September 5th Fukuhara v Saitoh - What are the monkeys thinking?

OK then sacking is too good for our coaching team. Putting them up against a wall is probably a much better option. After the idiocy of using relief pitchers as starters the morons bought back Fukuhara who has not pitched effectively all season. Are they intentionally stupid? This blog has mentioned Uezonon, Ishikawa, Kojima and Cheng as possible starters. What do we get? A clearly useless pitcher who can't hold a lead and who is only effective pitching against Orix. Please Sakai-owner do not invite Mayumi and his bunch of clowns back for the next season. They have no understanding of pitching or pitchers and are really a waste of space. Let's have real managers instead and real pitchers. Scores

        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R  H E
Tigers  0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2  6 0
Carp    0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 X 5 10 1

Starting lineups

Tigers
1. Akahoshi (Centre)
2. Hirano (Second)
3. Toritani (Short)
4. Kanemoto (Left)
5. Arai (Third)
6. Brazell (First)
7. Asai (Right)
8. Kanoh (Catcher)
9. Fukuhara (Pitcher)

Carp
1. Higashide (Second)
2. Kokubo (Short)
3. Phillips (Left)
4. Kurihara (First)
5. McClain (Third)
6. Hirose (Right)
7. Amaya (Centre)
8. Kura (Catcher)
9. Saitoh (Pitcher)

Tigers first would start with an Akahoshi walk. Hirano bunted him to second but whatever happened to Akahoshi stealing? A steal and then a bunt to third would be better and it's not that the Carp are good fielders - rather the idea starved coaching team cannot conceive of this situation. Neither Toritani or Kanemoto were able to move Akahoshi from second and the innings ended scoreless. Kokubo generated a hit in Carp's first but he stayed on first and that innings was scoreless. Arai led off Tigers with a hit but then Brazell hit into (for him) a rare double play. Asai then flew out. Carp's second was quiet and one had to admit that at this stage Fukuhara was doing well. The third was totally quiet with both pitchers retiring their batters in order.

Saitoh's trouble started in the fourth. Hirano led the innings off with a hit. Then one out later Kanemoto hit to centre to set up runners on first and third. Arai hammered a bases clearing two base hit to right centre 2-0 Tigers runner on second. Sekimoto (replacement first) struck out but a wild pitch took Arai to third. Asai though grounded out to short and one has to question the wisdom of using him in this situation. Fukuhara then demonstrated why he belongs in the second team. He gave up a lead off hit to Kokubo then with one out sent a high shuto into the zone which Kurihara despatched for a two run home run 2-2 scores tied. In Tigers fifth the first two batters fell but then Akahoshi had a three base hit. Hirano though failed to convert him and the innings was scorless. Fukuhara returned for the Carp fifth to do more damage. Amaya led off with a hit Then Kura hit. Saitoh, of course bunted the runners to second and third and Higashide hit to second 3-2 Carp, runners on first and third. Kokubo was deliberately walked as Fukuhara was by now scared of him. This brought up Phillips who grounded out to third but the run was scored 4-2 Carp runners on first and third. Kurihara was next but he flew out to end the innings. Tigers sixth was quiet with the batters falling in order. Kanemura pitched Carp's sixth, Fukuhara not being trusted with another innings. I thought we had seen the last of him but hadn't reckoned with the stubborn stupidity that the Tigers coaches display (if they can bring back Sugiyama, they can certainly bring back Fukuhara). Kanemura started by walking McClain and then giving up a hit to Hirose. Runners on first and second with no outs. However, Kanemura is made of sterner stuff than Fukuhara. Amaya grounded out to Kanemura who took out McClain going for third. Carp then tried a double steal which failed, Hirose being thrown out. This left one runner on second and he didn't progress further as Kura flew out to end the innings.

Hayashi pitched Tigers seventh and somehow escaped the mess that his pitching created. The first batter on base wasn't his fault - Sekimoto made first due to an error by McClain. Asai bunted Sekimoto to second - the kind of useless move that we have grown accustomed to. How is a possible one run score going to overturn a two run deficit? Hiyama (pinch hitter) flew out and then Hayashi walked Katsuragi, runners on first and second. Akahoshi grounded out weakly and Hayashi was free. Tsutsui took Carp's seventh and retired the batters in order with ease. For Tigers eighth Brown went with Schultz. He gave up a hit to Toritani who stole second but Arai was unable to convert. Mayumi went with a distinctly off form Atchison for Carp's eighth. Phillips led off the innings with a two base hit. McClain's left hit took him to third as Phillips is not fast enough to make home. However, Hirose also hit to left driving in the run 5-2 Carp, runners on first and second. Atchison hadn't done well. Amaya lined out and then Mayumi switched pitchers bringing in Sajikihara for the final out. This was a pointless change - he might as well have left Atchison in but he needed to demonstrate his cluelessness. Sajikihara was effective, getting the final out to end the innings. For Tigers ninth, Nagakawa took the mound and had no trouble retiring the batters in order. Carp victory.

Really, one cannot fathom the stupidity and stubborness of the coaching team. They have a gap in the pitching lineup and they try relief pitchers or washed out starters. Anything but try their young starters. Supposedly, Tigers are chasing third but with such brain dead decisions one cannot see how they hope to achieve that position. Luckily, the Swallows lost so the gap between the two sides didn't decrease but it doesn't do to hand the side beneath you (who are also chasing third) a victory. Make them work for their victory and show your younger pitchers you actually value them. Because, otherwise you aren't going to get maximum effort from them when you do call them up and when you really need it. Of course, we can always hope the Tigers drop back to fifth and Mayumi and his team resigns. That would be nice.