May 30th Kubo v Takeda - Kyuji fails to save the day

Kyuji Fujikawa gave up his first home run of the season blowing a save opportunity and allowing Fighters to take the game into extra time. He still showed his professionalism though by ensuring that they didn't get any other runs and win. Tigers were able to take the game in extra time and square the series with Fighters winning both games at Hokkaido. Once again Mayumi overpitched Kubo - this is getting to be a bad habit. He had pitched well and three hits on seven innings. It would have been a good point to pull him and go to the relief. Instead Kubo was kept in and couldn't finish the eighth. Mayumi makes this mistake again and again and seems to have no concern for the victory. One thinks of Ochiai who pulled his pitcher after eight innings of a no hitter to make sure his side took the victory. More of this spirit would help Mayumi. Scores

          1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R  H E
Tigers    0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0  0  1 3 12 1
Fighters  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  0  0 2  7 1

Starting lineups

Tigers
1. Hirano (Second)
2. Yamato (Short)
3. Murton (Left)
4. Kanemoto (DH)
5. Arai (Third)
6. Brazell (First)
7. Johjima (Catcher)
8. Sakurai (Right)
9. S. Fujikawa (Centre)

Starting pitcher was Kubo

Fighters
1. Tanaka (Second)
2. Morimoto (Left)
3. Itoi (Centre)
4. Nioka (DH)
5. Koyano (Third)
6. Takahashi (First)
7. Yang (Right)
8. Ono (Catcher)
9. Kaneko (Short)

Starting pitcher was M. Takeda

Tigers would find Takeda a more difficult proposition to pitch against then Darvish but somehow take the lead against him. In the first though the batters fell 1-2-3. Kubo started nicely getting the first two batters to fly out but then his first pitch to Itoi was a dead ball. Nioka grounded out though. Kanemoto led off Tigers second with a hit to centre. He stayed on first as the next three batters all fell easily. For Fighters Koyano led off their second with a two base hit - infinitely more dangerous than Kanemoto's hit. Kubo pitched very nicely getting Takahashi to ground out to second - Koyano couldn't advance. Yang struck out but then Kubo walked Ono. However, the final batter, Kaneko flew out to end the innings. A potentially serious threat had been nicely neutralised by Kubo's pitching. Tigers third was even more promising but this time it was nice work by Fighters which denied them. Sakurai hit but then Shunsuke Fujikawa grounded out to the pitcher who threw to second for the out. Fujikawa was safe but then was thrown out trying to steal second. Hirano hit but Yamato struck out to end the innings. Tigers despite having two hits had not been allowed to get a runner beyond first. Kubo had found his rhythm by now and retired the batters in order and Fighters third was quiet.

Tigers tried again in their fourth. Murton hit a grounder to third which was messed up and he was safe. Kanemoto tried a bunt which turned out to be a successful bunt hit - runners on first and third with no outs. Arai hit his first pitch straight to short for a double play - it was just too tempting but it left Murton the chance to go for home which he did 1-0 Tigers. Brazell then grounded out but Tigers had managed to scramble a slender lead. In Tigers fourth Koyano who was having a good game with the bat hit with one out (he would finish a three base short of the cycle). He stayed on first as his compatriots grounded out to end the innings. Tigers fifth was quiet - Takeda was matching Kubo pitch for pitch. In Fighters fifth it was Tigers turn to make an error - like the Fighters it was at third. This time Kaneko bunted Ono, the runner to second. Tanaka flew out to short but then Morimoto drew a walk. Itoi grounded out and that threat died really before it had started. Tigers sixth was again quiet - runners were not getting on base but the lead was still there and Kubo was still defending it. He demonstrated this by nicely retiring the heart of Fighters batting lineup in the bottom.

