Teen scene …

Darvish fans 14 to win Japan-best 15th

There were so many teens involved with Nippon Ham’s victory over the front-running SoftBank Hawks, it was like a coming-of-age movie.

Yu Darvish fanned 14 to win his Japan-best 15th game, and the Fighters topped the Hawks 4-0 at Sapporo Dome to move within 2.5 games of the top spot in the Pacific League.

The right-hander scattered five hits with two walks for fifth shutout of the season, the 17th of his career. It was the 47th double-digit strikeout game of his career.

“I want to work hard so that I come out of all my games with a result like this,” Darvish said from the hero-interview podium.

Said Fighters skipper Masataka Nashida: “We've had a lot of games on consecutive days and the middle relievers were worn down, so he did a great job of finishing it off.”

Yang Zhong-sho doubled twice and singled home two runs in the sixth, and Sho Nakata knocked the first run in the fifth with a sac fly to move into a tie for the RBI top spot with 65.

EAGLES 9, MARINES 1

Luis Garcia blasted an early three-run homer, his fourth, and Kelvin Jimenez tossed 5.2 strong innings as Rakuten slammed Lotte at The Kleenex Box to put an emphatic halt to its season-worst seven-game skid.

Jimenez (1-5) had lost his previous five decisions but wriggled out of trouble -- surrendering four hits, a walk and a hit batter -- for his first win in Japan in 10 games [eight starts].

BUFFALOES 8, LIONS 6

Aarom Baldiris had an RBI single and a two-run homer, and Mitsutaka Goto and Shogo Akada each had three hits and an RBI as third-place Orix won to extend its winning streak to six games.

Mamoru Kishida was shaky in the ninth but reached the 20-save plateau for the first time.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

CARP 4, GIANTS 0

Brian Barden’s infield single off the right leg of loser Hirokazu Sawamura (5-9) was all Giancarlo Alvarado (2-4) and two relievers needed in blanking Yomiuri at Tokyo Dome.

Alvarado held the Giants to four hits, fanning four and walking two as Hiroshima snapped a seven-game skid to Yomiuri. Dennis Sarfate [friend of JBD] fanned all three in the ninth in a nonsave situation.

The Giants and Carp are in a virtual tie for third, with Yomiuri a percentage point better.

TIGERS 4, SWALLOWS 1

Takahiro Arai teed off on a Kyohei Muranaka (2-2) changeup to cap a four-run third with a mammoth three-run blast and Yasutomo Kubo (5-4) worked six innings of one-run ball to win his eighth straight decision as second-place Hanshin fought past Yakult at Jingu Stadium.



[Edited by: jgibson on Aug 13, 2011 6:41 AM]

[Edited by: jgibson on Aug 13, 2011 10:32 AM]