May 21st Kubo v Sugiuchi - Tigers disappoint

I wrote last post about the management ineptness and the poor handling of the game. This continued and one can't say that there is any solution but the exit of Mayumi and his management team. Perhaps the players feel the same way - Arai deliberately ended the game with a runner on, striking out in three but making sure he didn't try to hit. Tigers generated two hits in the ninth and two hits in the previous eighth innings, they were that abysmal. Normally, they perform well against Hawks so is something 'rotten in the state of Denmark'? Inquiring minds want to know - is Mayumi's ineptness too much? These games were played in front of Sakai owner so was a message trying to get out? Score

        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R  H E
Tigers  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  4 0
Hawks   0 0 1 0 0 4 2 0 X 7 13 0

Starting lineups

Tigers
1. Shunsuke (Left)
2. Uemoto (Short)
3. Sekimoto (Second)
4. Arai (Third)
5. Murton (Right)
6. Johjima (Catcher)
7. Ryota Arai (First)
8. Lin (DH)
9. Shibata (Centre)

Starting pitcher: Kubo

Hawks
1. Kawasaki (Short)
2. Honda (Second)
3. Uchikawa (Left)
4. Cabrera (First)
5. Kokubo (DH)
6. Tamura (Right)
7. Matsuda (Third)
8. Hasegawa (Centre)
9. Yamasaki (Catcher)

Starting pitcher: Sugiuchi

Tigers started quietly despite the revised lineup. Brazell, Toritani and Kanemoto all sat out this game but it didn't make much difference. Sugiuchi started well and retied the batters in order in Tigers first striking out Uemoto and Sekimoto. Kubo aslo started well - a strike out looking for Kawasaki to start Hawks first and the other two batters falling easily. Tigers second saw the batters fall in order, once more with two strike outs by Sugiuchi. Kubo returned the privelidge in Hawks secoond and it began to look like a pitching duel was on the cards. Things changed suddenly in the third when Sugiuchi ran into trouble. Ryota Arai hit to right. He was forced out by Lin's grounder to second but the double play didn't come off. Then Shibata hit to right to set up runners on first and second. Shunsuke grounded out to third forcing out Shibata but leaving runners on first and third. Uemoto drew a walk to load the bases and Tigers were in with a chance. Sekimoto, though, hit straight to second for an innings ending ground out. Hawks third started nicely enough with Matsuda grounding out to third. Then Kubo inexplicably threw a 140 kmh straight into the middle of the zone. Hasegawa was onto it in a flash driving it over the right wall for a solo home run, his first of the season 1-0 Hawks. Yamasaki hit to left and made second on Kawasaki's ground out but then Honda struck out swinging to end the innings. A slender lead but you felt that Tigers would not be able to overturn it.

Tigers fourth was quiet with no one reaching base. Hawks fourth was similar with Kubo dealing very effectively with the Hawks cleanup. Tigers fifth saw a strike out but generally the batters were totally inept in the face of some nice pitching. Tamura led off Hawks fifth with a hit. Matsuda walked to set up runners on first and second with no outs and things looked worrying for Tigers. Hasegawa grounded out to second forcing out Matsuda but making first safely avoiding the double play. Tamura had reached third. Yamasaki struck out swinging negating the chance of a sacrifice and then Kawasaki hit one straight back to Kubo. He managed to get enough glove on it to stop the momentum of the ball and was able to pick the ball up and throw to first for the final out of the innings. Tigers sixth was quiet and no one managed to reach base. Kubo's problems really started in the Hawk's sixth. He does need batter support and he had had none in the game. Honda led the innings off with a hit to centre - this one just clipping Kubo's glove on its way out. He couldn't stop it though. Next was Uchikawa who hit deep to centre right where Shibata was after it. Shibata, though, showed the same weakness that Shunsuke had shown. He failed to take a straightforward catch near the wall. This was a costly mistake even though it was not called an error. Uchikawa used it to reach third and Honda was home 2-0 Hawks. Kubo went to pieces after this. Cabrera hit to left to plate Uchikawa 3-0 Hawks, runner on first. Then Kokubo hit to centre, runners on first and second with no outs. This was the end of Kubo who was replaced by Enokida. He couldn't arrest the decline - Tamura hit to left to load the bases. Then Matsuda hit to left to bring a runner home 4-0 Hawks, bases loaded with no outs. Hasegawa hit deep to centre for the fly out and Kokubo was home 5-0 runners on second and third. Yamasaki struck out and Kawasaki did likewise to end the innings. Tigers were back in control too late.

Tigers seventh was anything but lucky as the batters fell in order. Watanabe pitched Hawks seventh and walked Honda to start the innings. Then Uchikawa hit a two base to right centre. This time the outfield had no chance but Murton fielded and threw in superbly. It didn't stop Honda reaching home 6-0 Hawks, runner on second. Cabrera grounded out to Arai which kept Uchikawa on second and then Kokubo grounded out to second taking the ex-BayStars to third. This is the guy that Tigers made no attempt to sign when he rejected Carp's offer. Noticeably he has already driven in more RBIs than Tigers top scorer, Arai, as have several Hawks batters. Tamura hit to short which Uemoto fumbled - for some reason this was ruled a hit not an error which is what it should have been. Uchikawa was home safely 7-0 Hawks, runner on first. Finally, Matsuda flew out to Murton but the game was over as a contest. Tigers eighth was deviod of interest apart from the use of Brazell as a pinch hitter. For Hawks eighth we saw Kubota - a waste of a top reliever. This is not the sort of situation you use your best pitchers in. Mayumi is nothing if not vindictive. Hasegawa led off the innings with a hit but Yamasaki flew out to second. Kawasaki grounded out to third but this did more Hasegawa to second. Honda hit and Kawasaki reached third and then went beyond the base. Sekimoto saw this and with a good throw to Arai at third cut him off. He was then run down for the final out of the innings. Of course Sugiuchi returned for Tigers ninth - he was looking a complete game shutout in the face. However, he was also tired. Shunsuke led off the innings with a nice hit to second who could not make the throw in time. Toritani (pinch hitter) then lined straight out to Kawasaki whose throw to first was absolutely on the button. Shunsuke was caught off base and was well out - a very useful double play. Sekimoto hit into left which brought up Arai. He deliberately struck out in three. His swings were too obviously contrived and the innings was over. Hawks victory.

Hawks had outplayed Tigers who had not performed at all. Mayumi's benching of players and shuffling of the lineup had had no effect. The problems with the team are a bit too fundemental to be cured by a shuffle. Inept management and coaching has created a kind of malaise which affects performance. Kanemoto's retention is getting ridiculous but sentimentallity rather than practicallity rules the roost. Tigers will fire occasionally but seem to be mired in a B class performance mode. Normally, very competitive against the Hawks they barely bothered to try and this is indicative of the problems generated by Mayumi and his team.