TOKYO (Interstat) — Spencer Howard allowed three hits over seven shutout innings and the Yomiuri Giants broke open a close game with a three-run eighth inning to defeat the Yokohama BayStars 6-0 on Friday night at Tokyo Dome.

Howard struck out six and did not walk a batter, earning his first win of the season for Yomiuri, which improved to 51-40-2. Yokohama fell to 39-51-3 with the loss, its fourth in five games. The left-hander, now 1-1, was in control from the outset, yielding only a pair of singles and a double while facing the minimum through the early innings.

Yokohama starter Kentaro Taira took the loss, dropping to 3-6. He worked five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out five. The right-hander kept the BayStars close through the middle of the game, but the Yomiuri offense generated enough small ball and timely power to build a lead.

Yomiuri jumped ahead in the first inning when Go Matsumoto hit a solo home run to left. That came after Taira had retired the first batter of the game, and it gave the Giants an early edge. Matsumoto finished 2 for 4 with the homer and an RBI.

The Giants doubled their lead in the fifth when Shunsuke Sasaki sent a solo shot to right. Sasaki, who played right field and center field, went 1 for 3. Taira kept the damage minimal otherwise, stranding a runner at second after a two-out single by Shunsuke Urata and a stolen base.

In the sixth, Yuta Izuguchi made it 3-0 with a home run to left-center. Izuguchi, the shortstop, went 2 for 4 with a home run and an RBI, providing Yomiuri with another long ball that kept the BayStars at arm’s length.

Yokohama’s best scoring opportunity came in the seventh inning. With one out, Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh doubled down the left-field line, and after Jerar Encarnacion flied out, Toshiro Miyazaki singled to shallow center to put runners on the corners. Yota Kyoda then grounded out to second to end the threat. Tsutsugoh finished 2 for 4, doubling again in the ninth, but the BayStars could not push a run across.

The game turned decisively in the eighth inning. With Yokohama still trailing 3-0, Yomiuri mounted a rally against the BayStars bullpen. Shunsuke Urata singled to shallow right, and Matsumoto followed with a single to shallow right to put runners on first and third with no outs. Izuguchi flied out to center for the first out, but Matsumoto then stole second, putting two runners in scoring position. Bobby Dalbec was intentionally walked to load the bases. Takumi Ohshiro then doubled to left-center, driving in two runs for a 5-0 lead. Misaki Sasahara followed with a groundout to shortstop, scoring Matsumoto from third for the final margin. The inning was capped by a lineout from Yusei Ishizuka, but Yomiuri had taken complete control.

Ohshiro, the catcher, went 1 for 4 with two RBIs, both coming on the eighth-inning double. Hayate Nakagawa allowed one earned run on one hit over two innings of relief for Yokohama, while Keisuke Izumi and Eito Tanaka each threw a scoreless inning for Yomiuri, with Tanaka striking out one.

Yomiuri’s pitching staff combined for the shutout, the team’s second in its last four games. The Giants collected nine hits, with Matsumoto and Izuguchi each providing power and Ohshiro supplying the decisive extra-base hit. Yokohama managed four hits in the ballgame, all singles and doubles, and never advanced a runner past second base after the seventh inning.

The victory continued Yomiuri’s recent dominance in the head-to-head series. The Giants have won three of the last four meetings against Yokohama, including two of three at Yokohama Stadium earlier in July. The teams will play again Saturday at Tokyo Dome in the second game of their three-game set.

Yokohama’s schedule does not get easier, as it faces Yomiuri again Sunday before returning home to host the Hanshin Tigers. Yomiuri, meanwhile, will look to build on the win and extend its lead in the standings. The Giants remain one of the top teams in the league, while the BayStars continue to struggle to find consistency.

The game drew a sellout crowd to the Tokyo Dome on a warm Friday evening, with the home fans treated to a dominant start from Howard and a late offensive outburst that put the game out of reach. The Giants did not commit an error, and their defense behind Howard was solid throughout.

Yokohama had no answer for Howard, who mixed his fastball and offspeed pitches effectively. He retired the side in order in the second, third, and fourth innings, and the only real threat against him came in the seventh, when Tsutsugoh and Miyazaki reached base. Howard worked out of the jam by getting Kyoda to ground out, preserving the shutout.

The BayStars had entered the game as a nominal favorite in the interstat projection, but Howard made that look like a distant memory. His efficiency and command kept the BayStars off balance, and the Yomiuri bullpen nailed down the final two innings without incident.

The loss was a frustrating one for Yokohama, which had hoped to build on a road win earlier in the week. The BayStars will need to find more offense if they hope to avoid a sweep in Tokyo.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Yomiuri Giants 6, Yokohama BayStars 4, and the actual result matched the winner and the exact run total for Yomiuri. Interstat’s ELO system had given Yomiuri a 55.30 percent probability of victory. The run line had Yokohama at plus 1.5, and the teams combined for six runs, going over the 5.5 over-under.