The Hiroshima Carp capitalized on a bullpen meltdown by the Yomiuri Giants on Monday in a 5-4 victory that was the sixth straight win for the Central League's third-place club.
Chasing their first postseason appearance since they lost the 1991 Japan Series, the Carp broke the game open in a four-run eighth inning against Giants relief ace Tetsuya Yamaguchi (4-3) and fellow lefty Kyosuke Takagi.
The victory, before a full house at Mazda Stadium, moved the Carp 4½ games clear of the fourth-place Chunichi Dragons in the race for the CL's final playoff spot. The winning streak is Hiroshima's longest of the season.