Shogo Nakamura did the bulk of the damage against Masahiro Tanaka and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles' bullpen on Saturday, paving the way for a 3-1 Chiba Lotte Marines win that knocked their opponents off the top of the Pacific League standings.
Nakamura doubled in the only run the Marines could manage against Tanaka over seven innings, and then homered to open Lotte's eighth off reliever Hiroyuki Fukuyama (0-2) to break a 1-1 tie at Chiba's Zozo Marine Stadium.
The home run was Nakamura's second of the year. He also singled and doubled for the hosts. Brandon Laird followed Nakamura in the eighth with his 10th home run of the season and his third in three games.