Alright baseball enthusiasts, let's check out this head-to-head between the Chunichi Dragons and the hometown Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Talk about an old fashioned rivalry! Their past performances are like walking into a butcher shop: lots of chops and just a soupçon of beef. After their last five games, it's the Dragons who are roasting the Swallows with a 3-2 ratio. But let's not count our chickens before they hatch, eh?

Taking a gander at the regular season records, the Dragons are breathing fire at a rate of 2 wins and 4 losses, while the Swallows are, let's say pecking, at a 2-3 record. Both teams are putting in a performance comparable to a three-legged cat in a dog race. Fascinating, I tell ya.

Looking at the recent results, both teams seem to be doing a dance with inconsistency. They bob and weave, dodge and duck like my Aunt Martha after a few glasses of sherry. The Dragons, for example, are blowing hot and cold, managing to pull a fast one on the BayStars but Erik Barnes gave them quite a shellacking.

Same story with the Swallows. They had a tight run against the Hiroshima Carp, managed to scoop up some victories but they turned into Chicken Little against Erik Barnes. Truly an edge-of-your-seat experience.

Based on their recent performances, both teams are being consistently inconsistent. But, if I were a betting man (and if my wife hadn't hidden my credit cards), I would place my bets on the Dragons. They seem slightly less likely to stumble over their own feet at the last second.

Albert’s Prediction: Chunichi Dragons by 2