Keiji Obiki went 3-for-4, including a pair of home runs, while Yasuhiro Ogawa struck out eight as the Yakult Swallows beat the Yomiuri Giants 8-5 in the Central League on Monday night.
The Giants dropped from third to fourth with the loss at Jingu Stadium, half a game back from the Yokohama BayStars and 9½ behind second-place Yakult in the race for the Climax Series.
Coming into the game with just two homers for the year, Obiki put his team ahead in the bottom of the second by sending Mitsuo Yoshikawa's second pitch over left field. The two-run shot scored Yuhei Takai, who led off the inning with a ground-ball single to left.