Yabu was knocked around for three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth before the Stars then put it to the suddenly ineffective rookie
Masashi Sajikihara and Hiroshi Santo for two runs each to get hung with the defeat.

Yuji Yoshimi started for the Stars and went six strong innings of two run ball to earn the shiroboshi. 

Hanshin grabbed the first lead of the game in the first when shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto singled to center, stole second and came around on
when RBI machine Makoto Imaoka spanked an 84mph fastball to left for a single to make it 1-0. 

Yoshimi walked the first two men he saw in the second and they moved up on a groundout, but a strikout and a flyout killed that off. 

Yokohama then counterattacked in the fifth, as third baseman Hitoshi Taneda singled to left and catcher Takeshi Nakamura singled to center. The runners advanced on a sacrifice. Shortstop Takuro Ishii singled to right to redeem Taneda. Second baseman Seiichi Uchikawa wacked a shuuto into left for an RBI single, Ishii speeding to third. One out later, fist baseman Tyrone Woods dug in and the count went to 1-2. Yabu then unleashed a forkball that skipped away from catcher Akihiro Yano for a wild pitch  and Ishii hustled across for a 3-2 Yokohama advantage. 

They tacked on another in the sixth when leftfielder Takahiro Saeki singled to center and, one out later, Taneda singled to right. 
Nakamura singled to right to recall Saeki to make it 4-2 Stars. 

In the eighth, the Stars put it out of reach. Rightfielder Tatsuhiko Kinjo singled to right and Taneda singled to left. They moved up on a sac bunt. Backup leftfielder Kazunori Tanaka walked to pack the sacks. Ishii socked a double into the leftfield corner to plate two and 
Uchikawa did the same for another pair and it was 8-2. 

The Tigers got two singles to center leading off the eighth, but Yokohama reliever Takeharu Kato retired the next three men and Atsushi Kizuka wove a perfect ninth to turn out the lights. 

Last season, Hanshin was 22-6 for the season against Yokohana. Now the Stars are 6-0 in faceoffs with the Tigers, the first time that they have taken the first half dozen in from the Osaka side since 2000, when they prevailed in each of their first seven meetings. 

Imaoka is 5-5 in 2004 against Yoshimi and his three hit game was his fifth such exhibition this season to raise his average to .337. 

Sajikihara, after tossing eight scoreless innings since being promoted fromt he minors, has been racked for six runs in his last three innings, causing his ERA to skyrocket to 4.91. 

Tigers centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi is still mired in a slump, as he took the collar to sink his average to .256 and his OBP to .342. He did steal a base, though. 

Kisanuki got an indication that it was going to be a long day when Hiroshima centerfielder Koichi Ogata crushed a fastball on the outer 
half of the plate into the rightfield seats leading off the game. Rightfielder Shigenobu Shima singled to right. Second baseman Greg LaRocca walked. Shortstop Andy Sheets singled to center and the bases were loaded. Two outs later, Nomura laced a shot up the 
rightcenter gap to clear the basepaths on the double to widen it to 4-0.

Kisanuki settled down, allowing just two more hits through the sixth even striking out the side in that sixth. But then in the seventh, Ogata singled to right and was erased on a subsequent double play. LaRocca singled to left. Sheets singled to right. Leftfielder Shigeru Morikasa singled to left to hail LaRocca in to make it 5-0 Carp.

They then iced it in the ninth when Takuya Kimura, pinch hitting for Shima,  walked with one away and LaRocca doubled to leftcenter, Kimura putting it in fourth for the plate. Sheets singled to right. Kazuyoshi Kimura, pinch hitting for Morikasa, singled to center for an RBI. One out later, Nomura singled to left and Sheets journeyed to the promised land and it was 8-0.

Yomiuri at least averted what would have been their first 2004 shutout, as leftfielder Takayuki Shimizu clocked a one out single to center and, one out later, rightfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi singled to center. First baseman Roberto Petagine doubled to rightcenter to bring 
Shimizu in to make it 8-1. Third baseman Hiroki Kokubo grounded out and it was over. 

Sheets had three hits after he had been slumping for a while and raised his average to .273. It appears that his bat is waking up. 

