The Nippon Ham Fighters are having some recent problems with the Seibu Lions, as they dropped their fourth straight against the Tokorozawa nine 5-3 at Seibu Dome. Seibu backstop Toru Hosokawa slugged a two run homer in the seventh to break up a 3-3 tie and clear the way for the victory and put them within a game of third place Lotte. 

Masaru Takeda started for Nippon Ham and went 6.1 innings of five run, seven hit ball in his second loss.

Hironori Matsunaga started for the Lions and went 3.1 innings of two unearned run ball on four hits, so the shiroboshi was presented to reliever Chikara Onodera, who devised two shutout innings. 

Fighters DH Atsunori Inaba's two out pop fly behind first was dropped by first baseman Alex Cabrera and first baseman Fernando Seguignol doubled to left, Inaba putting it in fourth for the promised land. Catcher Shinji Takahashi doubled to right to pick up Seguignol for a 2-0 lead. Third baseman Eiichi Koyano walked, but leftfielder Mitch Jones flew out to right to bog things down. 

However, in the bottom segment, centerfielder Tomoaki Sato singled to center and, two outs later, Cabrera atoned for his error by toasting a changeup into the leftcenterfield seats to equalize it at two all. 

They would then slip in front in the second, as rightfielder Takahiko Sato applied major batspeed to another Takeda offering and deposited it into the centerfield bleachers to make it 3-2. They would fashion only one more hit through six. 

Nippon Ham put men on second and third with nobody out in the fourth, but a groundout, a popup and, following a walk that jammed the basepaths, a strikeout torpedoed it. 

In the fifth, though, Inaba doubled to right and Seguignol singled to center. One out lateer, Koyano singled to left to score Inaba and level it at three apiece. One out later, rightfielder Takahito Kudoh walked to load the bases. Unfortunately, shortstop Yang Chung-shou grounded out and the Lions pen would dominate from there by exiling 12 of the next 13 Fighters stickmen. 

It remained tied until the seventh, when Takahiko Sato singled to right and went to second on a sacrifice. Hosokawa throttled one into the leftfield stands and Seibu was ahead 5-3 and would not be challenged again. 

Hosokawa has three homers in his last four games, a phenomenon he analogized to being involved in a traffic accident. That is, just a matter of rare circumstances occurring to make it happen. 

It was also the first time since July 3rd that the Lions have had more than one homer in a contest. 

Nippon Ham can thank the baseball gods for interleague play, since they are only 33-34-3 against the Pacific League this season to date.

For Seibu, Cabrera was 1-4 and is at .327. 

For Nippon Ham, Seguignol was 2-5 and is at .249. Jones was 1-4 with two strikeouts and is at .167. Yang was 0-4 and is at .244. 

Rakuten starter Hideki Asai had the game of his life Wednesday, as he went the distance and hampered the Chiba Lotte Marines on three singles, one of them of the infield variety, for his first career shutout in a 1-0 victory. Lotte submariner Shunsuke Watanabe also went all the way on just five hits and 111 pitches, but was hung with his fifth straight defeat despite an ERA of 2.40. 

Watanabe handcuffed the Eagles on a single through four. But in the fifth, he threw a 1-1 slider over the middle of the plate and first baseman Jose Fernandez, crunched it into the leftfield bleachers for a 1-0 lead. Leftfielder Kenshi Kawaguchi doubled to leftcenter on the very next pitch and, two pitches later, third baseman Daisuke Kusano singled to center. Kawaguchi rounded third and made for home, but the relay shot him down. A strikeout and a groundout finished the inning off and they managed only one more single off of the righthander over the duration. 

Asai was touched for a two out single in the bottom half, but Asai retired ten of the next 11 to put it in the books. 

An interesting trivia not about Asai: this was the first complete game 1-0 verdict in Rakuten history. Their first 1-0 triumph, which was pulled off last season using relievers, was also won by Asai. He was clocked at 90mph in this one.

For Lotte, first baseman Jose Ortiz was 0-4 and is at .300. DH Benny Agbayani was 1-3 and is at .297. 

For Rakuten, Fernandez was 1-3 and is at .237. 

The Orix Buffaloes, struggling to stay out of the cellar, went on a five run scoring spree in the sixth to bin a 2-2 standoff and prevail 7-3 at Fukuoka Dome over Softbank. They also terminated the Hawks seven game win string. Tom Davey went five innings of two run, four hit ball for his sixth victory.

Opening for the birds of prey was Michitaka Nishiyama, who went five innings of four run, five hit bal and walked five in his first loss of the campaign. 

The herd loaded the bases with one out in the second, but a strikeout and a groundout deep sixed it. 

Softbank then leapt ahead when they came up in the inning, as DH Nobuhiko Matsunaka grounded deep into the hole between third and short and beat it out. Third baseman Hiroki Kokubo walloped a hanging cutter into the leftfield seats and it was 2-0. 

However, Orix paid off the debt in the third when centerfielder Keiichi Hirano doubled to leftcenter and, two outs later, DH Tuffy Rhodes hijacked a 91mph fastball up in the zone and sailed it into the rightcenterfield bleachers to make it 2-2. 

And it would be status quo through five. But in the sixth, first baseman Hirotoshi Kitagwa walked and second baseman Masahiro Abe wingled to right. C.J. Nitkowski succeeded Nishiyama and walked shortstop Keiji Obiki to pack the sacks. Nitkowski plunked catcher Takeshi Hidaka to force Kitagawa in. Out went Nitkowski and in came Akihiro Yanase. One out later, leftfielder Arihito Muramatsu doubled off the rightcenterfield wall for a two run double. One out later, Rhodes (about .230 with runners in scoring position) was intentionally walked to get to rightfielder Chad Allen (well over .300 with runners in scoring position) and Allen singled to left for two RBIs to widen it to 7-2. This was their final hit. 

The Hawks filled the bags with one out in the bottom of the frame, but a popup and a groundout wasted it. 

Softbank reliever Koji Mise struckout the side in the ninth and now it was the moment of the Hawks reckoning as they came to bat against erratic Masanobu Okubo. Rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara singled to right and, one out later, second baseman Yuichi Honda doubled up the leftcenter alley and the speedy Shibahara flashed to the plate to put it at 7-3. Two groundouts, though, sent everyone back to their respective hotels. 

For Orix, Rhodes was 1-2 with three walks and is at .310. Third baseman Greg LaRocca was 0-5 and is at .293. Allen was 2-4 with a walk and is at .280. 

For Softbank, first baseman Brian Buchanan was 0-4 and is at .277. Jason Stanridge also got into the game and was flawless in the eighth. 

Rakuten The father of outfielder Rick Short was injured in an auto accident and is currently in a coma. Short stayed at his apartment Wednesday in order to keep abreast of what was happening with his family.