Dan Serafini?

Last I heard Serafini was rehabbing something in his shoulder. To my knowledge, he hasn't pitched in any ni-gun games. Has anyone heard anything on a possible return? Them Orix gaijin have really been dissapointing.

Them Orix gaijin are horrible! Add to that an incompetent manager (Nakamura) and old broken down players like Kiyohara, Nakamura, Tani, and Muramatsu. No speed, little defense, and a closer (Ohkubo) who went south. You have a team that could finish behind Rakuten. Clean house!

I think the Buffaloes should definitely get rid of manager Nakamura as well as Kiyohara and Nori Nakamura. These guys are a side show. They can't play anymore! They need to give some of their young guys a chance and spend some money on a good foreign hitter or two.

The only productive guy in the middle of the lineup is Kitagawa. The only foreign player that is worth keeping is Tom Davey. I think these guys have a nice rotation, but are one or two starters short. Still, Kawagoe, Hirano, Davey, and Yoshii are a solid four.

The bullpen and defense are very dissapointing. I believe that stems from Nakamura's misuse of them, but with Ohkubo, Katoh, Kikuchihara, and Hagawara (and a manager with a clue), they'd make a nice pen.

Time to make some changes.

A team 1 year and a half removed from 2 teams merging is almost as bad as the team that had to start from scratch. Now I see why everybody in the Osaka area loves the Tigers. At least they try!

Tom Davey is not close to being horrible.

Davey is the exception. He has been good. All of the rest can hit the door.

Not only did the Buffaloes add two washed-up players in Kiyohara and Nori, they have also made them the face of the franchise. It's a recipe for disaster. Both will be gone within a year or two, so Orix will need to start winning and bringing up young talent or the franchise will have even more problems. Plus, using the horrendous Osaka Dome instead of the lovely SkyMark gives no extra incentive to see them.

What is Orix doing? Fire Nakamura, he's an idiot! Doesn't he understand you have to match the system to your players' ability? How can Rakuten, a team built on Orix castoffs, be on the verge of passing them? I'm so tired of this foolishness. Batting Muramatsu 6th and having lineups that change every day without out any logic. Orix, you are idiots!

- How can Rakuten, a team built on Orix castoffs

As outspoken as Nomura seems to be, he still seems to be the right person for the Rakuten job. Most thought hiring Nakamura manager of Orix was a mistake from the get-go.

Nomura is out-spoken, but has left all of the teams he's been with better.

I was one of those who thought hiring Nakamura was a mistake. Why, with so many excellent candidates for the job, would Orix hire a guy who has never won anywhere? It seems like he's trying to copy Ohgi Magic, and he has none.

Note to the Orix management. If you hire a manager, look for one who has a winning history. And by the way, did anyone catch Davey's dig at Nakamura. He said for some reason the foreign players aren't getting the at bats. I think they don't like the fact they don't play much.

Yea, I caught Davey's dig at Nakamura and I wonder if he acknowledged it at all or if things will change. These guys (Grabowski, Brumbaugh, and Garcia) need at bats. The other guys aren't getting it done. Get rid of Kiyohara and both Nakamuras. This team should be in the mix for the playoffs. They have the talent, but just bad decision making. The starters have beeen great and the 'pen could be really good if used properly.

Let's go Orix, wake up!

Pretty hard to build a team around pitching when they can't catch the ball. If Dan Serafini had been healthy rather than attempting to come back too early, which it is now clear he did due to the dollars, that might be one of the best two rotations in Japan (Kawagoe - Davey - Hirano - Yoshii - a healthy Serafini).

But they don't have a true closer, mainstays Daisuke Katoh and Ryota Katsuki went up in flames, meaning that they have to use the erratic Jun Hagiwara more. Then Ohkubo had to be sent down because he went this season's version of Eddie Guardado on them.

On Nori Nakamura and Kiyohara, they will stay because they are popular. Yeah, both men are washed up and are offensive mid-lineup black holes, but the orders from the top are clear: we're paying both men more than they are worth, so they play (it is to Softbank's credit that they aren't pitching D.J. Carrasco even though he is making a reported $2 million). Orix tried to use the big signings to cover for their deficiencies as a baseball organization and are paying the price for it on the field, but the box office has improved because K & N are so popular.

