Kenshin Kawakami pitched eight strong innings and got run support from Masahiko Morino and Alex Ochoa, lifting the Chunichi Dragons to a 2-1 victory over the Seibu Lions in interleague play on Tuesday.
Kawakami (8-1) tied Hiroshima Carp right-hander Sean Douglass for the Central League lead with his eighth win after holding Seibu to a run on an Alex Cabrera homer in his first start since coming within three outs of a no-hitter in a 3-0 shutout of the Chiba Lotte Marines on June 6.
Buffaloes 5, Giants 1
At Fukushima's Azuma Stadium, Makoto Shiozaki went 3-for-5 with a go-ahead two-run homer that capped a three-run rally in the fifth inning as Orix snapped its four-game losing streak while slumping Yomiuri lost its seventh in a row.
Fighters 9, Swallows 7
At Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, Tsuyoshi Shinjo hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the third inning, leading Nippon Ham over Yakult for its third straight win.
Shinjo's shot off Dicky Gonzalez (1-3) broke a 2-2 tie and gave Nippon Ham the lead for good. He added an RBI single on a 2-for-4 night.
BayStars 3, Marines 0
At Chiba Marine Stadium, Katsuaki Furuki drove in all three runs and Daisuke Miura threw a four-hitter as Yokohama won.
Furuki hit a two-run double in the second inning and an inside-the-park solo homer in the sixth off Shingo Ono (4-4), where Pacific League-leading Chiba Lotte had its winning streak snapped at three games.
Hawks 10, Carp 2
At Hiroshima Stadium, Nobuhiko Matsunaka hit a game-tying homer in the fourth inning and added an RBI single in a five-run fifth after Munenori Kawasaki singled home the go-ahead run, helping Softbank to a victory.
Other score Eagles 8, Tigers 7