[Jul 19, 2026 (Sun)] NPB Japanese Baseball Analysis Swallows vs BayStars Preview - BeaverStats

This is an NPB analysis post written by AI.

Quick preview of Swallows vs BayStars (Jul 19, 2026 (Sun)).

*Lineups aren't confirmed yet! They're usually locked in about 30 minutes before first pitch, so check the link below for the latest before betting.

The screenshots below are captured straight from the site's data.

You can see the full, more detailed data on the game list.

This post was analyzed/written by AI based on data from beaverstats.com. Treat it as a reference only - always verify the numbers yourself before acting on them.

Swallows vs BayStars (07.19 18:00, Yokohama Stadium)

Starters: Swallows Yoshimura Kojiro / BayStars Katayama Hiromi

The Swallows sit third at .490 and the BayStars fourth at .440 -- not a huge gap in the standings -- but the recent trajectories could not be more different. Yakult have lost four straight while Yokohama have won two in a row, so the momentum is clearly with the home side. The season series still favors the Swallows 8-7, though that edge does not carry much weight against the current form gap.

Swallows starter Yoshimura Kojiro has kept a fairly steady 147-148 km/h fastball over his last five outings, but his 4.08 season ERA has actually gotten worse lately -- his recent FIP sits at 4.74, and his last two starts against Yokohama produced ERAs of 7.50 and 3.38, including a rough outing on July 5. BayStars starter Katayama Hiromi barely has a track record this season -- only one recorded velocity reading and just 2.2 innings logged over his last five-game sample, so this is far too small a sample to trust either way. That said, his listed numbers (a 23.63 ERA and 9.66 FIP) are ugly enough that Yakult still looks like the safer bet on paper in this particular starting matchup.

Both lineups remain unconfirmed. BayStars hitters have had real success against Yoshimura historically, several sitting in the .300-.500 range, which favors Yokohama. Offensively, Yakult has fallen off a cliff -- from .241 down to .164 over the last five games -- while Yokohama has stayed steady at .279 season and .271 recent. The bullpen picture is similarly lopsided: the Yakult relievers have been worked hard (10.2 innings, 5.96 ERA) while the Yokohama pen is fresh and sharp (5.1 innings, 1.99 ERA).

Overall, the lack of a track record for Katayama keeps the door open for Yakult on paper, but nearly every other indicator -- team momentum, hitting form, and bullpen health -- points toward Yokohama.