Firing up …

Dragons move into 1st in CL

Hot-hitting Masahiro Araki and the defending Central League-champion Chunichi Dragons are just like heat: on the rise.

Araki had two hits, including the tiebreaking RBI single in the second inning, and drove in a pair of runs as the Dragons rallied for four runs in the frame and held off the Orix Buffaloes 7-4 at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Sunday.

The victory moved the Dragons up into first place in the CL for the first time this season, and helped them remain in a second-place tie in interleague standings with the Seibu Lions.

“We still have a long way to go in this thing,” said Araki, who entered Sunday’s action hitting .410 over the past three weeks. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”

Chunichi tagged Orix starter Chan Ho Park (1-5) for a season-worst six runs to chase him in 3.1 innings and send him to his PL-high fifth loss.

Takahiro “T.O.” Okada homered twice for the Buffaloes, who rallied to load the bases with no outs in the ninth before Hitsohi Iwase shut the door for his eighth save.

LIONS 10, SWALLOWS 1

Ginjiro Sumitani had three hits and led three others with two RBIs as Seibu pounded out a season-high 15 hits to knock Yakult from the top CL spot with a win at Seibu Dome.

Sumitani had his first three-hit game since Aug. 19, 2009 as the Lions won their fourth straight.

FIGHTERS 1, CARP 0

Masaru Takeda (3-5) got his first form of run support in 51 innings -- a lone score -- and made it stand up as Nippon Ham blanked Hiroshima at Sapporo Dome.

Takeda, who became the first Pacific League pitcher to have his team shut out to lose five consecutive decisions, worked seven shutout innings, and five-year pro Takahiro Imanami came up with his first hit and first RBI to back him.

The Fighters hadn’t scored for Takeda since the ninth inning of a game on April 21. The lefty, who lowered his ERA to 1.64, allowed five hits, hit a batter and fanned four.

TIGERS 2, EALGES 1

Tomoaki Kanemoto unloaded in the seventh inning with a two-run blast that powered Hanshin past Rakuten at The Kleenex Box.

Yoshitomo Kubo (3-3) scattered five hits and a walk with five Ks over eight innings to earn the victory, and Kyuji Fujikawa nailed it down in the ninth for his ninth save.


HAWKS 7, BAYSTARS 1

Toru Hosokawa homered and singled to drive in three, and Nobuhiro Matsuda had a bases-clearing triple in a four-run first as SoftBank clubbed Yokohama to remain unbeaten in 10 interleague games by cruising past Yokohama at FYJ Dome.

Tadashi Settsu (4-2) worked seven one-run innings, allowing five hits and no walks with seven Ks.

The Marines and Giants were rained out at Chiba.