The 17th game between Orix Buffaloes and Chiba Lotte Marines will be held at Kyocera Dome Osaka on July 26th at 1:00 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Orix Buffaloes (4th place) vs. Chiba Lotte Marines (5th place): 11 wins, 5 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Orix Buffaloes: pitcher Alen Kuri 17 games, 7 wins, 6 losses, 2.83 ERA, 104 strike out (3rd place)
Chiba Lotte Marines: pitcher Jackson, 16 games, 6 wins, 6 losses, 3.43 ERA

Orix Buffaloes will entrust the starting mound to pitcher Alen Kuri, who delivered a superb performance in his last start, throwing 106 pitches over 7 innings, allowing only 3 hit strike out up no runs. This season, he has recorded 104 strike out, third in the league, and has achieved his sixth season with 100 strike out proving his dominance as a "Doctor K" is still intact. This will be their first matchup of the season against Chiba Lotte Marines, and they are hoping for a strong performance from Kuri to help the team win the first half of the season.

Chiba Lotte Marines will be looking to stop their losing streak with pitcher Jackson. In his last two starts, he hasn't been able to complete six innings in either game, and he's been far from a win. He has also started two games at Kyocera Dome Osaka this season, with ERA of 7.50 and two consecutive losses there. Will he be able pitch his weakness there? On the offensive side, Ryusei Ogawa has recorded hit in five consecutive games. He's been hitting well at the stadium, with 7 hit in 18 At Bat-bats over 8 games for a batting average of .389, so he'll be looking to contribute to scoring.

Written by Ao Yokoyama