I think the middle and late innings will decide this game. Hiroshima rookie Taiki Kudo worked five innings in his first start, so a substantial part of this matchup falls to the relievers. The Carp have found runs late in their last two games, while Hanshin used six relievers in an eleven-inning loss. That is the part of the game that stands out to me.
NPB has Koutaro Ohtake starting for Hanshin and Kudo for Hiroshima. Ohtake held the Carp scoreless for seven innings at Koshien in September. Their more recent meeting played out differently: Hanshin scored four runs off Masato Morishita, but Shota Suekane's three-run homer helped Hiroshima respond before the Carp broke a tie against Rafael Dolis late.
Kudo allowed two runs in five innings against DeNA in his first start. Hiroshima then scored five of its seven runs against Yakult in the final two innings of its latest game. With Hanshin's recent relief work and Hiroshima's late rallies, the handoff from the starters is the point my judgement turns on.
