Daisuke Yamai pitches Dragons over struggling Carp

NAGOYA – Daisuke Yamai allowed a run over 6⅔ innings Monday in the Chunichi Dragons’ 3-2 Central League victory over the struggling Hiroshima Carp.

Right-hander Yamai (3-3) allowed two hits and four walks, while striking out two at Nagoya Dome en route to claiming his first win since April 17.

“I wanted to pitch as many innings as possible, so I’m very happy with the result,” the 41-year-old veteran said. “To be honest, I wasn’t in my best condition so (catcher Takuya) Kinoshita really helped me out.”

Yamai opened with three scoreless innings before surrendering a solo home run to clean-up hitter Seiya Suzuki.

Hiroshima, the defending league champion, has not won a game since June 25. It has lost seven straight games since June 30, when it allowed the Yokohama BayStars to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Zoilo Almonte singled in the opening run off Carp right-hander Allen Kuri (3-5) after the starter surrendered back-to-back hits with no outs in the first.

Dayan Viciedo drove in another run to cap the two-run inning, and Shuhei Takahashi singled and scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth to extend the Dragons’ lead to 3-1.

The visitors missed their chance to come from behind despite loading the bases with no outs in the ninth. Right-hander Raidel Martinez allowed Tomohiro Abe to score on a sacrifice hit but managed to retire the next two batters to close the game before any more damage was done.

Swallows 5, BayStars 3

At Jingu Stadium, Yuhei Nakamura and Taishi Hirooka each drove in two runs in the Tokyo Yakult Swallows’ win over the BayStars.

Giants 4, Tigers 3

At Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Yang Dai-kang’s eighth-inning, RBI single lifted the Yomiuri Giants to victory over the Hanshin Tigers.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

Buffaloes 2, Eagles 0

Taisuke Yamaoka (6-2) struck out seven, while allowing a hit and a walk over seven innings as the Orix Buffaloes beat the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles.

Fighters 5, Marines 3

At Zozo Marine Stadium, Sho Nakata hit back-to-back, two-run homers in the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters’ win over the Chiba Lotte Marines.

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