Angel Sanchez tossed seven shutout innings and Hiroyuki Nakajima drove in the decisive run as the Yomiuri Giants subdued the Hiroshima Carp 4-0 in the Central League on Wednesday.
Right-hander Sanchez (2-2) gave up six hits but no walks as he largely kept the Carp batters out of scoring position at Hiroshima’s Mazda Stadium.
He struck out a pair and allowed only one runner past second base, in the bottom of the third, when Kaito Kozono lined to right for a triple.
The former big leaguer from the Dominican Republic showed no signs of the shoulder discomfort that saw him taken out of the rotation on April 24.
“I feel good. I feel better and obviously I do my best every time to get the win,” Sanchez said.
Nakajima gave the Giants the lead in the fourth, scoring Hayato Sakamoto with a sacrifice fly against Hiroshima starter Koya Takahashi.
Left-hander Takahashi (1-1) took the loss after giving up one run on four hits and a walk over six innings, while fanning six.
The Giants extended the lead in the seventh when former Carp Yoshihiro Maru rounded from first after center fielder Ryutaro Hatsuki lost sight of Ginjiro Sumitani’s high fly ball in the glare, allowing it to land safely.
Yomiuri added two runs against rookie right-hander Haruki Omichi in the ninth, when pinch hitter Yoshiyuki Kamei flew to left with two out and two on.
At Vantelin Dome Nagoya, Yokohama DeNA BayStars pinch hitters Koki Yamashita and Masayuki Kuwahara each drove in two runs in the seventh inning of their 4-0 win over the Chunichi Dragons.
Former big leaguer Norichika Aoki drove in a run in the bottom of the eighth as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows came back to tie 2-2 at home to the CL-leading Hanshin Tigers.
In the Pacific League, Tomoya Mori launched a two-run homer in the seventh as the Saitama Seibu Lions overpowered the Orix Buffaloes 6-2 at MetLife Dome.
At Fukuoka’s PayPay Dome, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles finished in a 5-5 deadlock after Seiji Uebayashi tied it for the Hawks with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times