A Lion’s share ...
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Seibu this week has had a lion’s share of shutout loses. The Lions finally got some offense, and Kazuhisa Ishii added the shut-down pitching the club needed to end a five-game skid.
Ishii worked seven shutout innings and Takumi Kuriyama slapped a two-run double in the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie as the Lions blanked the Orix Buffaloes 4-0.
The Lions, who were second in the Pacific League last season, have stumbled out the gate this year at 4-6, but Ishii (1-0) was able to right the ship -- for a day, at least.
He matched Orix starter Shinya Nakayama (0-2) zero for zero, holding the Buffaloes to three hits with no walks, one hit batter and seven Ks.
Not only had the Lions lost five straight, they were shut out three times during the skid, and things were looking headed in the same direction. Nakayama allowed just two runs on seven hits and two walks with seven punchouts before leaving with two outs in the eighth.
Nakayama got a slider up to Kuriyama, and the outfielder gave the Lions their first run in 12 innings by poking it down the line in left to plate a pair. Nakayama was pulled after the double.
EAGLES 4, FIGHTERS 3
Struggling slugger Randy Ruiz belted a walk-off solo blast in what figured to be the final inning, lifting Rakuten past Nippon Ham in Kobe.
Ruiz, who was hitting .080 in seven games coming in, took a 2-2 slider from Keisuke Tanimoto (0-1) and drove it out to left center. Just before his homer, the Sky A announcers had been joking that Ruiz’s only use to the team so far had been his ability to translate for a new Spanish-speaking import.
Rakuten rookie righty Manabu Mima (1-1) earned his first pro win with a scoreless top of the ninth, fanning two.
It capped a strong day for Sendai, whose J.League soccer team also won with a late score.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
SWALLOWS 6, CARP 6
Wladimir Balentien socked a solo blast in the top of the ninth inning and Yakult came back from an early 6-1 deficit to earn a tie with Hiroshima at The Zoom.
Balentien took Hiroshima closer Dennis Sarfate out to left with one out in the ninth, and Lim Chang Yong kept the Carp off the board in a game called because of the 3.5-hour rule to conserve energy.
BAYSTARS at TIGERS
Rained out.
[Edited by: jgibson on Apr 24, 2011 10:22 AM]
[Edited by: jgibson on Apr 24, 2011 10:24 AM]