But the problem with how Nakamura-kantoku is running his batting order is that nobody has been able to get into defined roles. Batting Karim Garcia leadoff one night and seventh the next and then bench him the day after that is but one example. Mitsutaka Gotoh has the most viable pop right now of any of their infielders (Kitagawa will hit for some average but little power), but playing him risks the pitching staff going on strike because he is such a terrible glove guy.

It also doesn't help that Keiichi Hirano is gone due to injury, and so is Masahiro Abe. It isn't that Abe is a great piece, it is that he's currently better than Makoto Shiozaki. Grabowski and Brumbaugh, let's face it, neither man can hit Japanese pitching. They have had some recent luck with Ryota Aikawa, but Nakamura is jumping him around in the lineup and that will soon wear on Aikawa since Japanese like being in a defined role (look at Hiroshima as an example).

I think, to a degree, that Nakamura-kantoku is attempting to do what Bobby Valentine does, but Bobby has a clear plan and has mentally prepared his players for what he wants out of them on any particular day. Nakamura hasn't.

Orix reminds me right now of those awful mid-1980s Angels teams. They had a few pieces, but they also had too much garbage talentwise to be a contender. The difference, though, was that Gene Mauch knew what he was doing while Nakamura has no cohesive vision for this team. Mauch had a thankless job. Nobody will ever thank Nakamura for the job he's doing.

I agree, Nakamura-manager is terrible and that the injuries to Abe and Hirano have really hurt this club. But the bottom line is there is no middle of the lineup. If you have to play Nori Nakamura then drop him down to around #7. Bat Garcia, Brumbaugh, and Grabowski #s 3, 4, 5 and give them a week or so together in the middle and I'd like to see what they can do.

I strongly disagree that Brumbaugh and Grabowski can't hit Japanese pitching. Grabowski and Brumbaugh haven't been run out there consistenly this year, and Brumbaugh had a decent year last year. I think Garcia and Brumbaugh were the top 2 home run guys on this team last year.

Let's face it, whatever lineup they have thrown out there hasn't worked, so let's try this. Play Gotoh at short every day. He is actually a good glove given the chance to play, and I agree that he is a nice hitter.

It looks as if the Serafini signing was a bad one, but at least they don't look too bad signing Tom Davey for such a small salary, trying to pick uo the slack from JP. Makes you wonder what would have happened if they signed JP instead of Serafini. Could you imagine that rotation? JP, Kawagoe, Hirano, Yoshii, and Davey. The rotation has been the one bright spot.

But it looks as if it's going to be a long year in Osaka and Kobe.

Oh by the way, last night they actually payed Grabowski and Brumbaugh together, and Brumbaugh was 1 for 4 with a home run and Grabowski was 1 for 3 with a walk. Orix only scored 2. Let them play.

Nakamura must go! He's a clown impersonating a manager. What was the Orix ownership thinking when they hired him? I can't stand to watch another game. Nakamura never puts Orix in the best possible postion to win. A good manager would have this team at least at .500.

- Nakamura must go! He's a clown impersonating a manager. What was the Orix ownership thinking when they hired him?

Katsuhiro Nakamura was General Manager of the Buffaloes before being hired to replace Ohgi as manager. They should have kept his Hanshin mangerial tenture in mind. Though, I doubt Nakamura is going anywhere.

Message to Orix management: Fire Nakamura before you fall behind Rakuten. I can't stomach another loss. Ohgi had this team on the up swing and Nakamura has destroyed this team. He's a loser!

Davey digs at Nakamura again, saying for whatever reason Grabowski and Brumbaugh never get to finish games. Therefore their times at bat are limited.

Maybe Davey should stick to pitching and quit jabbing at his manager. Maybe the organization will grow tired of this despite his nice pitching. It's obvious that Nakamura doesn't like the foreign players.

Still, Brumbaugh and Grabowski have been getting more playing time and as a result have been producing. Mix in Garcia and you have three nice middle of the lineup guys. The Buffaloes are going nowhere anyway, but why not mix it up and let the helpers play?

By the way, Brumbaugh has homered in three of the past 4 games, and they played all three guys for the second time this week. Maybe Nakamura did hear Davey.

No vision, too many tactical errors and no defined roles. Move on! Nakamura has destroyed this team. Just like he did with Hanshin. Season over. Say hello to American football. Go Cowboys.

