a reliable arm out of the bullpen, posting a 0.00 ERA over his last four efforts dating to July 5.

For Orix, right-hander Hiroshi Suzuki will be a key figure. Suzuki has been used primarily in relief, though he lasted 4 1/3 innings in Thursday’s loss, allowing three earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts. In his previous two outings, Suzuki tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings against Lotte on July 10 and two scoreless frames against SoftBank on July 7. Over his last six appearances, he has allowed three earned runs in 14 2/3 innings, striking out 11.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-3 victory for Nippon Ham, and its ELO system gives the Fighters a 53.9 percent probability of winning.

The game is the first of a three-game series between the clubs. Nippon Ham holds a 7-2 advantage in the season series. The Fighters are coming off a 6-2 loss to SoftBank on Thursday but had won five of their previous six games. Orix has struggled, particularly against Nippon Ham, having lost eight of the past 10 meetings dating to late April.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Osaka Dome.