Kazuki Yoshimi threw his first shutout of the season as the Chunichi Dragons handed the struggling Yomiuri Giants their fourth consecutive defeat to move into second place, dicing up a power-laden lineup in a 3-0 win on Thursday.
Chunichi won its seventh in a row and moved into second for the first time since May 22.
Yoshimi (11-6) struck out 11, allowed five singles and walked one in a 123-pitch outing at Nagoya Dome. It was his first shutout since July 18, 2009. Tetsuya Utsumi (7-6) took the loss for Yomiuri, which fell into third place.