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Gonzalez, Giants keep run-starved Dragons down
Yomiuri Giants heavy hurler Dicky Gonzalez has struggled since his team-best 15-2 season of 2009, but since mid-July, the Puerto Rican has been back in form. He gave the Chunichi Dragons a firsthand display on Tuesday.
Gonzalez, who is 6-16 since his breakout season two years ago, held the lifeless Dragons to two runs on three hits and two walks over 6.1 innings in a 3-2 win at Nagoya Dome. He fanned seven before turning it over the bullpen, which bailed him out of trouble as the Giants moved into second place for the first time since April 21.
Gonzalez (2-3) also drove in the first run in a three-run second that carried the Giants. Closer-of-the-month Yuya Kubo put two runners on in the ninth before shutting it down for his club-record 20th consecutive scoreless appearance and his ninth save.
Hayato Sakamoto’s two-run double capped the three-run second and proved to be the difference.
Chunichi scored two runs or fewer for the 11th
time in 13 games this month, during which it has been shut out four times. Starter Maximo Nelson (6-10) fanned a career-high nine but lost his sixth straight decision.
SWALLOWS 5, BAYSTARS 1
Kazuhiro Hatakeyama had two RBI singles and Masanori Ishikawa (7-6) went the distance as Yakult downed Yokohama at Jingu Stadium.
Wladimir Balentien blasted a two-run homer and Josh Whitesell added an RBI single for the front-running Swallows.
CARP 3, TIGERS 1
Pinch-hitter Tomonori Maeda’s two-run double in the top of the ninth broke a 1-1 tie and helped Hiroshima past Hanshin at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Kenta Maeda (7-8) scattered five hits and a walk over eight innings and Dennis Sarfate [friend of PDJ] nailed it down in the ninth for his league-best 29th save.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
HAWKS 4, BUFFALOES 3
Seiichi Uchikawa’s homer in the fifth put SoftBank on top and D.J. Houlton (12-5) and four relievers limited Orix to three runs in a win at FYJ Dome.
The Hawks pushed their lead atop the standings to 3.5 games.
EAGLES 8, LIONS 4
Fuminori Yokogawa slugged a two-run homer in the ninth off Seibu closer Kazuhisa Makita (2-6) as Rakuten knocked off host Seibu.
Yosuke Takasu had the second five-hit game of his career, going 5-for-6 and Kensuke Uchimura had three hits and an RBI to lead the Eagles.
MARINES 4, FIGHTERS 1
Kazuya Fukuura’s bases-clearing double in the first inning was enough for Yoshihisa Naruse (9-8), who scattered five hits with no walks and one strikeout as Lotte topped Nippon Ham.