Takeda faltered slightly in Tigers seventh. He got Kanemoto with a straightforward first ground out but then Arai hit to left. Brazell, as he does these days, failed to hit. Johjima did hit and Tigers had runners on first and second. Sakurai banged one to right but the fielder was under it and the innings was over - not so lucky seventh. If Tigers seventh was unlucky then Fighters was even more unlucky for them, the batters went down 1-2-3 to some very nice pitching. At this point Takeda was looking secure. He had thrown less pitches than Kubo and despite having a run against him had controlled Tigers batting very nicely. With only 87 pitches to his name he should have had another innings in him. He faced Toritani (pinch hitter) and the Tigers captain hit his first pitch into the right stand for a solo home run 2-0 Tigers. Hirano tried to fly out to centre but this prompted Nashida to replace Takeda with Wolfe. He gave up a hit to Murton but managed to retire Kanemoto safely and end the innings. This would have been an ideal time to replace Kubo who had thrown 110 pitches with a fresh arm. However, he started the eighth and gave up a hit to Tanaka. Another hit to Morimoto followed and Fighters had runners on first and second. Here Kubo had a bit of luck - his final piece as Itoi hit into a double play which did, however, move the runner on second to third. Nioka was next and he hit to left driving home the run 2-1 Tigers, runner on first. Kyuji Fujikawa replaced Kubo for the final out - Tigers still had a lead and it was his job to maintain it. Konta (pinch runner) replaced Nioka and with Koyano at the plate tried to steal second. Fatefully, the throw was good and Konta was thrown out to end the innings. Of course, Koyano would lead off the next innings. Before that there was the little matter of Tigers ninth. Wolfe got Arai to ground out and was then replaced to Miyanishi who got the next two outs. Kyuji Fujikawa returned for his postponed duel with Koyano. Basically, his pitching had been an unrelieved diet of straight fastballs to the Fighters third and so you could say that Koyano had his eye in. Koyano hit the second pitch was hit sweetly and high and just stayed in for a solo home run 2-2 scores tied. After giving up the lead Fujikawa still had to preserve the tie to enable Tigers to have a chance of winning. He did this well and one shouldn't be too worried about the home run - these things happen even to the best pitchers.

Tigers would actually prove the stronger side in the extra innings that followed and it was Fighters who seemed to be struggling to survive. Sakurai led off Tigers tenth with a hit. Saka (replacement short) bunted him to second - the bunt would come into more prominent play in these innings but Hirano hit a liner to Miyanishi who threw to second to catch Sakurai off base for the final out. For Fighters tenth Mayumi couldn't really use Kyuji Fujikawa and so went with Watanabe. He has been giving up runs recently and so was a bit of a risk. This time though he was good. Two outs followed quickly and then a hit to Morimoto. Itoi grounded out though and the innings was over. Tateyama pitched Tigers eleventh and made a mess of it. Yamato tried a bunt hit to lead off with and made it safely to first. Murton hit to centre and then Kanemoto hit to right to load the bases. Arai was next and he hit deep into centre for the sacrifice fly. Yamato tagged up and was home 3-2 Tigers but the runners on second and third stayed anchored to the bases. Sekimoto (replacement first) then grounded out to first which moved the runners round to second and third but Johjima popped his first pitch up into foul ground and Ono took the catch to end the innings. However, Tigers had the lead back and now it was up to Watanabe to ensure the victory. This proved to be easier than expected. Watanabe was nervous to start off with but he got Konta (replacement DH) to fly out to short and relaxed a bit. The difficult Koyano lined out to Sekimoto and then Takahashi grounded out to Saka to end the game. Tigers victory.

This game had been tight but Tigers had proved stronger in the end. They had done very well to keep their nerve after the shock of the tying home run. Kubo is an unlucky pitcher though - he has thrown several very nice games but has missed out on the victory because of Mayumi's propensity to over pitch him. Knowing the pitcher's limits and trusting the relief seem to be alien to Mayumi's nature. Toritani who still isn't ready hit his first pinch hit home run and seems to be doing nicely as a pinch hitter. Tigers split this series 2-2, not a result one would have predicted after the debacle at Koshien. They need to continue to play as well as this in the upcoming games though.

I have to say, Christopher, your constant negativity toward the Tigers is getting pretty grating. This is a team that's second in the Central League with a 2-game cushion, and only 4.5 back of Yomiuri. They just took two wins out of Sapporo, including one game where a rookie took down the best pitcher in Japan, and your blog about the game reads like a manifesto for your personal vendetta against Mayumi, which is starting to border on obsessive. No mention of the lineup shuffle that dropped Murton to third and kicked off a stretch where Hanshin has won four of six, with the two losses coming against probably the best team in Japanese baseball, eh?

