Baseball: Kawabata sparks offense as Swallows snap losing skid

Shingo Kawabata made a rare start and sparked the two-time defending Central League champion Yakult Swallows in their 5-0 interleague win Thursday over the Pacific League’s Nippon Ham Fighters, the Swallows’ first victory since May 14.

Having fallen into last place on the back of 12 losses and one tie in Yakult’s last 13 games, manager Shingo Takatsu tweaked his lineup at Es Con Field Hokkaido outside Sapporo.

Kawabata, currently Yakult’s ace-pinch hitter, was dropped into the starting lineup batting third, and his first-inning single set up an RBI single by sputtering cleanup hitter Munetaka ...