Streak busted ...

Kaneko lit up as Marines hold firm

Chihiro Kaneko was streaking so hard, he probably didn’t even see what hit him.
The Orix Buffaloes righty, who had won 13 straight decisions, got lit up for six runs--four earned -- as the Lotte Marines marched past Orix 6-2 at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Saturday.
Lotte’s Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 3-for-4 to become the first Pacific League player since Ichiro Suzuki of the Orix BlueWave to stack up 200 hits in a season.
Nishioka has 201 hits with four games left on the Marines’ schedule. He was a particular pest for Kaneko, who hadn’t lost since Lotte beat him on June 24.
Kaneko (17-8), the PL wins leader, got surrendered 10 hits and three walks in 5.1 innings.
The win helped the Marines move in front of Nippon Ham for the third and final PLCS playoff spot.
Nishioka followed Naoki Matoba’s two-RBI single in the fourth with a run-scoring hit, his 200th hit of the season.
Matoba added an RBI hit in the sixth, and Nishioka followed with his second run-scoring single.
Nishioka joined the Hanshin Tigers’ Matt Murton of the Central League in becoming the second 200-hit player of the season, the first time in both leagues in NBP history.
Matoba also had a big day. It was the first three-hit game in his 10-year career. The former SoftBank Hawk was a career .157 catcher coming into the game with 80 hits lifetime.

HAWKS 1, FIGHTERS 0
Toshiya Sugiuchi (16-7) put two runners on in the ninth but got a double play to finish off a five-hitter and help SoftBank shrink its magic number for the PL title to one by blanking Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
The Hawks beat Yu Darvish (12-8), scoring a seventh-inning run on Munenori Kawasaki’s RBI single.
The Hawks can clinch Sunday in Sendai against last-place Rakuten.

LIONS 3, EAGLES 2
Mr. Second Helping, “Okawari-kun,” homered twice, solo shots in the sixth and eighth, and Takayuki Kishi worked out of trouble for his first pro save as Seibu got a must win against Rakuten at The Kleenex Box.
Nakamura’s 22nd and 23rd bombs gave Seibu a victory that kept its slim PL title hopes alive. The Lions also locked up a PLCS spot.

CENTRAL LEAGUE
GIANTS 3, SWALLOWS 2
Alex Ramirez smashed his 44th homer, a solo blast in the seventh that broke a 2-2 tie and pushed Yomiuri past Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Ramirez’s shot, one off his career best, helped the Giants keep pace with Chunichi and Hanshin, remaining in third place.

TIGERS 8, CARP 3
Takahiro Arai homered and double and drove in three to lead host Hanshin past Hiroshima.
Randy Messenger (5-6) went 5.1 he Tigers stayed 2.5 games behind CL leader Chunichi.

DRAGONS 9, BAYSTARS 7
Tony Blanco homered twice and led three players with two RBIs as Chunichi won the CL’s only day game to put pressure on Yomiuri and Hanshin.