The 20th game between Saitama Seibu and Orix will be held at Belluna Dome from 6:00 p.m. on August 29th.

[Match record] Saitama Seibu (5th place) vs Orix (3rd place) 9 wins, 10 losses

[Announced starting pitchers]
Saitama Seibu: pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi: 18 games, 5 wins, 6 losses, ERA 2.56
Orix: pitcher Alen Kuri: 20 games, 8 wins, 8 losses, 2.74 ERA

Saitama Seibu must continue to fight in a battle they cannot afford to lose in order to rise into the zone for the CS. After finishing two consecutive games against second-Hokkaido Nippon-Ham with one win and one draw, they are in good form heading into their match against third-place Orix.

Davis has had two hit in two consecutive games, so we can expect a good performance from this game. Nevin also had a batting average of .282 against Orix Buffaloes, and Cedeño has returned to the first team since the previous game. These reliable helpers are sure to boost the batting lineup.

​Mitsunari Takahashi, the scheduled pitcher, had to leave the game in the second inning of the game against Fukuoka Softbank on the 14th, but pitched well in last week's game against Chiba Lotte Marines allowing only four hit and no runs in eight innings. Will this be his second consecutive win?

Orix pitcher Alen Kuri has pitched in three games against Saitama Seibu so far, with a record of 1 win and 0 losses and ERA of 1.93. He has achieved QS in all three games. Will he be able to take advantage of his good chemistry and pitch well again this time? On the batting side, Ryoma Nishikawa, who returned to the first team on the 19th, has 11 hit 34 At Bat-bats in eight games since his return, for a batting average of .324. He only had one no-hitter in those eight games, showing his impressive performance and supporting Orix batting lineup.

Text by Ayako Kikuchi

・ Pacific League standings /individual results