Jun Hirose hit a three-run homer and Shinji Sasaoka combined with four relievers to allow just one run Thursday as the Hiroshima Carp beat the Central League-leading Chunichi Dragons 4-1.
Takahiro Arai and Tomonori Maeda hit back-to-back singles leading off the second inning before Hirose followed with his second homer of the season, which proved a severe blow to Kenshin Kawakami (16-7) and the Dragons at Nagoya Dome.
An RBI groundout by Hidenori Kuramoto cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom half. But Hiroshima regained a three-run lead in the fourth on three consecutive hits, capped by a Takaaki Matsumoto RBI single.
Veteran right-hander Sasaoka (8-8) scattered four hits and three walks in five innings of work before turning the game over to the bullpen. Katsuhiro Nagakawa worked the ninth for his 27th save.
Kawakami, who leads the league in wins and strikeouts, left after yielding four runs and eight hits in seven innings.
The Dragons had their three-game winning streak snapped and their magic number remained at five with nine games remaining in the season. The second-place Hanshin Tigers, whose game at the Yakult Swallows was rained out, are 2.5 games behind Chunichi with five games left.
Giants 9, BayStars 1
At Tokyo Dome, Shinnosuke Abe hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs and Koji Uehara pitched his fifth complete game of the season, leading Yomiuri to a rout of Yokohama.
Abe hit a sacrifice fly in a two-run first inning and made it 5-0 in the third with a shot off Yoshihiro Doi (3-7). Yomiuri added four runs in the fifth on Uehara's two-run double and a two-run homer by rookie Ryota Wakiya -- his first career homer.
Tigers at Swallows -- ppd.