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Eagles vs Buffaloes Game 23 Preview

The Eagles looks to continue their dominance over the Orix Buffaloes and extend their lead on the idle Softbank Hawks tonight at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka.  Rakuten has owned Orix this season, winning 17 times while losing only 4.  Although the Eagles lead the Hawks by one game, due to the fact that NPB has tie games winning percentage is the ultimate factor in deciding who'll get home field advantage in the postseason.

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Rakuten has 6 games remaining compared to just 2 for Softbank.  In a nutshell, the Eagles could theoretically play their way out of home field advantage if they falter over the upcoming seven days.  Take a look at the chart on the right to see who will end up where, depending on how they finish their remaining games.  The makeup game on the 11th, the final game of the regular season, is at home against the Hawks and could determine which team gets home field advantage during the first stage of the Climax Series.  Sometimes you gotta think that a higher power is manipulating the schedule!

Photo © Yahoo! Japan

Pitching Matchup

Due to the rainout back on the 2nd, manager Katsuya Nomura delayed Masahiro "Ma-kun" Tanaka's next start to tonight.  Personally I think Nomu-san got a little lucky with this tactic.  By crushing the Lions 14-5 on Saturday the offense bailed out the inferior Koji Aoyama, and there was little to be gained by matching Tanaka (14-6, 1SV, 2.28) against Hideaki Wakui yesterday.  I'm not saying that Rakuten is guaranteed to win tonight's game versus the Buffaloes, but their chances are certainly better with young Ma-kun on the mound.  There's also the matter of Nomura's challenge to the 21-year old right hander: If Tanaka reaches 15 wins on the year, Nomura will buy him any watch he wants!  I'd pick a Rolex Yacht-Master myself.  I bought a beautiful knockoff in NYC some years back, but somebody stole it from me.  Who steals a ten dollar watch for crying out loud?!?!

Although Tanaka is 4-2 in his last six starts there are some warning signals popping up in his game.  Over this span he's surrendered 18 earned runs, 14 walks, and served up 6 home runs.  We'll probably see tonight whether it's just a bump in the road or something more to be concerned about.  He's nearing his career high in innings pitched, and here in Sendai he's nothing short of a superhero.  His face is everywhere, both on TV and in other advertisements around the city.  Could it be that the pressure is getting to him?

Orix will send veteran Shogo Yamamoto (9-6, 4.09) to try to stop the rampaging Eagles offense.  The left hander will be making his 4th start of the year against Rakuten, and will be looking to notch his first win versus the Eagles (0-2, 4.82).  Yamamoto is winless in his last four starts, including a pair of losses to the Eagles.

Who's Hot

Despite getting cooled off a little by Wakui last night, the Eagles offense has still been rolling along.  DH Takeshi Yamasaki has hit home runs in two straight games after suffering through a month long slump.  He's currently sitting at 39 on the season and will no doubt be gunning for number 40.

Who's Cold

Light-hitting 2B Makoto Kosaka is hitting just .188 in his last five games.  Look for Yosuke Takasu to start at second base instead, and to be replaced by Kosaka late in the game for defensive purposes.  Catcher Jin Nakatani is 0 for 10 over the past five games, including six strikeouts.  Expect Tanaka's regular battery mate, Motohiro Shima, to get the nod over Nakatani tonight.

First pitch at 6pm local time, 2am PST.

Related posts:

1. Eagles vs Buffaloes Game 24 Preview
2. Eagles vs Hawks Game 21 Preview
3. Eagles vs Lions Game 24 Preview
4. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 2 Preview
5. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 3 Preview

About Andrew

Andrew has lived in Japan since 2006, spending time exploring the Tohoku region. He frequently attends Rakuten Eagles games in Sendai. You'll find him sitting along the 3rd base line drinking Guinness wearing a #46 Teppei jersey, next to a Japanese girl in a #5 Seguignol jersey.          You can follow him on Twitter if that makes you happy.