◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 6-0 Orix Buffaloes (August 1st, ES CON FIELD)

The outs piled up uneventfully. Orix Buffaloes suffered a second consecutive defeat without showing any promise. "We just couldn't get a hit. We'll just have to fight back," said manager Kishida, looking up after their tenth shutout game loss of the season. They've now lost three games against Takashi Kato, who had been able to get away with it easily. They've been silent for 21 2/3 inning, failing to score.

Despite only managing three hit, they couldn't even reach second base. Seymour, the slugger who started in starting line-up second game back with the first team, also went hit in three At Bat-bats. In the seventh inning, they sent in a pinch hitter for leadoff hitter Ota. Over the past three years, they've only managed one hit in 20 at-At Bat against opposing left-handed pitchers. Noguchi, who replaced him, couldn't deliver either. With four games remaining, their record at ES CON FIELD is 1 win and 7 losses. They've now secured a losing record on the road for the third consecutive year.

Since the league resumed, they have failed to win a series in four consecutive games. Their lead, which was once as high as 10 games, has shrunk to 3, and fifth-place Lotte has closed the gap to just 0.5 games. On the 2nd, seventh-year left-handed pitcher Sato Ichi, who came up through the farm system, will make his first start of the season. Stagnation is not an option. (Osada Toru)