Akira Otsuka connected for a solo homer in the fourth inning Wednesday as the Pacific League-leading Chiba Lotte Marines scored a pair of runs on their way to a 5-3 win over the Yomiuri Giants in interleague play.
Otsuka's homer off Yomiuri starter Tetsuya Utsumi gave the Marines a 3-2 lead. Chiba Lotte took a 5-2 lead in the fifth on an RBI double by Benny Agbayani.
Marines starter Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who improved to 7-2, picked up the win after holding the Giants to three runs on eight hits over six innings. Masahide Kobayashi recorded the final three outs in the ninth for his 14th save of the season.