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Barnette, Ramirez highlight strong night for imports
It’s hard to do what Yakult’s Tony Barnette did on Friday, but the righty fired seven shutout innings in his Japan debut and beat the Yokohama BayStars 1-0 in Central League action at Jingu Stadium.
Barnette allowed three hits and walked three, but fanned 11 before departing. The Swallows scored the game’s only run on Ryoji Aikawa’s RBI single in the second inning. Takehiko Oshimoto worked a perfect eighth, and Lim Chang Yang walked one in the ninth before closing it out.
“Barnette had great control and the other guys did a good job of taking the baton and finishing it off for us,” said Yakult manager Shigeru Takada.

GIANTS 5, CARP 4
Coming off his first batting title last season, Alex Ramirez is flexing his muscles. The cleanup batter popped a pair of longballs and drove in four as Yomiuri sent Hiroshima to its fifth straight loss.
Ramirez got the Giants even with a three-run shot in the fifth inning and cracked a tiebreaking solo blast in the seventh to lift the Giants past the struggling Carp. Dicky Gonzalez (1-1) gave up four runs in the second inning, but gutted through seven innings to get the victory. Marc Kroon put the tying run on in the ninth, but Shinnosuke Abe threw out Akihiro Higashide trying to steal to end the game.

DRAGONS 5, TIGERS 4
Ace Kazuki Yoshimi got knocked around for a second straight game -- giving up five runs in the third inning --but the Dragons rallied for five runs in the fourth inning, Masahiko Morino’s double capping the rally, to edge Hanshin at Nagoya Dome
Five Chunichi relievers combined to two-hit the Tigers after Yoshimi exited in the fourth, with Hitoki Iwase getting the final two outs for his second save.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

MARINES 5, BUFFALOES 3
Kim Tae Kyun homered and drove in two as the Lotte moved even with Orix atop the PL standings with a win at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Tadahito Iguchi, Shoitsu Omatsu and Kazuya Fukuura each had RBI hits in a three-run first inning to stake Yoshihisa Naruse (2-1) to a lead. Naruse allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while fanning nine over 8.2 innings to earn the win.

LIONS 6, FIGHTERS 4
G.G. Sato went deep for the fourth straight game -- the longest home run streak of the 31-year-old’s career -- as Seibu sent Nippon Ham to its fifth consecutive loss, it’s worst skid since 2007.
The winning runs came across on Shinji Takahashi’s two-run throwing error in the eighth inning. Seibu’s Brian Sikorski recorded his fourth save.

EAGLES 8, HAWKS 5
Norihiro Nakamura had a bases-clearing double in the first inning and a two-run homer in the third to power Rakuten past SoftBank at Kleenex Stadium Miyagi.

KIMURA COLLAPSES
Yomiuri coach Takuya Kimura, who retired from the Giants after their Japan Series win last year, collapsed before Friday’s game because of a brain hemorrhage and remained unconscious in a Hiroshima hospital, the team said.
Emergency technicians administered CPR and shock treatment at the stadium before transporting the 37-year-old to a local hospital.