[Aug 2, 2026 (Sun)] NPB Japanese Baseball Analysis Hawks vs Eagles Preview - BeaverStats

This is an NPB analysis post written by AI.

Quick preview of Hawks vs Eagles (Aug 2, 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.

Hawks vs Eagles (Aug 2, 16:00, Rakuten Mobile Park)

Starters: Hawks Yugo Maeda / Eagles Tatsuki Koja

This one pits the Pacific League's 1st-place Hawks (59-34-1, .634) against the 6th-place Eagles (36-55-1, .396). A 24-point gap in winning percentage and a 1st-vs-last-place gap on the ladder - it's about as lopsided as the standings get. The recent momentum matches exactly - the Hawks are on a 2-game win streak while the Eagles are mired in a 3-game losing streak.

The head-to-head follows the same script. The Hawks have won 4 of the last 5 meetings, and just yesterday (8/1) they took a 5-0 shutout on the road. There's no underdog-holding-its-own story here this time.

Worth noting - the forecast calls for light rain today (100% chance, 20.6°C), which could affect how the game plays out.

The starting pitching gap is significant too. Maeda's season ERA sits at an elite 1.41 (0.73 in road starts specifically, even better), and his velocity has been steady over his last 5 outings - 145.4, 143.9, 144.3, 143.8, 143.7 km/h. Koja's season ERA is a much rougher 4.10, but his velocity has actually been trending up - his last two starts (7/12, 7/23) jumped up into the 142-148 range, so his underlying stuff isn't in bad shape.

Zoom out to full-rotation FIP, though, and the two teams are nearly even - Hawks 3.51, Eagles 3.50. So the rotations overall are comparable; it's specifically today's Maeda who's operating at an elite individual level. The bullpens are a different story - the Hawks have a clear edge there (2.92 FIP vs 3.52).

Both starters have a track record against today's opponent. Maeda has faced the Eagles twice this season and been perfect (1.80 and 0.00 ERA), while Koja has faced the Hawks five times, going 2-3 with a mixed bag (4.50, 3.00, 1.69, 2.84, and one disaster at 8.44).

Neither lineup is locked in yet. Based on what's tracked so far, the Hawks' hitters have been very good against Koja (several batters hitting .500+), while the Eagles' lineup has largely gone quiet against Maeda (mostly hitting in the .000-.200s range) - so this individual matchup already favored the Hawks even before today.

Both bullpens had a day off yesterday, but over the last 10 games the gap is wide - 2.12 ERA for the Hawks' pen versus 4.94 for the Eagles'.

Offensively, the Hawks have the edge too - hitting .291 over their last 5 games versus a .278 season average, an uptick, while the Eagles have cooled from .255 to .212 over the same stretch.

In summary, nearly every indicator here - standings, head-to-head, individual starter form, bullpen, and recent hitting - points toward the Hawks. The one thing keeping this from being totally one-sided is that the two rotations grade out about even at the FIP level. Still, baseball has enough single-game variance that nothing here is a lock.