Shohei Tateyama pitched 6 2/3 effective innings, Hiroyasu Tanaka hit a three-run homer and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows beat the Hanshin Tigers 9-6 on Friday to extend their season-high winning streak to 10 games.
Tateyama (6-5) allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out eight with a walk at Kyocera Dome.
Yakult built a 3-1 lead after two innings and made it 8-1 in the sixth with Tanaka's first homer since June 6.
The Tigers roared back to close within two runs in the eighth, but the rally ended there.
Naoto Tsuru (2-4) took the loss after giving up five earned runs in five-plus innings of work. Matt Murton went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs for Hanshin, which slipped back to second place in the Central League.
Dragons 5, Carp 1
At Nagoya Dome, Masahiro Araki hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the seventh off Kenta Maeda (12-6), leading Chunichi past Hiroshima.
Kazuki Yoshimi (10-6) reached double-digit wins for the third straight season, allowing just one run in seven innings. The Donoue brothers, Takehiro and Naomichi, drove in a run apiece for the Dragons.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
Eagles 4, Marines 0
At Chiba Marine Stadium, Darrell Rasner and Koji Aoyama combined for a one-hitter as Tohoku Rakuten beat Chiba Lotte for the seventh straight time.
Hawks 5, Fighters 1
At Fukuoka's Yahoo Dome, Fukuoka Softbank tagged Hokkaido Nippon Ham ace Yu Darvish (10-6) for five runs as the Hawks won their third in a row behind seven solid innings from Hiroki Yamada (3-3).
Lions 4, Buffaloes 2
At Seibu Dome, Hideaki Wakui (13-6) held Orix to one run in 6 1/3 innings as Seibu rolled to its sixth straight victory.
Wakui gave up four hits as he picked up his 13th win of the season.
Brian Sikorski pitched the ninth to collect his league-leading 29th save.
