Baseball: Eagles blow out Buffaloes behind Tanaka

Masahiro Tanaka shook off his struggles for one night as he cruised through eight innings as the Rakuten Eagles paddled the Pacific League-leading Orix Buffaloes 9-1 Thursday.

Tanaka (6-6) went to the mound at Kyocera Dome Osaka with a two-run lead, and after pitching out of a first-inning jam, never looked back.

The former New York Yankee allowed five hits and two walks while striking out three as he located well and changed speeds to keep the Buffaloes from making consistent solid contact.

It was a refreshing result for Tanaka, who was coming off a start in which he allowed seven runs over 4...