NPB Odds, Picks & Best Bets for July 22: Time for Carp to Sink or Swim

• With just four wins in July, the Hiroshima Carp are due a change of fortunes
• Chiba’s eight-game win streak seems a long time ago now as Marines have lost three of last four
• Odds and best bets below for all six Nippon Professional Baseball games on Wednesday, July 22

While former Hiroshima Carp ace Kenta Maeda gets set to finally begin his first season with the Minnesota Twins this week, his old team in Nippon Professional Baseball is having a July to forget.

The Carp have just four wins this calendar month, and just one victory in their last seven games. Hoping for a change of fortunes, Hiroshima is set to give veteran pitcher Yusuke Nomura his season debut on Wednesday against the Hanshin Tigers, who are riding a five-game winning streak.

Before we get that matchup, here’s a look at the odds for all of Wednesday’s games in NPB.

NPB Odds: July 22nd

Odds as of July 21st.

Time for Carp to Sink or Swim

It’s fair to say that the Carp are in an extended slump.

Currently fifth in the Central League with a 9-14-2 record, Hiroshima is in the midst of a three-game series at Hanshin before facing the Baystars in Yokohama, meaning the Carp are facing off against the two teams immediately above them in the standings.

So no pressure at all on the 31-year-old Nomura, set to make his 2020 NPB debut on Wednesday. In his ninth season with the Carp, the right-hander has a 71-52 record and a 3.38 career earned-run average in 172 games. Nomura has a 1-2 record and a 2.92 ERA in 24.2 innings with Hiroshima’s minor-league affiliate this season.

Shota Dobayashi continues to be red hot! HR puts the Carp up in the 1st! #堂林翔太 #カープ #Carp #広島 pic.twitter.com/QlfDN7NQFy

— Tom Mussa (@tom_mussa) July 21, 2020

The Tigers, winners of five straight including Tuesday’s 9-4 series opener over the Carp, will go with former Los Angeles Dodger Onelki Garcia. The left-hander is 0-2 in 2020, with a 4.98 ERA over 21.2 innings, with a WHIP of 1.569.

NPB starting pitchers announced for Jul 22 #npb pic.twitter.com/SgASBToCOz

— NPB on reddit (@NPB_Reddit) July 21, 2020

Garcia, who played in five MLB games across two seasons for both the Dodgers and Kansas City Royals, is 19-19 in his three-season NPB career for both Hanshin and Chunichi, with an ERA of 3.73.

Pick: Carp (-105); +1.5 (-220)

Marines Go Lion Hunting Once More

Game 2 of Chiba’s six-game series with the Seibu Lions sets up as anything but a pitching duel – not that either team has been involved in many of those lately.

There’s a good chance that fans could see more of the same after Seibu’s 8-3 series-opening victory on Tuesday.

Clutch hit from Cory Spangenberg ties the game for the Lions! #SeibuLions #スパンジェンバーグ pic.twitter.com/pg3pcKPeud

— Tom Mussa (@tom_mussa) July 21, 2020

Chiba will give Kazuya Ojima his fifth start of the season on Wednesday. The 24-year-old left-hander is in just his second NPB season and is 1-2 with a 5.95 ERA in 2020. That is considerably higher than the 4.31 mark he posted in 10 games during his 2019 rookie campaign, when he went 3-5.

Yasuda timely to give the Marines the lead! #chibalotte #安田 pic.twitter.com/IO0JgYV9Qy

— Tom Mussa (@tom_mussa) July 21, 2020

With three wins in their last four games, the Lions are turning to veteran right-hander Kona Takahashi. Already in his sixth NPB season at just 23 years old, Takahashi is 2-2 this year with a 6.17 ERA, markedly higher than his career mark of 4.37. Takahashi is an even 26-26 in 65 career games.

Pitch face de jour: Kona Takahashi pic.twitter.com/XPcR4ak972

— Kazuto Yamazaki (@Kazuto_Yamazaki) May 16, 2017

Luckily he is backed by one of the more potent offenses in NPB, with Seibu’s 127 runs tied for the second most in the Pacific League behind Tohoku’s otherworldly 158 runs.

Pick: Marines (+130); O 9.5 (-135)