Lion eyes …

Seibu has sights set on 3rd-place playoff spot

Practically written off for dead just weeks ago [by JBD], the Seibu Lions have the eye of the tiger.

Hiroyuki Nakajima led three players with two hits each and added an RBI as fourth-place Seibu rallied from a run down at home to top the Rakuten Eagles and put pressure on third-place Orix Buffaloes for the final Pacific League playoff spot.

Takayuki Kishi (8-9) went 6.1 innings, holding the Eagles to three runs, and three relievers took over to close it out and give the Lions a win in the first of four games in four days to close out the season.

Jose Fernandez stroked a solo homer, his 16th, in the sixth for the first of his two hits to back Kishi. When asked if he felt pressure to win, Fernandez said he enjoyed playing with something on the line.

“No, it’s fun. That what you play for. If there’s no pressure, it’s not fun,” Fernandez said.

“It’s important for us -- we have to win every game.”

Orix has just one game remaining, a matchup with PL-winning SoftBank at home on Tuesday.

BUFFALOES 4, FIGHTERS 0

Hioroshi Kisanuki (2-7) came up with one of his best efforts of the season at the biggest time, firing six scoreless innings at Sapporo Dome to beat Nippon Ham.

Takahiro Okada and Tomotaka Sakaguchi each drove in runs, and Aarom Baldiris slugged his 17th homer -- a two-run shot in the seventh -- to back Kisanuki, who has struggled most of the season.

The Buffaloes, who finish their season Tuesday, stayed one game ahead of the Lions.

MARINES 2, HAWKS 1

Toshiaki Imae’s two-out, two-run double in the 10th made a winner out of Yuki Karakawa (11-6), who tossed nine shutout innings to beat SoftBank at FYJ Dome.

The Marines stopped their five-game skid and put a halt to SoftBank’s nine-game winning streak.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

SWALLOWS 3, BAYSTARS 1

Masanori Ishikawa (10-9) kept Yakult close with seven innings of one-run ball, and Hiroyasu Tanaka broke a 1-1 tie with a seventh-inning RBI single as Yakult kept Chunichi’s magic number at one with an afternoon victory at Yokohama.
Ryoji Aikawa also added a hit as the Swallows
snapped a five-game skid.

GIANTS 4, DRAGONS 1

Hefty hurler Dicky Gonzalez (3-3) baffled Chunichi for the second time in a week, going five perfect frames and finishing with seven shutout innings to up his scoreless streak against the Dragons to 14 as Yomiuri won at home.

The Dragons lost their second straight, marking their first series loss in 20 matchups.

CARP 2, TIGERS 0

First-year import Bryan Bullington (13-11) tossed his first shutout since April 19, his second this season, and Akihiro Hiagshide and Tsubasa Aizawa each had an RBI as Hiroshima knocked off host Hanshin in a rain-shortened game.

Takahiro Arai hit in his 22nd straight game for the Tigers, who have to win all eight games while the Giants have to lose both of their final games for Hanshin to make the playoffs.



[Edited by: jgibson on Oct 16, 2011 11:06 AM]