5/10/2004
5/10/2004
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Team Reports
| Hanshin | |
| A pitching coach for the Tigers said Monday that Yomiuri catcher
Shinnosuke Abe is going to be repeatedly pounded inside because they believe
that he lies to get extended to drive the ball out.
Maybe they should worry more about second baseman Toshihisa Nishi instead. In six games, Nishi has batted .423 with four homers and six RBIs. Manager Akinobu Okada also said that he doesn't want his pitchers to think about the Giants homer streak or they will try to be too fine and walk too many of them. Instead, he wants them to go after the Yomiuri order aggressively. |
On the other hand, Okada is also concerned about the eight strikeouts
by centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi in the last five contests. "Hit the
ball on the ground and show them your speed," he reportedly told the diminutive
steals champ.
The club got good news about outfielder Osamu Hamanaka after he was examined at a hospital Monday. He is only suffering from an inflamed bicep while his surgically repaired shoulder is fine. There is no timetable on when he might be back on the field, but he won't be able to throw for the next 2-3 weeks and will probably not be back until after the all star break. |
| Chunichi | |
| Monday was supposed to be a complete off day for the team, but the Dragons pitching coach, seeing that they have surrendered 68 runs in their last ten games, called the pitching staff for a special workout. | In addition, fourth round draft choice Mitsuru Sato will be slotted
into a setup role after an impressive two inning outing this past weekend.
The Dragons are last in the CL in team ERA.
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| Yomiuri | |
| Ace Koji Uehara may be out as long as a month due to a hamstring
pull, the Giants announced Monday. To a pitching thin team that has aging
veterans such as Kimiyasu Kudoh and Masumi Kuwata in it, this is a huge
deveopment. Uehara apparently began indicating discomfort in the hammy
last Tuesday.
As a result, Matt Randel will be given a start and it could be that Hiroki Sanada, who hasn't progressed nearly as fast as initially hoped, will also be given a shot. However, it also takes Randel out of the bullpen, where he's been the most reliable reliever and they are still 2-3 weeks away from Bryan Corey showing up. That will put even more of an onus in Brian Sikorsky and Junichi Kawahara. So we'll get to see if they can hold down the fort if Randel is successful ina starting role. But in a very interesting development, Chunichi Sports is reporting that the Boston Red Sox are shadowing Uehara with an eye to acquiring him if he is posted. Scout Jon Deeble is said to have been in |
Japan recently and while he avoided going to the ballpark in order
to keep their interest in him quiet, he did watch him on television and
send reports back to Boston.
Yomiuri owner Tsuneo Watanabe considers the posting system anathema and with the Giants pitching system being what it is, it is hard to believe that they would voluntarily part with him, especially since Kimiyasu Kudoh may seek an MLB job in 2005. This will definitely be worth keeping an eye on. Despite his ongoing back malady, Kazuhiro Kiyohara will remain on
the roster as a pinch hitter, but since they don't want to aggravate his
injury, he will only be used in absolutely crucial situations. This may
be a good move as long as it doesn't cause further injury. The reason is
that even if a pitcher strikes out a hitter of Kiyohara's stature, there
is somtimes a tendency to let down on the next man up, who then ends up
being the hero.
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| Yakult | |
| Outfielder Mitsuru Manaka qualified for free agency Monday and the Swallows want to keep him around. The 5'7" 165 pound 33 year old Nihon University grad also wants to stay with the club. He has hit .288 with 43 homers and 266 RBIs during his 12 year career. He lead the Central League in triples in 1998 with ten. | Outfielder Billy Martin will make his regular season Japanese debut
against Chunichi Tuesday after returning from knee surgery.
Backup catcher Kosei Ono has been taken off the roster with back pain. |
| Hiroshima | |
| After a scorcing hot April, rightfielder Shigenobu Shima is only
5-27 .185 in May.
Tuesday's game will be played in Yamagata Prefecture, the area that |
infielder Kenta Kurihara is from. According to Sankei Sports, around
400 friends, associates and fans from Kurihara's junior high and
high school days will be there.
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| Miscellaneous | |
| Kazuo Matsui was dropped to the two hole by Mets manager Art Howe
Monday and he responded with a 2-3, one RBI night. He had a first inning
bunt single and then later yanked a pitch up in the zone down the rightfield
line. He suffered an ankle bruise later in the game and was taken out.
The Mets lost to Arizona 12-8. Matsui is hitting .244.
The 12 pro teams are going to go to the high school, university and industrial leagues governing bodies and ask them to approve medical checkups for players who may be drafted before the November pick 'em actually happens. They believe that their scouts can determine the relative health of pitchers' elbow, shoulders and etc, but it is |
harder to determine if they might have any underlying allergies
or organ problems that would hinder their potential pro careers.
Interaction between pro teams and amatuers is ridiculously tightly proscribed in Japan, so that's why they have to go through the respective associations to obtain permission. Angels farmhand Yoshitaka Mizuo, a former Orix pitcher, went 1.2
scoreless for Anaheim's Salt Lake City affiliate Monday on one hit and
fanned two.
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