Chunichi's former ace, Kenshin Kawakami, tiptoed successfully through a minefield he laid himself to work six scoreless innings in the Dragons' 4-1 win over the Hanshin Tigers on Wednesday.

Kawakami (1-2) allowed just three hits, but walked five batters and also hit one to outduel Randy Messenger (1-3), who gave up three runs in six innings as Hanshin saw its four-game winning streak snapped.

The Dragons broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth after managing just three hits off Messenger through the first five innings. Singles by Yohei Oshima and Hector Luna set the table along with a walk by Ryosuke Hirata. Masahiko Morino broke the ice with a two-run single and Naomichi Donoue singled home another.