◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles 0-5 Lotte (August 1st, Koriyama)

Rakuten Eagles lost to Lotte, suffering their third consecutive defeat.

They lost control of the game from the start. In the third inning, with both teams scoreless, starting pitcher Takinaka, who had been pitching well, hit Yamaguchi with Hit by Pitch with two outs, and then gave up a two-run homer to Sato to right field. He gave up another home run to the cleanup hitter of the Lotte Marines, who had hit bases loaded slam the previous day. They conceded a painful early lead.

Then, in the sixth inning with one out and runners on second and third, Teraji came down with one out and runners on second and third. When Takinaka's breaking ball slipped, Horiuchi on the catcher couldn't catch, allowing runner to score on third (the record was a walk). He gave up a painful extra run. He then gave up consecutive RBI hits to Terachi and Tomosugi, runs. Starter Takinaka was taken out midway through the sixth inning with 8 hit 5 runs.

The batting lineup struggled against Lotte's starting pitcher, Kawamura. They managed six hit through seven innings but were held scoreless.

This season, their record against Lotte is 3 wins and 9 losses. They are struggling.