Kenta Maeda kept the damage to a minimum by yielding one run over eight strong innings as the Hiroshima Carp staved off the Chunichi Dragons 3-1 to snap a four-game losing streak on Saturday.
The Carp, who dropped into third place a day earlier behind the second-place Hanshin Tigers, finished the first half of the season with a record of 41-36 — the team's first winning record before the All-Star break in 12 years.
Maeda (9-4) struck out eight, walked one and hit a batsman. Kam Mickolio finished up in the ninth to pick up his 15th save. Chunichi starter Daisuke Yamai (7-1) took the loss.