Just about everybody but the ballboy got in on charring Rakuten pitching Sunday, as seven Lions came away with at least one RBI in a 10-1 stomping of Rakuten Sunday at Seibu Dome. Kazuyuki Hoashi, who began the year in the minors, started for Seibu and went 6.2 innings of one run, five hit ball for his first win while Eagles starter Hiroki Yamamura incurred his first defeat after 5.2 innings of five run (four earned) ball on 13 hits. 

The Lions were quick to mug Yamamura, as centerfielder Kazuki Fukuchi beat out a ground ball and was erased on an attempted sac bunt attempt by second baseman Yasuyuki Kataoka. Shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima doubled to center and centerfielder Akihisa Makita misplayed it to allow Kataoka to get home on the error. First baseman Alex Cabrera singled to center, as did leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada. DH Takumi Kuriyama doubled to center for two RBIs and a 3-0 lead. 

Rakuten reacted in the third when catcher Motohiro Shima reached on a one out infield hit and shortstop Naoto Watanabe walked. One out later, leftfielder Rick Short doubled to rightcenter and Shima set the controls for the heart of home plate, but Watanabe was gunned down at the dish on the relay and the inning ended at 3-1. 

A popup left two men on with two out in the third for the Lions and a double play ball caved in a two on, one out chance for Rakuten in the fifth. A groundout then subverted a two on and two out opportunity for Seibu in their ups.

But in the sixth, Lions catcher Toru Hosokawa doubled to center and went to third on a groundout. One out later, Kataoka singled to right for an RBI and, I presume, stole second. Nakajima singled to center and Kataoka found his way home to up it to 5-1. 

In the seventh, Wada walked against Hiroshi Tobe and, one out later, rightfielder Takahiko Sato pounded one into the leftfield seats and they were in control at 7-1. 

The Eagles would get only one baseunner from the sixth on, so any further scoring would be piling on and Seibu did that in the eighth. Fukuchi singled to right and Kataoka legged out an infield hit. Nakajima walked to swell the bags. Backup first baseman Takeya Nakamura flew out to center and Fukuchi tagged up and crossed. Hisashi Takayama pinch hit for Wada and singled to center and Kataoka scored. Ginjiro Sumitani pinch hit for DH Takumi Kuriyama and singled to left and Nakajima reported and that is how it ended, 10-1. 

This was the third time that Rakuten has been swept this season and, after sniffing the .500 mark last month are now eight under par. 

For Hoashi, this was his first win in exactly a year. The Lions have taken their last four and are one under .500. 

For Rakuten, Short was 1-4 and is at .320. First baseman Jose Fernandez was 0-3 and is at .217. 

For Seibu, Cabrera was 2-4 and is at .335. 

The Chiba Lotte Marines went up 4-0 early and, unlike Saturday, held on to prevail against Softbank at Fukuoka Dome 4-2. Lotte starter Naoyuki Shimizu went 6.1 innings of two run, five hit ball for his third win to stay on the heels of the first place Nippon Ham Fighters. 

Tsuyoshi Wada started for the Hawks and went seven innings of four run, nine hit ball for his sixth loss. 

Lotte was in front before the seats were barely warm, as centerfielder Daisuke Hayakawa doubled against the leftfield wall with one out and, one out later, rightfielder Saburo Omura singled to left to dispatch Hayakawa in for a 1-0 lead. 

The Marines left men on second and third in the second, but in the third, Hayakawa doubled to leftcenter and leftfielder Benny Agabayani singled to right. Omura walked to load the bases. Catcher Tomoya Satozaki singled to left to invite Hayakawa in. DH Naotaka Takehara flied out to right and Agbayani tagged up and scurried in while Omura also tagged up and moved up 90 feet. First baseman Takeshi Aono flied out to right and Omura tagged up and crossed to make it 4-0. Nice execution there by the Lotte offense, too. Good thing, because they would get just three singles for the duration. 

