Anderson Espinoza delivered his third impressive start in Japan, and the Orix Buffaloes scored four late runs Wednesday in a 5-0 Pacific League win over the Rakuten Eagles.
Espinoza (3-0) allowed five singles but no walks while striking out seven over seven innings at Sendai's Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi. The right-hander has allowed one run in 20 innings.
Last year's PL batting champion, Yuma Tongu, opened the scoring with a second-inning solo homer off veteran right-hander Takayuki Kishi (0-2), who allowed one run over six innings.
"I was just going out to compete in every inning, since most of the game our lead was 1-0," said the 26-year-old Espinoza.
Tongu iced the game by capping a four-run seventh-inning rally with a three-run triple.
Among other games Wednesday, the Central League champion Hanshin Tigers were held to two runs on three third-inning hits in a 2-0 win over the Yomiuri Giants, who out-hit the Tigers 8-3.