Utsumi was 3-3 with a .247 ERA in the minors, but was overmatched here. 

Kuroda was clocked at a high of 96mh, his best heat of the season to date. 

Ogata's jack beginning the first was his 22nd such tater of his career, putting him in a tie for sixth all time and setting a new Carp club record. 

Yakult starter Masanori Ishikawa told reporters that he was fighting himself the entire five innings he was out on the hill, during which he was charged with five runs on 12 hits, though he only threw 85 pitches despite the offensive maelstrom around him. That means he was throwing a lot of early in the count cookies and the Dragons hitters gleefully accepted the largesse. 

Hot as Texas chili Chunichi second baseman Masahiro Araki opened the game with a single to center and went to second on a sac bunt. Third baseman Kazuyoshi Tatsunami singled to left. Rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome singled to left to cash Araki in. Centerfielder Alex Ochoa flew out to center and Tatsunami tagged up and crossed for a 2-0 lead. 

But with one out in the home half, second baseman Katsuyuki Dobashi drilled one off of Guzman's elbow for an infield hit and third 
baseman Akinori Iwamura doubled down the leftfield line. Leftfielder Alex Ramirez flared a double to center, Dobashi scoring easily while 
a cautious Iwamura only made it to third. First baseman Ken Suzuki lined a double to rightcenter and Iwamura and Ramirez scurried around to put the Swallows in front 3-2.

Unfortunately, Ishikawa's woes continued and the lead evaporated. First baseman Hiroyuki Watanabe singled to center and catcher Motonobu Tanishige singled between first and second and into right. One out later, Araki singled to left to juice the bags. Following another out, Tatsunami dropped a fastball near the line in right and both Watanabe and Tanishige busted for home and it was 4-3 Dragons. 

Guzman struckout the side in the bottom of the inning and then blew Dobashi away starting the third for a measure of revenge. 

In the fifth, Fukudome thundered one into the rightfield seats to make it 5-3 Chunichi. They would load the bases later inthe inning, but couldn't turn that opportunity into anything.

While Yakult was going absolutely nowhere against Guzman, the Dragons posted another run in the ninth against reliever Yataro Sakamoto, as Ochoa doubled to leftcenter and, two outs later, Tatsunami pushed him in on his 424th career two bagger, this one down the leftfieldline, for the final margin of victory. 

Yakult put two men on with two outs in their final at bat, but Ochiai struck Hirobumi Watarai out and the Swallows will try to get'em tomorrow. 

Guzman was clocked at 94mph and finished with 11 strikeouts. 

New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui went 2-2 with three walks, an RBI and three runs scored Tuesday against Baltimore in an 11-3 Yankees victory. The knocks raised his average to .301.

Dodgers lefthander Kazuhisa Ishii had another bout of walkitis Tuesday and was pulled with two outs in the fifth after racking up six bases on balls. He was charged with four hits and two runs in a 5-3 L.A. victory over Milwaukee. 

Mets shortstop Kazuo Matsui went 0-2 with two walks Tuesday against Philadelphia. He stole a base and scored a run as well. The New Yorkers took it 5-0, their fourth straight win. They are now a game over .500. 

San Diego reliever Akinori Otsuka threw a scoreless inning

The Chicago Sun-Times may have been engaging in a bit of wishful thinking when it wrote about a trade rumor that would move Mariners rightfielder Ichiro Suzuki to the Cubs, for whom he would be slotted into center. Mariners GM Bill Bavasi said that it ain't gonna happen. 
Suzuki went 1-6 Tuesday in an extra inning win over Cleveland. 

Reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa also got into the game and tossed two scoreless innings. 

Montreal righthander Tomokazu Ohka started against Atlanta Tuesday and went seven innings of one run ball on six hits for his second victory. It also ended a five game Expos losing skid. 

According to Sports Nippon, seven teams are after Nihon University lefthander Takumi Nasuno. This spring, he was 5-0 with an 0.39 
ERA and has a 30 consecutive inning scoreless streak. His fastball tops out at about 91mph. The teams thought to be pursuing him are Seibu, Chunichi, Hanshin, Orix, Yokohama, Daiei and Lotte.