The 18th game between Chiba Lotte Marines and Orix Buffaloes will be held at Zozo Marine Stadium on August 7th at 6 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Chiba Lotte Marines (5th place) vs. Orix Buffaloes (4th place): 6 wins, 11 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Chiba Lotte Marines: Koshiro Hiroike pitcher 15 games, 2 wins, 5 losses, ERA 4.08
Orix Buffaloes: pitcher Naruki Teranishi, 25 games, 3 wins, 2 losses, ERA 4.40

Chiba Lotte Marines 's announced starting pitcher Koshiro Hiroike. He faced Orix Buffaloes twice in July, but failed to secure a win, giving up 4 runs in 3.1 innings and 3 runs in 5 innings. He will be aiming for his third win of the season, his first since May 28th, by pitching longer inning. Offensively, Soto has been on a three-game hit, including his 14th home run of the season, a three-run shot, on the 5th. He also hit Home Run in his last encounter with opposing pitcher Naruki Teranishi, so expectations are high for him in this game as well.

On the opposing Orix Buffaloes, we should keep an eye on Ryoma Yamanaka. After a strong performance in June and July, his momentum has slowed somewhat in August, with only 3 hit in 13 At Bat-bats over 5 games. However, he has a good record against Chiba Lotte Marines this season, with 8 At Bat in 24 at hit over 6 games, for a batting average of .333. He has also recorded 3 hit in 5 At Bat-bats against pitcher Hiroike.