Kimiyasu Kudo allowed the Hiroshima Carp to score two runs on four consecutive two-out hits in the bottom of the fifth as the Yomiuri Giants let a win slip away in a Central League game called after five innings due to rain Wednesday.
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| Hanshin Tigers lefty Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi fires a pitch during Wednesday's game against the Yokohama BayStars. |
Kudo came within one out of going the mandatory five innings required for an official game and for his third win of the season before the veteran southpaw gave up singles to Akihiro Higashide and Shigenobu Shima as the rain picked up at Hiroshima Stadium.
Takahiro Arai and Tomonori Maeda followed with run-scoring singles to chase Kudo before Yomiuri reliever Yuya Kubo got Kenta Kurihara to pop out to second to end the inning and the game.