CHIBA, Japan (Interstat) — The Chiba Lotte Marines host the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Thursday evening at Chiba Marine Stadium, with first pitch scheduled under clear skies and 88-degree heat.

Lotte (45-39-2) enters the game holding a firm grip on second place in the Pacific League standings, while Rakuten (36-51-1) continues to struggle near the bottom of the standings. The Marines have dominated the season series, winning seven of the past 10 meetings against the Golden Eagles, including a 10-2 victory Wednesday behind a dominant complete-game performance from right-hander Kazuya Ojima.

Ojima, the player to watch for Lotte, was masterful in that outing, allowing two earned runs on nine hits while striking out six over nine innings. Over his past five starts, the right-hander has alternated between brilliance and struggles — he followed a 5 1/3-inning, three-earned-run effort against Orix on July 12 with a loss at SoftBank on July 5 (3 IP, 3 ER). Still, his complete-game win Wednesday suggests he has found his rhythm.

For Rakuten, reliever Ren Kajiya has been steady out of the bullpen. Over his past six appearances, Kajiya has allowed just two earned runs in six innings, with six strikeouts. He worked a scoreless inning in Wednesday’s loss, surrendering one hit. The Golden Eagles will need a strong start from their pitcher to slow a Lotte offense that pounded out 10 runs in the series opener.

Rakuten has lost three straight and eight of its past 11. The Golden Eagles had won four of five before that slide. Lotte, meanwhile, has won two straight and five of its past seven.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-2 victory for Rakuten, though its ELO system gives Lotte a 55.7 percent probability to win. The discrepancy reflects the volatility of a series where the home team has won four of the past five matchups.

After Thursday’s game, Lotte travels to Orix for a three-game series starting Friday. Rakuten heads to Hokkaido for a two-game set against Nippon-Ham beginning Saturday.