Eagles thrash Buffaloes, break skid at 8 games
The Rakuten Eagles hadn’t won since just before the All-Star break, and Orix starter Kei Igawa hadn’t allowed a run since the fourth inning of a July 18 game.
Both streaks ended emphatically on Wednesday night at The Kleenex Box, as Rakuten raked for a season-high 20 hits and Manabu Mima (6-5) handcuffed the Buffaloes to snap Rakuten’s eight-game losing streak with a 14-1 romp.
The Eagles, who had last won on July 17, got four hits [including a triple] and three RBIs from Ryo Hijirisawa, and Jose Fernandez collected his second, third and fourth hits since returning to the lineup on Tuesday and added two RBIs.
The 20 hits were the team’s highest figure since June 29, 2008, and its highest-scoring game since Oct. 3, 2009. Ginji Akaminai had two hits and two RBIs, and Teppei Tsuchiya chipped in with two hits and three runs batted in.
Igawa (2-4) got touched up for a season-high eight runs [seven earned] on 10 hits and three walks over 4.2 innings.
Mima carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Lee Dae Ho busted it up with a solo shot, his PL-best 20th.
FIGHTERS 7, HAWKS 6
Atsunori Inaba had an RBI single in five-run third that got host Nippon Ham even and Kenshi Sugiya's pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth gave the Fighters a walk-off win over SoftBank.
The RBI was Inaba's 1,000, making the 38th batter to reach that milestone.
LIONS 2, MARINES 2, 11 INNINGS
Seibu's Chris Carter, batting .450 with runners in scoring position is his limited duty, skied a double to left center in the ninth inning to plate the last run of the night in a stalemate with Lotte at The Q.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
GIANTS 2, TIGERS 0
Tetsuya Matsumoto’s second double drove in a run to break a scoreless tie in the sixth and he added a super running catch [and crash into the wall in center] in the seventh inning to help Yomiuri get past Hanshin at Tokyo Dome.
The Giants pieced together pitchers, starting with Yuki Koyama going five innings followed by rookie Yasunari Takagi (2-0), who got the win as the first of four relievers working a scoreless inning each.
DRAGONS 2, CARP 0
Kazuki Yoshimi (8-4) fired a five-hitter to win his 12th straight decision at Nagoya Dome, dating back to last season, and Masahiro Araki and Atsushi Fujii each knocked in runs to lead host Chunichi past Hiroshima.
SWALLOWS 3, BAYSTARS 2
Yuki Shichijo (1-1) tossed 7.1 sharp innings in his first start since losing on May 24, and Shingo Kawabata slugged a solo shot while Kazuhiro Hatakeyama’s sac fly in the seventh was the difference as host Yakult edged Yokohama.
The Rakuten Eagles hadn’t won since just before the All-Star break, and Orix starter Kei Igawa hadn’t allowed a run since the fourth inning of a July 18 game.
Both streaks ended emphatically on Wednesday night at The Kleenex Box, as Rakuten raked for a season-high 20 hits and Manabu Mima (6-5) handcuffed the Buffaloes to snap Rakuten’s eight-game losing streak with a 14-1 romp.
The Eagles, who had last won on July 17, got four hits [including a triple] and three RBIs from Ryo Hijirisawa, and Jose Fernandez collected his second, third and fourth hits since returning to the lineup on Tuesday and added two RBIs.
The 20 hits were the team’s highest figure since June 29, 2008, and its highest-scoring game since Oct. 3, 2009. Ginji Akaminai had two hits and two RBIs, and Teppei Tsuchiya chipped in with two hits and three runs batted in.
Igawa (2-4) got touched up for a season-high eight runs [seven earned] on 10 hits and three walks over 4.2 innings.
Mima carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Lee Dae Ho busted it up with a solo shot, his PL-best 20th.
FIGHTERS 7, HAWKS 6
Atsunori Inaba had an RBI single in five-run third that got host Nippon Ham even and Kenshi Sugiya's pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth gave the Fighters a walk-off win over SoftBank.
The RBI was Inaba's 1,000, making the 38th batter to reach that milestone.
LIONS 2, MARINES 2, 11 INNINGS
Seibu's Chris Carter, batting .450 with runners in scoring position is his limited duty, skied a double to left center in the ninth inning to plate the last run of the night in a stalemate with Lotte at The Q.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
GIANTS 2, TIGERS 0
Tetsuya Matsumoto’s second double drove in a run to break a scoreless tie in the sixth and he added a super running catch [and crash into the wall in center] in the seventh inning to help Yomiuri get past Hanshin at Tokyo Dome.
The Giants pieced together pitchers, starting with Yuki Koyama going five innings followed by rookie Yasunari Takagi (2-0), who got the win as the first of four relievers working a scoreless inning each.
DRAGONS 2, CARP 0
Kazuki Yoshimi (8-4) fired a five-hitter to win his 12th straight decision at Nagoya Dome, dating back to last season, and Masahiro Araki and Atsushi Fujii each knocked in runs to lead host Chunichi past Hiroshima.
SWALLOWS 3, BAYSTARS 2
Yuki Shichijo (1-1) tossed 7.1 sharp innings in his first start since losing on May 24, and Shingo Kawabata slugged a solo shot while Kazuhiro Hatakeyama’s sac fly in the seventh was the difference as host Yakult edged Yokohama.