The 14th game between the Saitama Seibu Lions and Chiba Lotte Marines will be held at Belluna Dome on July 16th at 6 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd place) vs. Chiba Lotte Marines (5th place): 8 wins, 5 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Saitama Seibu Lions: Yutaro Watanabe pitcher 13 games, 4 wins, 4 losses, 3.13 ERA
Chiba Lotte Marines: pitcher Kaito Mori 10 games, 2 wins, 3 losses, ERA 5.25

The Saitama Seibu Lions' starting pitcher Yutaro Watanabe who is currently on a seven-game quality start streak. In his last start against the Tohoku Rakuten Rakuten Eagles, he pitched a tenacious game, allowing 7 hit and 2 runs while striking out 8 strike out 7 innings. This season, he has pitched in 5 games at Belluna Dome, but has a record of 0 wins and 3 losses with ERA of 5.06. In his last 4 games, he has been giving up runs in the middle innings. Can he tighten up when it matters and secure win at his home stadium?

Chiba Lotte Marines Lotte's pitcher Kaito Mori will be making his first appearance since June 10th. He has faced Saitama Seibu Lions in three games this season, including the opening game, and has pitched well, allowing only one runs in 18 inning, with both of his wins coming against Saitama Seibu Lions. He will be hoping to secure his first victory against his favored opponent in about two and a half months. At bat, Naonori Yasuda came in as a pinch hitter in the previous day's game and hit his third home run of the season, his first since June 7th.

Written by Kai Nagi Niwa