The Wada Style - May 6th to 8th

Here was a winnable series which Wada contrived to lose. Fujinami started the series and struggled through six innings throwing an awesome 122 pitches - he really should have come off after the end of the fifth especially as Dragons took the lead that innings. Tigers bounced back in the seventh but we began to see the folly of making the starters go deep and not using the relief - rusty relief pitchers which would manifest itself in the final game of the series. Dragons took the lead in the bottom of the seventh and it needed ninth innings heroics to bring Tigers level. They held on well during extra innings until the 12th when Umeno pinch hit a three run homer to give Tigers victory 6-3. Unfortunately for his reward Umeno was made starting catcher for the next game. Tigers have Shimizu available and should really be using him. Dragons used a totally unfamiliar pitcher - Hamada and one of the best batting lineups in Japan failed miserably against this non-entity. Tigers scored no runs whilst Dragons batters took apart first Iwazaki and then Itoh to run out 7-0 winners. The final game of the series was tight with Tigers holding a 1-0 lead into the eighth. Fukuhara gave up the tying run - a solo home run to Luna in the bottom but Tigers still had the chance to take the lead in the ninth. With one out Dragons loaded the bases - walk, dead ball, walk. Tigers really blew it with Ryota striking out swinging. Wada then brought on Andoh who had been so poor the game before rather than Oh. Dragons scored a sayonara victory 2-1 on a pinch hit timely single by Matsui. Not a good performance by the batting but also by the management who had taken all manner of clueless decisions. The starting pitching is really going too deep and arms are being worn out at great rapidity. The lack of a relief can only be laid at the door of the coaching staff who this season have ignored the need for this type of pitcher and failed to prepare them adequately.