If there were a crime for playing middle of the road baseball, both the Saitama Seibu Lions and the Chiba Lotte Marines would probably be staring at a life sentence right about now. Whiskey tango foxtrot, guys! They're a couple strokes above a pro golf handicap with their records, Lions rocking a 9-9 and Marines pushing behind with a 7-10. It's like watching molasses race out there folks.
Last five head to head match-ups between these squads pretty much tells the same story. You would have bet the farm on the Lions after the first match, but Chiba rose from the ashes like a phoenix, showing those Lions who owns the jungle. So we're tied. Three all. Could have more excitement by running a three-legged race with grannies at the county fair.
Saitama's been enjoying a bit of a hot streak recently. They lost to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks but then scraped out a couple of narrow wins. Nothing to write home about, but like finding a twenty in the pocket of a pair of jeans you haven't worn in a while - it's a nice surprise.
Chiba on the other hand, those guys have been struggling. They've been like a man trying to swim with an anchor. Sure, they got a win over the Golden Eagles but then dropped the series. However, they did pick up a win against the Nippon-Ham Fighters so there's a little light at the end of their tunnel.
Alright, tossing around the facts here like we're throwing breadcrumbs to pigeons in the park, it's prediction time. Drum roll, please...
Albert’s Prediction: Chiba Lotte Marines by 2
