Yomiuri right-hander Shun Tono pitched eight scoreless innings Wednesday at Tokyo Dome as the Giants blanked the Yokohama BayStars 4-0 in a matchup of two teams at opposite ends of the Central League standings.
Tono (6-6) allowed just three hits for the front-running Giants. Tetsuya Yamaguchi worked the ninth, giving up a pair of hits but preserving the shutout.
Yoshitomo Tani had three of Yomiuri"s nine hits, and Michihiro Ogasawara and Shigeyuki Furuki drove in two runs apiece.
Veteran Daisuke Miura (9-8) took the loss for Yokohama. He allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits through five innings.
At Jingu Stadium, the Yakult Swallows scored three runs in the seventh to top the Hanshin Tigers 4-2.
In the Pacific League, Takeya Nakamura hit his NPB-best 36th home run as the Seibu Lions beat the Softbank Hawks 9-2 at Yahoo Dome. At Chiba Marine Stadium, the Orix Buffaloes defeated Lotte 6-2.