Minoru Iwata allowed one unearned run over seven solid innings, leading the surging Hanshin Tigers to their sixth straight win in a 3-1 victory over the Hiroshima Carp on Tuesday night.
The third-place Tigers moved within one game of second-place Hiroshima.
Iwata (6-3) yielded four hits, struck out two and walked one in front of a crowd of 32,637 at Koshien Stadium.