Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka flummoxed another would-be lineup, continuing his stunning run from the start of the season by winning his 11th consecutive decision in the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles' 7-0 triumph over the Chiba Lotte Marines on Tuesday night.

Second-place Rakuten improved to a season-high nine games above .500 and closed the gap to one game against Pacific League leader Lotte after taking the first game of the three-game set at Kleenex Stadium.

Tanaka (11-0) struck out six and walked none and held his opponent scoreless, despite allowing nine hits over eight innings. He extended his streak without yielding a run to 31 innings, lifting the Eagles to their third win in a row.