Shimizu was perfect over three and permitted only one hit through five because he had the Hawks hitting it on the ground, but in the sixth, first baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda carromed a shot off the rightcenterfield wall for a double and, one out later, second baseman Yuichi Honda walked. Shortstop Munenori Kawasaki singled to left to drive Matsuda in and slice it to 4-1. A popup and a flyout bogged things down. 

They notched another run in the seventh, as rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara singled to center and one out later, went to third on pinch hitter Brian Buchanan's single to center. Tadahiro Ogino took the ball from Shimizu and Matsuda singled to left and Shibahara jogged in to make it 4-2. But leftfielder Naoyuki Omura grounded into a double play.

However, Honda walked in the eighth against Yasuhiko Yabuta and Kawasaki singled to center. But Yabuta then elicited a popup, a strikeout and a groundout to cancel the show. 

Masahide Kobayashi, Saturday's goat, exited the pen to try to redeem himself in the ninth. Initially, it didn't look good, as pinch hitter Kenji Akashi singled to right withb one out and Matsuda singled to left to put the tying run on. Omura grounded into a 5-4 force. Honda, though, went after the first pitch he saw and popped it up to left and it was see you later. 

Softbank third baseman Hiroki Kokubo was 0-3 with runners in scoring position here and finished 0-14 at the plate for the series. 

For Lotte, Agbayani was 1-5 and is at .304. 

For Softbank, Buchanan was 1-1 and is at .268. Jason Stanridge also got into the game and went two-thirds of an inning on a hit to maintain his 0.00 ERA.

Nippon Ham starter Ryan Glynn continued the success he found during interlague play Sunday, as he went seven innings of one run, five hit ball and was clocked at 93mph while striking out none for his sixth consecutive win in a 3-1 verdict against Orix at Osaka Dome. 

Lance Carter started for the Buffaloes and was hit up for three runs, two of them earned, on six hits in 5.2 innings to drop to 1-4. 

DH Fernando Seguignol gave the Fighters a 1-0 lead in the second when he poleaxed a Carter deliveyr into the rightfield seats.

But that was quickly neurtralized when Orix took their swings in the inning, as rightfielder Chad Allen singled to center with two gone and second baseman Kuniyuki Kimoto walked. Shortstop Keiji Obiki singled to center and Allen made tracks for the promised land for the 1-1 tie. Catcher Takeshi Hidaka slugged one right on the screws, but at first baseman Mitch Jones to turn the lights out on the uprising and they would collect only one more hit through five. 

Carter was doing similarly well, as he was touched for just a single after the Seguignol dinger through five. But in the sixth, Fighters second baseman Kensuke Tanaka tripled to right with two outs and rightfielder Atsunori Inaba doubled to right to tally Tanaka up. Seguignol singled to right and Inaba was going to stop at third, but the ball was misplayed somehbow and Inaba ran for home to put it at 3-1. 

Like earlier in the game, the Buffaloes tried to charge back in the same inning after a Nippon Ham score. Leftfielder Arihito Muramatsu singled to center and, one out later, DH Tuffy Rhodes walked. But a flyout and a groundout undermined that revolt. 

Orix third baseman Greg LaRocca doubled to right with one out in the eighth, but Hisashi Takeda and closer Michael Nakamura allied to retire the last five herd hitters and it was a memory.

For Nippon Ham, Seguignol was 2-4 and is at .260. Jones was 1-4 and is at .167. 

For Orix, LaRocca was 1-4 and is at .302. Rhodes was 0-3 with a walk and is at .287. Allen was 2-4 and is at .284. 

Seibu Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada has officiallly qualified for free agency. Wada is 35, so a major league prospect he isn't, but the Lions are going to try to retain him. 

Closer Chikara Onodera has finally worn manager Tsutomu Itoh's patience down and he was stripped of that slot on the team. He will remain in the bullpen for now. 

Softbank Kazumi Saito discussed how he felt the day after a successful minor league start Sunday, also saying that he wants to wait until he is 100% before he retirns to top level action. Nevertheless, it is still thought that he will make a start on the tenth against Rakuten.