Swimming upstream …

Maeda works 8 scoreless, Dobayashi cracks 1st HR as Carp end skid

The Hiroshima Carp are doing more floundering than swimming in the Central League, but with Kenta Maeda on the mound, they’re making a big splash.

Maeda (3-1) kept the Hanshin Tigers off-balanced and off the basepaths, firing a two-hitter -- with a walk and a hit batter -- and Shota Dobayashi slugged his first pro home run in a 1-0 win Tuesday at Koshien Stadium.

The Carp improved to 3-1-1 in Maeda's starts, but coming off a three-game weekend sweep at home, Hiroshima needed a lift. Maeda gave it to them, working out of his only real trouble -- a popfly double by Takahiro Arai that opened the seventh inning -- to silence Hanshin.

Maeda escaped that jam and moments later, Dobayashi -- a third-year infielder -- took an outside slider the other way for the game’s only run.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I got enough of it to get out, so I was running as hard as I could. I actually didn’t know it had gone out. I saw the umpire as I was running and that’s when I realized it was a homer.”

Maeda watched from the dugout in the ninth inning -- after making 106 pitches -- as Dennis Sarfate worked a scoreless frame after allowing a one-out double, notching his fourth save.

Ranger Messenger (2-1) was the hard-luck loser. He yielded just two hits and two walks with nine Ks over eight innings. He was left to grate on the pitch to Dobayashi.

SWALLOWS 4, DRAGONS 1

Wladimir Balentien slugged his CL-leading fifth longball, a two-run shot, and Shohei Tateyama (2-0) worked six innings of one-run ball to lead Yakult past Chunichi at Jingu Stadium for its fourth consecutive victory.

Lastings Milledge also drove in a run and Tony Barnette was the last of three relievers, posting his CL-best-tying eighth save with his 10th straight scoreless outing.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

EAGLES 4, BUFFALOES 1

Kazuo Matsui collected three hits, including a solo blast, and second-year lefty Takahiro Shiomi (2-2) scattered five hits over eight innings as Rakuten downed Orix at The Kleenex Box.

Rakuten, which is without injured All-Star righty Masahiro Tanaka who was deactivated last week, posted its second straight shutout.

MARINES 2, FIGHTERS 1

Shunichi Nemoto’s clutch single in the eighth broke a 1-1 tie and helped Lotte edge host Nippon Ham at Tokyo Dome.

Seth Greisinger (3-0) put in his third straight quality start to open the season, holding Nippon Ham to a run on seven hits and a walk with a half-dozen Ks over 7.1 innings.

HAWKS 1, LIONS 0

Hiroki Yamada and two relievers made a first-inning RBI single by Nobuhiro Matsuda hold up as Fukuoka blanked sinking Seibu at FYJ Dome.

Yamada (3-1) surrendered just four hits, while walking four and fanning six, and Brian Falkenborg slammed the door in the ninth for his eighth save.