July 7th Fukuhara v Saitoh - We are busy doing nothing

So to all the moaners who seem to think that these comments are too negative - what about this game? Is this satisfactory? Was the batting good? Was the pitching good? Was the fielding good? Can you honestly say that Tigers do not deserve the opobrium heaped on them? Can you say that the team performed well? The answer to all these questions is no. This is a team in deep trouble, inadequate players and coaching with a tactical game plan worthy of a dead mouse. There are no positives to take from this awful display. Five, yes, five errors in such a display of ineptness that a high school baseball coach would give up and retire. Fans at the game were shouting things like 'We want our money back' and 'Rubbish' and who can blame them.

Arai was demoted to six after this performance but really no one shone. Baldris once again showed his unsuitability for the leadoff and Fukuhara demonstrated an ability to melt down. The horror is that the game on the eighth is that Sugiyama is the starting pitcher and one wonders of the mentality of the coaches trying him out in this role again when all he has done is fail. Drastic things need to happen rather rapidly if the Tigers are to have any chance of making fourth (yes only fourth place). I haven't agreed with zman before but he is right, Mayumi needs to be sacked quickly and his whole sorry coaching team with him.

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

Starting lineup

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

Sugiyama was replaced by Baldris before the game started

Carp
1. Akamatsu (Centre)
2. Higashide (Second)
3. Phillips (Left)
4. Kurihara (First)
5. McClain (Third)
6. Shima (Right)
7. Soyogi (Short)
8. Ishihara (Catcher)
9. Saitoh (Catcher)

Saitoh would be much the same as the last time he played the Tigers, getting runners on but not giving up many runs. He did well once again and in the Tigers first retired the batters in order. Fukuhara would have to contend with errors and fade badly in the fifth. He started the Carp first by messing up a ground out and allowing Akamatsu, the Carp leadoff, to reach first. Higashide bunted him to second and two outs later Kurihara drew a walk when Kanoh's glove touched his bat (interference). McClain walked to load the bases but Shima struck out and Fukuhara escaped that one. Tigers second saw Brazell manage a nice two base hit after Kanemoto had struck out but he stayed on second as no one did anything to move him on. Carp's second was a better innings by Fukuhara, the batters fell 1-2-3. Tigers third saw Baldris hit with two out and then Sekimoto hit, runners on first and second. Arai did nothing and flew out to centre to end that innings. In Carp's third Fukuhara was once again dominant and no one reached base.

Kanemoto led off Tiger fourth with a hit but this was extinguished by a Brazell double play. Sakurai grounded out and that was that. Once again Fukuhara dominated the Carp in the bottom and once again it was 1-2-3. Toritani drew a lead off walk in the Tigers fifth. He was bunted to second by Fukuhara (what was Kanoh thinking? - he can bunt well). Baldris then drew a walk when a hit would have been more useful and so Tigers had runners on first and second but with two outs. Sekimoto was duly out. Things started to go pear shaped for Tigers in the Carp fifth. Soyogi hit to right and stole second. Ishihara hammered a three base to right over a poorly positioned Baldris which drove the runner home 1-0 Carp runner on third. Saitoh grounded out but the runner was locked on third. However, Akamatsu hit to left 2-0 Carp runner on first. Higashide's hit was a two base, runners on second and third. Phillips hit towards Fukuhara who took the runner going for home, the last piece of good fielding the Tigers would produce, runners on first and third. Kurihara walked to load the bases but McClain grounded out to end the innings. Carp were in a good position but it could have been better. Saitoh ran into trouble immediately. He walked Kanemoto after Arai had failed again. Then Brazell hit. Sakurai hit to load the bases and here was a chance. All Toritani could manage was a pitcher ground out which brought in one run - it was good work by Saitoh. However, with runners on second and third one expected more from Kanoh but he grounded out to short. Not very good. For Carp's sxith Mayumi chose Egusa. He was perhaps precipitate in replacing Fukuhara too soon but probably not. However, the guideline Egusa, runners on, Watanabe no runners does not seem to have penetrated. This would be demonstrated with a vengance. Egusa gave up a three base hit to right with one out, once again a poorly positioned Baldris. He then released a wild pitch 3-1 Carp. Ishihara hit and Mayumi decided (in a panic) that he should change pitchers. He went with Watanabe who was also dismal. Kokubo (pinch hitter) flew out to Baldris who dropped the ball. This set up runners on second and third. Akamatsu drove a pitch to left for a nice two base hit and both runners home 5-1 Carp runner on second. Higashide hit a three base to right centre 6-1 Carp runner on third. Finally Phillips struck out and Kurihara grounded out but the Tigers middle relief had failed miserably.

Tigers seventh was pitched by Komatsu who had no trouble retiring the three batters in order. Sajikihara took the Carp seventh which is surprising given that Abe was dropped to make way for him. He gave up a hit to Soyogi, another two base. Komatsu continued with the Tigers eighth and had an easy job with a demoralised uninterested side. Sajikihara returned for the Carp's eighth and was totally useless. He walked Akamatsu and then gave up a hit to Higashide to set up runners on first and second with one out. A ground out took the runners to second and third and then Sajikihara's wild pitch allowed both of them to score 8-1 Carp. Kurihara hit a fly to right which Katsuragi (replacement right) dropped showing that Baldris wasn't the only incompetent right but finally Kimura (replacement third) struck out to end the innings. Tigers ninth was pitched by Aoki who gave up a lead off hit to Sakurai. He stayed on first as the next three batters did nothing. Carp victory.

Carp had done well and had taken advantage of a truely amateur performance by the Tigers. Everything had been lacking and there was no effort or drive. The terrifying thing was that the coaches had no ability to alter the situation and one gets the impression no one knows how. The sooner the rumours about Yamada firm up and become reality the better. This is a very unhappy team and there needs to be a change very soon or they will sink even further.