Mishima Throws Complete Game Loss - May 19, 2013

Kazuki Mishima has been impressive as a starter. This was his third start of the season, his second 8 inning outing in a row. He had held the Giants scoreless through 8 back on May 12 at Hard-Off Stadium Niigata, the Giants eventually winning that one 1-0 in 10 innings. This time, like last, the offense had a hard time getting anything going. But unlike last time, a pair of solo home runs did him in.

Going into the bottom of the 7th inning, Mishima and the BayStars were holding on to a 1-0 lead. He had allowed just 4 hits to Orix while striking out 6 Buffaloes to this point. But DH Yoshio Itoi got hold of a fork ball that didn't drop and placed it in the right-center field seats to tie the game up. Three batters later, light hitting shortstop Kazunao Yamamoto hit his first home run of the season on a high slider. That gave the Buffaloes a 2-1 advantage, and the score held. It's a tough first loss (still with no wins) for the 23 year old rookie out of Hosei University.

On a bright note, Alex Ramirez returned to the starting lineup for the first time in 20 games. His defense being the biggest liability, it looks like he's going to get his swings in as the designated hitter while at Pacific League ball parks. I hope this gives him the at-bats needed to earn back a regular job in the field as well after the Inter-league mini-season. 頑張れ、ラミちゃん。