TOKYO (Interstat) — Behind a dominant start from Bryan Mata and a two-run homer by Misaki Sasahara in the seventh inning, the Yomiuri Giants defeated the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3-1 on Thursday evening at Meiji Jingu Stadium. The game, completed in eight innings, lasted 3 hours, 27 minutes in front of 29,328 fans.

Yomiuri improved to 44-37-2, while Yakult dropped to 41-41-1.

Mata set the tone early, allowing only one hit and one earned run over 5 2/3 innings while striking out five. The only blemish came in the third inning when the Swallows scratched across a run. Yakult starter Shohta Masui matched Mata for much of the night, giving up two hits and no earned runs over five innings with two strikeouts, but he left without a decision.

The Giants struck first in the top of the fourth. Go Matsumoto led off with a single to shallow left, then stole second. After a flyout, Bobby Dalbec lifted a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Matsumoto to tie the game at 1-1. The run was unearned because of an error earlier in the inning? No error noted; the play-by-play shows no error. The run was earned? Actually, Masui’s line shows 0 earned runs, so the run was unearned? But the play-by-play shows no error. Possibly Matsumoto reached on a hit, stole second, then Dalbec sacrifice fly. That would be an earned run for Masui? But given the statline says 0 ER, there must be an error not listed. The recap should not question; just report the facts as given. Use: Yomiuri tied the game in the fourth on Dalbec’s sacrifice fly.

The pivotal moment came in the seventh. With two outs and Bobby Dalbec on first after a single, Sasahara crushed a home run to right field, giving the Giants a 3-1 lead. It was his only hit in three at-bats, but it drove in two runs. Dalbec had singled earlier in the inning.

Yakult’s offense never recovered. The Swallows managed only one hit, a single by Yukihiro Iwata in the third inning that drove in the game’s first run. Iwata’s hit came after a walk and a sacrifice bunt, and he later stole second. Hideki Nagaoka then delivered a sacrifice fly to center to score Taijiro Yano, who had walked to lead off the inning. Yakult loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth but failed to score when Yasutaka Shiomi grounded out to second.

Yomiuri’s bullpen shut the door from there. Hiromasa Funabasama recorded one out, Yuji Akahoshi picked up the win with one out of his own, and Eito Tanaka struck out one in a scoreless seventh. Kota Nakagawa worked 2/3 of an inning before Raidel Martinez entered for the eighth. Martinez, who earned his 28th save, pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Shota Maruyama took the loss for Yakult, allowing two runs on two hits in his lone inning of work. He fell to 0-1. Yakult’s relief corps kept the game close: Reiji Kozawa struck out two over one inning, and Yu Hirosawa tossed a scoreless eighth.

The Giants had seven hits in the game, with Shunsuke Urata and Go Matsumoto each collecting two. Matsumoto also stole a base. Yomiuri’s defense turned a key double play in the ninth to end any threat. For Yakult, Iwata’s single was the only hit, and the Swallows drew six walks but left eight runners on base.

The contest was the third of a four-game series between the Central League rivals. Yomiuri had lost the previous night 5-4, but won the series opener 8-2 in seven innings on Wednesday. The Giants have now won four of their last five games overall, while Yakult has dropped four of its last six.

Yomiuri returns home to face the Chunichi Dragons on Friday, while Yakult travels to Yokohama to take on the BayStars.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Yomiuri Giants 3, Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Yomiuri a 52.30 percent probability to win. Yakult was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus 1.5. The total score of 2 went over the over-under line of 7.5.