The Tigers have not won back-to-back games since the start of June, believe it or not. But after last weekend’s sweep in Yokohama, even small things like series ties have to be viewed as victories. Friday night’s game featured Junya Nishi making a return to the rotation and doing quite well, only to see the team lose in extras. On Saturday, Masashi Itoh continued his dominance of the Giants (5 straight wins now), as the team picked up its 11th shutout win (to 8 losses) of the season. Sunday’s tilt got off to a fast start, as Hiroto Saiki served up a home run on his first pitch, and another three innings later. But both teams’ bullpens held tight to the end and the game (and series) ended in a tie. The Baystars did the same in their series with the Dragons, so the lead remains unchanged at 1.5 games. The team is heading to Hiroshima on Tuesday to face the red-hot Carp. Time for our guys to heat up!
