Chihiro Kaneko threw his first shutout of the season, Keiji Obiki had a two-run single and the Orix Buffaloes blanked the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 4-0 to win their eighth game in a row on Tuesday night.
Orix won eight straight for the first time in 10 seasons and moved into third place in the Pacific League standings while returning to .500.
Kaneko (8-3) used an assortment of pitches and allowed just three hits while striking out 10 and walking none in a 130-pitch outing at Kleenex Stadium. Hisashi Iwakuma (6-4) took the loss.