Kenta Maeda threw eight innings and Brad Eldred's second home run in two nights gave the Hiroshima Carp the early lead in a 2-0 win over the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers on Thursday.
The Carp's fourth straight win completed a sweep of their rain-abbreviated two-game series and pulled them to within 4-1/2 games of first place.
Before 32,092 at Mazda Stadium, Maeda (10-7) scattered four hits and three walks, while striking out seven in a 113-pitch effort.