Reliever-turned-starter Katsuki Matayoshi got a measure of revenge on Saturday, with seven impressive innings in the Chunichi Dragons' a 2-1 win over the Hiroshima Carp.
The 26-year-old right-handed side-armer allowed a run on four hits and three walks, while striking out three. Matayoshi (3-0) won his second game in his five starts, a string that was marred by a May 4 start against Hiroshima in which he allowed five runs in five innings.
"I owe this to the fielders who made the plays and allowed me to settle in," said Matayoshi after the win before 34,306 at Nagoya Dome gave the Dragons a season-best three-game winning streak.
"The Carp got to me last time, so to pitch well against them here in Nagoya with a winning streak going, that makes me feel pretty good."
Carp right-hander Allen Kuri (3-4) gave up two runs, one earned on eight hits and a walk over seven innings, while striking out four.
The Dragons took the lead in the second on a two-out RBI single by Atsushi Fujii, but Tomohiro Abe's two-out single in the fourth tied it at 1-1. The Dragons broke the tie in the sixth when Kyohei Kamezawa singled and scored on a double play.
Three relievers took care of the Carp in the eighth and the ninth, with closer Shinji Tajima working around a walk and a two-out single to record his 10th save.
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BayStars 6, Giants 4
At Yokohama Stadium, Masayuki Kuwahara's tie-breaking, two-run single in the sixth propelled DeNA past Yomiuri. Jose Lopez hit a two-run shot in the first and tied the game in the fifth with an RBI double. The Giants led briefly with four runs in the second but Tetsuya Utsumi (1-4) allowed six runs in 5-2/3 innings.
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Swallows 8, Tigers 3
At Jingu Stadium, Yakult posted its first four-game winning streak after Yuhei Takai's two-run single brought the Swallows from behind and Tetsuto Yamada hit a three-run home run in the sixth to hand Hanshin its third straight loss. Yasuhiro Ogawa (4-2) allowed three runs over 6-1/3 innings to earn the win.
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Pacific League
Fighters 7, Buffaloes 3
At Sapporo Dome, Brandon Laird's two-run shot in the third off Orix starter Sachiya Yamasaki (1-1) gave Nippon Ham the lead for good as the Buffaloes lost their fourth straight.
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Lions 7, Hawks 5
At MetLife Dome, Fumikazu Kimura brought Seibu from behind with a two-run, second-inning homer, Hideto Asamura capped the inning with a three-run blast, and Kimura singled in another run off SoftBank's losing starter, Kenichi Nakata (4-3) in the third.
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Eagles 2, Marines 0, 12 innings
At Zozo Marine Stadium, starter Manabu Mima allowed three hits and struck out 10 over nine innings, rookie outfielder Kazuki Tanaka hit his first home run, a two-run, 12th-inning shot, and closer Yuki Matsui worked a 1-2-3 12th inning for his 16th save as league-leading Rakuten beat Lotte.