It also bears pointing out that the two managers you mention, Okada and Ochiai, aren't doing so hot either. Ochiai has absolutely crushed the confidence of his ace, Chen, and his Dragons don't have any reliable top-of-the-rotation starters to fall back on. Okada's Buffaloes are sitting fourth in the Pacific, five games out of a playoff spot. I'd take Mayumi over either of these guys, frankly.

[Edited by: Christopher on Jun 1, 2010 7:41 AM]

You miss the point I think - it does not really matter what the position is now it is what the position will be at the end of the season. I happen to think that Tigers will fade and drop back but if I am wrong I will happily acknowledge you were right. There are too many structural weaknesses which have been allowed to develop. The lineup change was covered in the March 24th blog item.
The fact is that Mayumi is not a good manager especially in his handling of the pitching and both Ochiai and Okada are better managers despite what is currently happening.

Thanks for replying - respect for engaging me in conversation. A lot of bloggers would have just ignored me and kept going. Cheers.

If we're talking about late-season collapses, I'd think Okada's performance in 2008 when the Tigers blew a 13-game lead would spring to mind immediately. Also, it's important to note that the Tigers are hanging around in second place without their top three starting pitchers - Iwata and Nohmi both got hurt, and Andoh is back in 2-gun learning how to pitch again. Imagine what would happen to a team like Rakuten if Iwakuma and Ma-kun went down hurt - their season would pretty much end right there. Also, don't forget that last year the Tigers lost two of their most important relievers in Jeff Williams and Scott Atchison, and Mayumi's had to deal with that instability in the bullpen as well.

You took the opportunity to slam Mayumi in your blog post about the Tigers' rotation being in trouble, bringing him to task for relying on his veterans rather than calling up young talent, and included a reference to Futagami Kazuhito, who was hurt early in the year and has only just started pitching practice games for the 2-gun team. Meanwhile, you completely neglect to mention young Ken Nishimura, who has become one of Mayumi's go-to set-up guys in late, tight situations - he's basically taken the 8th inning job from Kubota in the relay to get to Kyuji in the 9th. I'm not sure what other young pitchers you're talking about that should be called up - Fujihara Masanori and Sho Ikketsu aren't ready, Akiyama is 18, and I was at the game that Kojima started at Koshien - the Giants absolutely annihilated him. The only kid I think is ready for the big time is Cheng Kaiwen, and I wouldn't mind seeing him brought up to take the place of someone like Ishikawa. Either way, I think Mayumi's handling a difficult situation with the pitching - he's rolling with half a staff and making it work. With Nohmi and possibly Iwata set to come back later on in the year to offer reinforcements, I don't see what structural weaknesses you're looking at that will cause the Tigers to drop off like you're saying they will.

I do have concerns that the management of the pitching is too conservative. The younger pitchers are taking too long to develop and get into the top team and I feel we are likely to see the effects later in the season. At the moment our best pitcher is Kubo but he is being over-pitched. In his past three starts he has been asked to go on an innings too long with the consequent loss of runs. This has to be the manager's responsibility - he should be aware of his pitcher's limits and not try to over-pitch them. One of Okada's failings was a willingness to rely on his elite relief too much and Kubota suffered as a result of this. One can see this possibly happening to Kubo in the future. We also have the Uezono issue - he is a quality pitcher but does not get the pitching time at all. Neither does he seem to get any encouragement from the coaches who actually seem to have a strong dislike for him. Kojima had one start (and wasn't good) - but how many starts did Standridge get before he produced a good performance? The failure to persist with Kojima represents a serious weakness in the way the pitching is managed. One can also question what the management thought putting him in as starter in the toughest game in Japanese baseball - sink or swim? One can also add Ishikawa who has the potential to be a good starter and Cheng - if the management team can actually figure out what to do with him.
Development and growth is neglected and slow whilst errors are punished with stunning speed. One feels that the only reason Tsuru got his chance was because there was no one else. I would actually like to see both Sho and Fujihara given a run in the top team just so they get a taste of pitching at the top and by a run I mean more than just one quick game. If they prosper then they can stay - age should not be a barrier here. My point is that Mayumi only has half a pitching staff because he wants it that way not because he is forced into the situation. Tigers have actually picked up a very talented band of young pitchers but they refuse to actually develop them. I am not just critical of Mayumi here but also Kubo and the rest of the pitching coaches. Tigers should be grooming all their young pitchers as potential starters or relievers in the top team sooner rather than later.
Nishimura is certainly turning out well but then we also need to develop other relievers. I am curious as to what happened to Tsutsui (who certainly has the talent) and of course there is the Abe affair. He is being ignored to the detriment of the team - a reliever who can go three innings is a valuable asset. The structural weakness is that Mayumi is trying to push his starters into pitching deeper and deeper and not using his relief as he should. This denies them opportunities to develop and improve. Mayumi's management does tend to be more than a bit panicky at times and it does seem to affect the pitching. Players are not necessarily sent down to the second team for practice but for punishment which makes the fear of failure a big factor in the relief pitching at the moment. Both Fossum and Standridge are to some extent still unknown quantities - Tigers have not had much luck with their foreign starters since Trey Moore (who wasn't a 100% success either though he was superb in his Japan series game). However, there are signs that Fossum will not make the grade - which would be a pity but if this is the case all his starts will have kept one of the younger pitchers from getting playing time without adding any more victories.

