Pitching woes

Tiger's starting rotation is in trouble. Kanemura pulled out just before the start of Saturday's game with hamstring problems. The likelihood of him starting the season is slim. Uezono is not considered ready and at the moment is likely to start in the Farm Team. Both Nohmi and Sugiyama (more on Sugiyama later) have bled runs and so must be considered doubtful but may be in the starting lineup because there is no-one else.

Saturday's starting lineup for the match against Seibu was as follows.
1. Hirano (Centre)
2. Saka (Third)
3. Toritani (Short)
4. Sakurai (Right)
5. Katsuragi (First)
6. Sekimoto (DH)
7. Asai (Left)
8. Noguchi (Catcher)
9. Fujimoto (Second)
Starting pitcher was Tamaki

For Seibu
1. Kataoka (Second)
2. Sato (Left)
3. Brazell (DH)
4. Nakajima (Short)
5. Nakamura (Third)
6. Ohshima (First)
7. Takayama (Right)
8. Hosokawa (Catcher)
9. Matsusaka (Centre)
Starting pitcher was Kishi

As I mentioned Kanemura was due to start and was replaced by Tamaki at short notice. Tamaki was obviously nervous (it was his first ever start for the Tigers) and issued two walks and a wild pitch and a hit. The result of the first innings was 1-0 to Seibu. Kishi if anything was worse and after loading the bases allowed Tigers a walk-in levelling the score 1-1. After that Tamaki settled down and pitched quite nicely. His next two innings didn't produce any runs. Kishi gave up another run in the third to a Noguchi hit putting the Tigers up 2-1.

At this stage Tigers were in control regularly hitting and with no problems dispatching the Seibu batters. Sugiyama replaced Tamaki and was excellent for his first two innings striking out four batters and allowing no one past first base. Then everything went to pieces in his next two innings. Maybe he had spent too much on the first two innings. Anyway in the sixth he surrendered a leadoff home run to Brazell. Nakamura got a walk and Ohshima followed with a two base hit 3-2 to Lions.

In the next innings worse followed. Hirao (replacement second) got a two base hit. Kuriyama (replacement left) walked and then Bocachica who was pinch hitting drove in the run. A double steal followed and another walk with Nakamura driving in two more runs. Seibu were now 6-2 up. Tiger's struck back in the seventh off Ohnuma. He had pitched four not very impressive innings and gave up a run to Sekimoto. Katsuragi also reached home on a ground out leaving the score 6-4 to the Lions.

Seibu added another run in the ninth of Daiyu Kanemura making the final score 7-4 to the Lions. This was the second time in two days a Tiger's pitcher had given up 5 runs in two innings (Nohmi the day before). The Tiger's pitching was not inspiring (9 walks and a wild pitch). Seibu were not much better (6 walks and 2 wild pitches). The Tigers failed to take advantage of their chances, Sekimoto, Asai and Tortani all had multi-hit games and Tigers actually outhit Seibu 12-9.

Tigers - Lotte (the bad run continues)
This was a match that the Tigers should have done better in. An error ridden Lotte performance (4 errors) was not exploited and Tigers allowed themselves to be shut out with only two hits.

Starting lineups

1. Akahoshi (Centre)
2. Sekimoto (Second)
3. Ford (Right)
4. Asai (First)
5. Imaoka (Third)
6. Tortani (Short)
7. Sakurai (Left)
8. Yano (Catcher)
9. Asai (DH)
Starting pitcher was Andoh

Lotte
1. Hayakawa (Centre)
2. Imae (Third)
3. Tsuyoshi (Short)
4. Ohmatsu (Left)
5. Satozaki (Catcher)
6. Ortiz (Second)
7. Hashimoto (DH)
8. Minami (Right)
9. Kobe (First)
Starting pitcher was Watanabe.

Both starting pitchers were good. Andoh and Watanabe allowed absolutely nothing over their four innings each with Watanabe having the edge allowing no hits (Andoh had two). Tigers then switched to Fujikawa, Lotte to Kubo. Kubo lasted two innings Fujikawa, after one innings was followed by Kubota who was good as well. So at the end of six innings the score was 0-0.

Things went wrong for Tigers in the seventh. Okada decided to continue with Kubota who then had one of his periodic meltdowns. These things happen from time to time and must be accepted. He allowed a hit to the Lotte short Nemoto and then a 2 run home run to the next man up Ohmatsu 2-0 Lotte. Maybe it was unwise to ask Kubota to pitch two innings this early in the season.

Anyway he was replaced by Egusa for the eighth and this did not bring any improvement. The first two batters in the innings hit and then Imae who was having a dreadful game hit into a double play but the runner on second (Kobe) made third. The next batter up Nemoto drove in the run 3-0 Lotte. That was the final score.

As I mentioned Imae had a game to forget, 3 errors (two in one innings), no hits and a double play. Whilst Tigers were outclassed by Watanabe (a pitcher they do have a lot of trouble with) their failure to exploit Lotte's fielding incompetence was not encouraging. Lotte themselves were not so hot, 8 of their hits came in the seventh and eighth from which they garnered 3 runs. This is not a good return for such a concentration of hits. Four Tigers batters reached first on errors, three on walks and two on hits.

Lotte got the victory so will be more satisfied but neither team can be happy with their respective performances. Ford drew one of the walks but struck out and grounded out in his other two at bats. However, his chances of making the starting lineup are looking promising.


[Edited by: Christopher on Mar 9, 2008 7:59 PM]