Where Eagles dare …

Tanaka’s 1st shutout puts Rakuten over .500

Masahiro Tanaka’s struggles this year became more apparent once he completed his first shutout of the season.

The sixth-year righty had a half-dozen shutouts last year, but it took until the end of June for him to pick up his first of the season, a 6-0 gem to beat the defending Japan Series champion SoftBank Hawks at The Kleenex Box.

Hawks starter Hiroki Yamada (6-6) threw wildly to first in the seventh inning to allow the first run of the game to score, but by the time the Eagles put up a five-spot in the eighth, Tanaka was eyeing his first shutout since Oct. 8.

“Every time I’ve thrown this season, I’ve allowed the opponent to score,” said Tanaka, who has 14 career shutouts and 42 complete games. “I’m really happy that I was able to keep them off the board.”

The lower-back problems that forced the team to deactivate him look like a distant memory.

“He was throwing the ball like he did last year,” said Rakuten skipper Senichi Hoshino. “I think it’s safe to say he’s all the way back.”

The Eagles, a game over .500 and in third place in the Pacific League, have two fewer victories than first-place Lotte.

LIONS 7, FIGHTERS 5

Takumi Kuriyama had three hits and two RBIs, and Hiroyuki Nakajima hit a three-run homer as Seibu shook off blowing a lead to top visiting Nippon Ham.

The game-winner came across on a wild pitch from Hirotoshi Masui (2-3) in the eighth inning.

The Eagles, in third place in the Pacific League, have two fewer victories than first-place Lotte.

MARINES 3, BUFFALOES 3

Orix's Hirotoshi Kitagawa’s sac fly in the eighth tied the score and the 3.5-hour time limit ran out for the Buffaloes and Lotte in a tie at Kyocera Dome Osaka.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

GIANTS 2, DRAGONS 1

Shinnosuke Abe [the CL’s leading hitter] ripped a two-run homer and Hirokazu Sawamura (5-7), who had lost four straight decisions and hadn’t won since May 20, held Chunichi to an unearned run over 6.1 innings in a win at Tokyo Dome.

The Giants -- who have won 23 straight games at the dome when Abe homers -- moved to within a game of the two-time defending CL champs.

SWALLOWS 7, TIGERS 6

Wladimir Balentien socked a three-run homer [his CL-leading 19th] in the fourth, and Hanshin second baseman Keiichi Hirano’s error in the eighth allowed the go-ahead run to score as Yakult came from 6-0 down to win in its first game at Jingu Stadium since the end of interleague play.

Tetsuya Yamamoto (1-1), in his ninth game, earned his first pro win with .2 innings of relief, and Tony Barnette slammed the door in the ninth for his 19th save.

CARP 2, BAYSTARS 1

Kenta Maeda (8-3) got help from the defense behind him to pitch around nine hits and a walk, and Yoshihiro Maru’s RBI double in the first was the difference as Hiroshima won at The Zoom.

Maru also gunned down a runner at the plate to help render the BayStars’ 10 hits all but meaningless.