Jason Standridge and Kyuji Fujikawa combined on a five-hit shutout as the Hanshin Tigers edged the Chunichi Dragons 1-0 in the opener of their crucial three-game series Tuesday.
Hanshin ended Chunichi's six-game winning streak and extended its Central League lead to 1 1/2 games.
Standridge (10-2) scattered four hits over seven innings before Fujikawa pitched out of jams in the eighth and ninth at Skymark Stadium.
In the fifth, Matt Murton had a leadoff double and moved to third on a Shunsuke Fujikawa sacrifice bunt before Takashi Toritani's sacrifice fly.