Judging solely from the data, whether it's the pitchers or the lineup of hitters, compared to last season's phenomenon, there's only a slight decline, and in some aspects, even a lead;
The only real issue seems to be the stability of the bullpen, which has indeed experienced certain fluctuations. Last season's proud iron wall bullpen trio—Mori Yuudou, Igarashi Ryouta, Dennis Sarfate—has all seen a collective decline in form this season, but the impact on performance is actually not as severe as anticipated.
Looking at this fact, rather than saying the Softbank Team has weakened, it's more accurate to say that the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters behind them have shown incredible strength.
What bothers Kodama Komei more than these data things is the slightly troubling atmosphere in the locker room lately, which is also a frequent occurrence in competitive sports:
