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

The first-place Fighters (51-40) bring a six-game winning streak against the Buffaloes into the 6 p.m. start. Nippon Ham has outscored Orix 35-4 during that stretch, including a 5-1 victory Sunday and a 7-0 shutout Saturday.

Orix (42-43-1) enters the series finale having lost seven of its last 10 games overall. The Buffaloes sit below .500 but remain within striking distance in the league standings.

Left-hander Sachiya Yamasaki will take the mound for Nippon Ham searching for his fourth consecutive victory. The 26-year-old has been dominant in three starts since June 27, posting a 1.35 ERA over 16 innings. He allowed one earned run on three hits across five innings in a 5-1 win Sunday against these same Buffaloes. Yamasaki also beat Seibu on July 11 and at Seibu on June 27, yielding two earned runs or fewer in each outing.

Orix will counter with right-hander Taisuke Yamaoka. The 28-year-old worked two scoreless, hitless innings of relief Sunday but took the loss, as the Buffaloes managed only one run. Yamaoka has not started a game since June 24, when he allowed two runs across five innings in a no-decision against SoftBank.

The visitors’ offense has been powered recently by first baseman Kotaro Kiyomiya and shortstop Tatsuki Mizuno. Kiyomiya homered and drove in two runs Sunday, while Mizuno collected two RBIs. For Orix, first baseman Ryoma Yamanaka homered in a losing effort Sunday, and reliever Kaito Iriyama worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-3 Nippon Ham victory, with the Fighters holding a 55.9% win probability according to the system’s ELO model.

Nippon Ham has won eight of the 10 meetings between the teams this season. Orix’s lone victories came May 8 (4-3) and May 2 (10-9), both in Osaka.

Following Monday’s contest, the Fighters travel to face the Seibu Lions on Wednesday. The Buffaloes visit the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Tuesday.