Taiwanese import Wu Szu-yu, who was most recently with the LaNew Bears in the CPBL, started and tossed two innings and permitted a run. Wu is reportedly a candidate for the sixth starter's job. 

Manager Bobby Valentine will arrive in Taiwan Thursday for a press conference that will discuss a pair of charity games the team will play in that country, one on Friday and one on Sunday. 

Nippon Ham The person who catches rookie outfielder Yohei Kaneko's first home run ball will receive free souvenirs in exchange for the ball, according to Hochi Sports. 

Orix Slugger Kazuhiro Kiyohara had left knee surgery to remove some loose cartiliage in there Wednesday. He will be re-examined in about two months and hopes to be back in uniform in time to face his old team, Yomiuri, on May 27th. Kiyohara feels better after this procedure than he has after going under the knife previously, so he is hopeful. A team official indicated that Kiyohara will see some rehab starts in the minors before he returns to the big club.  

Rakuten Manager Katsuya Nomura, who was noted for talking to distracting hitters during his hall of fame catching career, is attempting to impart the same tactic to rookie backstop Motohiro Shima. Shima revealed that during a practice game with Lotte earlier this spring, he let slip that he hoped the next pitch, which was on a 1-2 count, would be bounced in the dirt after he called for a fastball. Nishioka, who was up at the plate, retorted with your basic "shut the fuck up." Shima, intimidated by this, apologized to Nishioka. Nomura, though, informed Shima that he shouldn't have apologized to Nishioka, that it was a sign that he was getting to the Marines speedster.  

Second year pitcher Koji Aoyama will start an exhibition game on the seventh against Nippon Ham in a test of his suitability for a rotation job. Aoyama spent all last season in the bullpen and didn't do that hot. But this spring, he has been clocked at 92 and is unscored upon in three combined intrasquad and practice game innings. If Aoyama doesn't begin the season in the starting five or six, he will apaprently be there as insurance if this outing and a subsequent one he may get go well.  

Seibu Manager Tsutomu Itoh did something rather unusual Wednesday. After his team was supressed on three hits Tuesday by Softbank at Fukuoka Dome, the pitching staff flew to Tokorozawa and their regular season homeground, Seibu Dome, while the position players were dispatched to Kochi on the ilsand of Shikoku to engage in a four hour long batting workout. Ah, Japanese baseball. 

A Lions pitching coach indicated that Jason Johnson, Chris Gissel and Alex Graman will join Fumiya Nishiguchi and Hideaki Wakui in the rotation while the press is speculating that the other spot will go to Hironori Matsunaga. That means that top collegiate pick Takayuki Kishi will begin the regular season in the minors due to his progress being hindered by injuries. 

Softbank Sidearmer Hideaki Takahashi hass plenty of potential, but he was still somewhat erratic, as he was tagged for three runs on five hits in five innings and struckout nine. Takahashi has a good major league quality fastball that will get up into the mid-90's on occasion, but his command still isn't where it needs to be.