1.   The deadline for creating a viable playoff team is now nine games away.

2.   There are still nine games left to play in August.

3.   The Carp are still nine games behind the front-running Yakult Swallows, whose scheduled game with the Hanshin Tigers at Koshien Stadium was rained out.

4.   The Swallows are still nine games ahead of the second-place Carp.