Cheers again for the reply.

Good points there, especially with regards to Abe Kenta - always liked him, especially after he had the guts to almost take Kurihara's head off in the home opener last season after he danced around the bases at Koshien pumping his fist like a frat brother after hitting a home run. That led to probably the high point of the Tigers' season, that big 9th-inning comeback and Kanemoto's sayonara double. I wouldn't mind seeing him back up with the 1-gun, but he's not really a starter - they tried it once last season and I don't remember it ending very well.

I'd disagree with you about Tsutsui, though; he's got good stuff, but he's got a habit of unraveling after he allows a few baserunners and letting innings get away from him instead of buckling down. Comparing him with, say, Egusa, his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) is much better - 1.29 for Tsutsui versus 1.46 for Egusa over the last two seasons. However, compare their ERA over the same span - 3.88 for Tsutsui and 2.98 for Egusa. This means that Tsutsui's hits and walks come in bunches, allowing lots of runs to score, whereas Egusa gives up more hits and walks but scatters them over lots of innings, stranding a lot of runners on the basebaths and not letting them in for points. If Tsutsi could learn to buckle down better when things start to go wrong, he could be a very solid relief man, but until then I don't feel safe with him on the mound in a close game.

As for Uezono, he is a very good pitcher - Rookie of the Year a few years ago, wasn't he? Wouldn't mind seeing him get a better shot, even head of Tsuru at this point. Should be interesting to see how he and Standridge do in their next starts. I was at Standridge's game against the Marines, and while he was overshadowed a bit by the offense, he was still absolutely lights-out. Don't forget that he went 7-1 on a HORRIBLE Hawks team in 2008 - he's earned a longer audition than just two or three games based on past performance.

I agree about Abe - he's always been a relief pitcher but for some reason the Tigers coaches thought he would make a starter. They also tried this with Tsutsui and Kubota as well. The idea was a complete failure - non of them prospered. There was also talk of turning Egusa into a starter but thankfully this didn't progress beyond the talk stage. Good point about Tsutsui - to my mind he has the potential to pitch well in middle relief, I don't see him as a set up so much - Egusa is more appropriate for this role provided Johjima can figure out how to call to him.
Uezono was Rookie of the Year in 2007 but this seems to have blighted his career and as I said the coaches really seem to dislike him. Standridge was fantastic against the Marines and I do hope he's overcome his early problems and is at the start of long successful run. Keep the posts coming as they are very interesting.

Only Christopher would write up a post with such a negative title about a Tigers win. Such a negative moaner. It's getting really boring.

What's the rarer event - a Tigers win or Kyuji blowing a save? Try to think beyond the surface when you comment.

Hi Christopher

Regardless of your opinions of Mayumi, this Blog is an essential lifeline for me. I live in the UK and I miss Tigers terribly. I annually visit Japan and the Koshien visits are a real highlight. I watch YouTube of Tigers, but your reporting adds so much flavor to the process of following the Tigers. Please DO keep up the good work. I will keep reading!