Pacific League: Orix Buffaloes 4-12 Rakuten Eagles (27th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

The Orix Buffaloes have recorded a losing monthly record for three consecutive months. With three games remaining in August, they have 9 wins and 13 losses. They also had losing records in June (8 wins, 12 losses, 1 draw) and July (9 wins, 12 losses, 1 draw).

Starting pitcher Jerry was a disappointment. "I'm sorry for having to leave the mound in an early inning," he said, his performance reflecting those words. He allowed eight runs, a career-worst since coming to Japan, over 2 2/3 innings and suffered his eighth loss. His last victory was his third win against the Softbank Hawks on June 23 (at Mizuho PayPay Dome), and he has since lost five consecutive games. The second pitcher, Gonda, couldn't stop the onslaught either, and it was a one-sided 0-10 game by the end of the third inning.

Their number of games under .500 also reached a season-worst tie of three. They are now seven games behind third-place Nippon-Ham, who occupy a Climax Series playoff spot and had no game today.