Fifteen, count em 15. The Yakult Swallows are now one game from matching their record for Central League futility set in 1970, the first year “Yakult” was affixed to their uniforms and the team was known as the “Atoms.”

If they do get to 17, it will be the third time they’ve set the league record. The franchise, originally owned by Japan’s national railroad and known as the Kokutetsu Swallows, lost 14 straight in 1950, when Japan’s two-league system opened for business.

Central League

BayStars 3, Swallows 2

At Yokohama Stadium, Yakult battled to stay in the game before falling short, as Shota Imanaga (6-2) beat them for the third time this season and the eighth time in his career — his highest win total against any of NPB’s 12 teams.

Imanaga struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, and Neftali Soto hit his 15th home run in the first, when David Buchanan (1-2) missed with a 2-2 changeup. The right-hander allowed three hits and a walk, while striking out one over six innings to take the tough loss.

Scott McGough allowed two runs in the seventh, allowing the BayStars to overcome a two-run Wladimir Balentien double in the eighth. The Swallows may be struggling, but Balentien was diving and tumbling to make catches in left field.

The streak

Essentially, the Swallows’ problem has been giving up runs, particularly with two outs and runners in scoring position. Before the streak started, on May 14, Swallows’ batters had a .749 OPS, their opponents a .730 OPS. Since then, Yakult’s hitters have done poorly with runners in scoring position with less than two outs, their OPS dropping from .808 to .534.

The Swallows pitching and defense has failed miserably with runners in scoring position since May 14. Through Friday’s loss, the Swallows’ opponents are batting .441 when they put the ball in play with two outs and runners in scoring position during the streak.

Carp 2, Tigers 1

At Mazda Stadium, Takayoshi Noma singled home Takashi Uemoto with the winning run in the 11th inning, lifting the Carp to their fourth-straight win. Uemoto’s older brother, Hiroki, scored the tying run for Hanshin in the ninth.

Carp closer Shota Nakazaki allowed three hits in the inning to blow the lead after stranding five runners over his last two games. Lefty Kyle Regnault (4-0) earned the win after pitching a scoreless 11th for Hiroshima.

Dragons 7, Giants 3

At Tokyo Dome, Shuhei Takahashi continued to rake, driving in three runs for Chunichi. He broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run double and added a solo home run in the win over Yomiuri. It was the fourth time in eight days that Takahashi has had three or more RBIs in a game.

Pacific League

Fighters 4, Buffaloes 0

At Kyocera Dome, lefty Takayuki Kato (2-4) took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and three relievers completed Nippon Ham’s two-hit shutout of Orix, which has surrendered seven unearned runs over the past three games.

Buffaloes starter Taisuke Yamaoka (4-2) was picked up by his defense in the second, when right fielder Kodai Sano threw a runner out at the plate to keep the game scoreless. But an ugly error by first baseman Hiroyuki Shirasaki when he dropped the ball as he tried to fire home for a force out contributed to Nippon Ham’s three-run eighth.

Eagles 3, Hawks 1

At Yafuoku Dome, Eigoro Mogi singled in the tie-breaking run off Kodai Senga (5-1) in the eighth inning, and Hiroaki Shimauchi added a sacrifice fly, handing the SoftBank right-hander his first loss of the season. Senga allowed seven hits and hit a batter, while striking out eight.

Wataru Karashima (4-2) allowed a run on three hits and three walks over seven innings to earn the win for Rakuten, as Sung Chia-hao and Yuki Matsui each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.

Zelous Wheeler opened the scoring in the second with his 11th home run, before Akira Nakamura tied it in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double in his first at-bat of the season.

Lions 3, Marines 2

At Zozo Marine Stadium, Kona Takahashi (5-4) repeatedly pitched out of trouble with the help of 10 strikeouts over 6-2/3 innings, and rookie Daisuke Togawa hit his first home run to tie the game 2-2 in Seibu’s two-run fifth.

In other news

• Veteran Hawks outfielder Akira Nakamura, who has been sidelined since March with an autonomic nerve disorder, returned to active duty for the first time this season and tied the game with an RBI double in his first bat in front of the home crowd in Fukuoka.

Thursday was a big day for a couple of 20-year-old rookies as Sho Yamaguchi took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Jingu Stadium, and Haruto Takahashi beat the Yomiuri Giants at Koshien Stadium.

The Yakult Swallows, meanwhile, moved to within two losses of their Central League record for consecutive losses.

Central League

Carp 13, Swallows 0

At Jingu Stadium, Hiroshima rookie Sho Yamaguchi (1-0) allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings in his first pro start, as he dealt Yakult its 14th straight defeat.

The 20-year-old Yamaguchi, Hiroshima’s second draft pick in 2017, started out relying on a good fastball and slider, and mixed in his curve and splitter as the game went along. He didn’t allow a hit until Yakult rookie Munetaka Murakami muscled a broken-bat flare over short with two out in the seventh.

Xavier Batista opened the scoring in the first off Yasuhiro Ogawa (1-7) with his 13th home run and his fourth over the past seven days. Ogawa made too many mistakes up in the zone, and with Yakult’s defense looking less than solid he allowed seven runs on nine hits and four walks over 4-1/3 innings.

BayStars 8, Dragons 1

At Nagoya Dome, Jose Lopez hit a first-inning grand slam off Chunichi rookie Akiyoshi Katsuno, while DeNA lefty Katsuki Azuma (3-1) struck out 10, while tossing a five-hitter to win his third straight start.

Tigers 5, Giants 2

At Koshien Stadium, Hanshin lefty Haruto Takahashi (1-0) struck out nine, while allowing four hits and walking two, while Pierce Johnson and Rafael Dolis each worked a scoreless inning of relief to finish off Yomiuri.

Tigers cleanup hitter, 24-year-old Yusuke Oyama, hit a three-run, first-inning homer off Taylor Jungmann (3-2) and singled home Yoshio Itoi from third in the fifth inning. Jungmann repeatedly fell behind in counts and walked five.

Pacific League

Fighters 8, Marines 0

At Sapporo Dome, Kohei Arihara (6-2) struck out a career-high 13 batters in a four-hitter without issuing a walk to win his 14th career game at the Nippon Ham’s main park, and his 14th against Lotte, whom he’s beaten more than any other team.

Marines starter Atsuki Taneichi (3-1), winner of his previous three starts, struck out eight over four innings, but allowed 11 hits and a pair of home runs.

Second-year slugger Kotaro Kiyomiya iced the game in the fourth inning with a three-run home run, the 8,000th in franchise history.

Hawks 5, Buffaloes 4

At Kyocera Dome, Orix’s defense gave away two unearned runs for the second straight game, helping SoftBank win a bullpen game against one of the PL’s more impressive young pitchers, 20-year-old rookie Tsubasa Sakakibara.

Alfredo Despaigne broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with a two-run home run, and a 4-4 tie with an eighth-inning RBI single. Sakakibara allowed four runs, two earned, over six innings and did not figure in the decision.

In other news

• Shun Takayama’s game-winning home run on Wednesday was the third sayonara grand slam in a game between the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants. It was the first by a pinch hitter.
• Hanshin Tigers pitcher Shintaro Fujinami walked one batter and struck out two in three scoreless innings in a Western League game against Orix on Thursday.
• SoftBank Hawks outfielder Akira Nakamura, who was diagnosed with an autonomic nerve disorder in March, could be activated as early as Friday, when he is expected to rejoin the first team for practice in Fukuoka after playing in a Western League game on Wednesday with no difficulties.
• The Orix Buffaloes have activated infielder Kohei Suzuki, not to be confused with pitcher Kohei “K” Suzuki.