Watching the losses pile up is mind numbing. Why would any manager bat Muramatsu or Mizuguchi in the 6th spot? I read someone say let the helpers play. That is one of the problems. From the beginning the helpers played too much. You don't win championships letting the helpers play. Manager Nakamura must go.

I'd like to just quickly confirm that you understood the meaning of "helper" in the "let the helpers play" post.

Helper is the translation of "suketto," which is essentially a "hired gun" for a ball club. In other words, a foreign import meant to help the team. I think Cromartie translated the word as "migrant worker" in his book "Slugging it Out in Japan."

I've personally seen very little of the Orix so far this year. (Although Kiyohara's gyakuten sayohara man-rui home run off of Kroon still haunts me, despite Kroon getting the better of Kiyo the next day.) Still, the suketto who was playing right in one of the games I did see didn't seem to have any heart in the game. Maybe he didn't see the ball in the daytime sun, but he let a ball drop in just in front of him and foul after jogging to it with only half an effort.

If he did lose the ball in the sun, then all is forgiven. Gambatte next time. But if that's how he plays regularly, then I don't care how neglected he feels, he belongs on the farm where he can hopefully find himself and come back with some spirit.

This is just one scene of only a handful that I've seen of the Orix players. It hasn't left me with much desire to defend their suketto playing time, or lack thereof. But then again, this one play isn't much to judge all of the Orix suketto by.

One poster here continually criticizes everyone on the team, foreigner and not. But never gives a specific instance as to why he/she thinks the players are so bad. Was the scene I saw an anamoly, or was it typical of what all of the Orix players are doing this year?

Finally, why would any manager bat Muramatsu or Mizuguchi in the #6 spot? Well, Namamura-kantoku is living in the past. Mizuguchi had a couple of clutch hits for the Buffaloes a number of years ago. And Muramatsu is still living off of the good will he generated in 2003 while with Daiei.

You're right, Nakamura-kantoku is not going to turn this team around by hoping that all of his star players somehow regain their glorious past performances. But the best I can tell, that's his strategy.

To Westbaystars: Sorry, I misunderstood the meaning of helpers. I took it to mean the bench players (Onishi, Shiozaki, Gotoh, etc). I think they would have been better off going with the helpers from the beginning. Though I'm not sure it matters now. So I agree with you. I think Manager Nakamura is lost.

I would be shocked if over 90% of Orix homers weren't solo. Every time these guys get runners on base it's strikeout or pop out or double play. Then when there are no runners on base they hit a homer. They are so frustrating, not to mention bad. Now Nakamura is fielding what is essentially a minor league team. Shimoyama, Shimomura, Aikawa, Moriyama, Sakaguchi, Suzuki, etc. They will never win with those players.

I just saw Grabowski butcher a routine single to right. It looks like he wasn't even trying. Instead of hustling and getting behind the ball, he half heartedly jogged over, stuck out his glove, and watched it bounce over his glove. Of course it rolled all the way to the wall with Grabowski running at half speed. Does he even care? Does he want out? Now he just hit into a double play. Good riddens!

Any team that keeps retirement property like Kiyohara-san, no matter how popular he is with the oyaji crowd, is doomed. The man helped sink the Giants last year as he achieved personal records, and now he is taking down Orix as well. He can't hit a curve ball to save his life.

He made the effort this off season, it seems, to get into shape at least, but it's just too late for him to make any positive impact. What good does it do to bring fans to the game via a popular washout like Kiyohara-san and then force the fans to watch the team lose over and over again?

Couldn't agree with you more! What a wash up, and yet he's so cocky! Can't stand the guy.

I read Kiyohara is coming back next year. Orix just cares about money from Kiyohara revenue. This is not a sound baseball decision. What they don't understand is winning baseball is the best medicine. If you win everything takes care of itself.

Does anyone know if Serafini is coming back? With the exception of Davey and maybe Serafini all of the gaijins should not be resigned. Orix wasted a whole lot of money on them and they aren't even playing now.

im not sure if serafini is going to return this season. i havent heard anything. just chalk it up to another bad signing. the kicker is they have another year on his contract. will they eat the second year as the hakws did batista? the only gaijin that shuld be back is davey. it looks as if orix needs to go out and sign some good players. they havent had much luck the last couple of years. alot of changes need to be mad in that organization.