Yoshinobu Takahashi and Roberto Petagine returned to the Yomiuri Giants' lineup but the defending Japan Series champion fell to the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes 4-3 in a preseason game on Saturday.
Kintetsu starter Jeremy Powell pitched five scoreless innings without issuing a walk at Osaka Dome while Yomiuri starter Koji Uehara gave up four runs on six hits in the fourth inning alone to waste Takahashi's 3-for-4 effort.
Petagine, who had earlier been suffering shoulder pain, was hitless in four at-bats. Takahashi had been battling an ankle injury.
At Yokohama Stadium, Daisuke Matsuzaka gave the Seibu Lions their first preseason win by allowing one hit in five innings and striking out eight in Seibu's 8-3 win over the Yokohama BayStars.
At Onomichi Stadium in Hiroshima Prefecture, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks squandered a three-run lead and were overpowered by the Hiroshima Carp 7-5. Daiei rookie Nagisa Arakaki gave up six runs -- five earned -- in the fourth and fifth innings.