September 19th Andoh v Greisinger - Pitching changes

The good news was that Greisinger wasn't quite his usual dominant self. The bad news was it made no difference. This was a very exciting hard fought game in which the Giants just had the edge and the luck. Once again an Okada switch of Watanabe didn't come off and this time Williams gave up vital runs. His run of poor performances against the Giants continues. The games between Tigers and Giants are now 2. Line scores

       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Tigers 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 4 8 0
Giants 0 1 0 2 1 0 2 0 X 6 8 0

Starting lineups

1. Akahoshi (Centre)
2. Hirano (Second)
3. Imaoka (Third)
4. Kanemoto (Left)
5. Toritani (Short)
6. Sekimoto (First)
7. Lin (Right)
8. Yano (Catcher)
9. Andoh (Pitcher)

Giants
1. Suzuki (Centre)
2. Wakiya (Second)
3. Ogasawara (Third)
4. Ramirez (Left)
5. Lee (First)
6. Takahashi (Right)
7. Abe (Catcher)
8. Sakamoto (Short)
9. Greisinger (Pitcher)

Tigers started with a Hirano hit but neither Imaoka or Kanemoto could convert. Currently there is no indication that Kanemoto will come out of his slump but Imaoka is showing more and more signs of his old form. Wakiya walked in the Giants first and then stole second but nothing came of this either. Greisinger then dead balled Toritani to start off the second and the Tigers short made third on two ground outs. However, Yano failed to convert and the innings ended scoreless. In the bottom Takahashi hit with one out. Another out later Sakamoto was at the plate and swung at an Andoh slider. He connected and the ball hit the wall just above Kanemoto's outstretched glove - a very lucky hit but a successful one, 1-0 Giants runner on third. The final batter was Greisinger and he grounded out. Hirano walked in Tigers third but once again Greisinger made sure that nothing came of it. Giants third saw the side retired in order. This was also the case for the Tigers fourth. Andoh though, ran into trouble in his fourth. He started with two ground outs but then walked Takahashi. Abe followed him onto base and Giants had runners on first and second. Next batter was Sakamoto who hit to left. His first hit was lucky but there was nothing lucky about this two base which cannoned off the wall. Takahashi was home and Abe showing a surprising turn of speed for a big man was also home 3-0 Giants. Once again the last batter was Greisinger who struck out.

Tigers response was immediate - Lin hit a two base and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Yano struck out but Katsuragi (pinch hitter) battled Greisinger aiming for a home run or hit to right. Eventually he settled for a sacrifice fly to centre 3-1 Giants. Next batter was Akahoshi who hit and stole second. Hirano couldn't convert him and flew out to left in foul ground to end the innings. Egusa pitched the Giants fifth, Okada having decided that Andoh was finished. He had pitched four innings and thrown 72 pitches without looking convincing. Egusa faced Suzuki and after two balls threw a very bad strike in the middle of the zone. It was a pitch that should never have been made and even a lightweight batter like Suzuki was able to take full advantage of it with a solo home run 4-1 Giants. Egusa settled down and got the next three batters but had managed to extend the Giants edge. Tigers fifth was led off by Imaoka who hammered out a two base hit. Kanemoto grounded out which moved Imaoka to third but still left the possibility of a sacrifice fly. Toritani did fly out but only to second and that opportunity disappeared. Greisinger faced Sekimoto who hit nicely to centre to drive Imaoka in 4-2 Giants. Greisinger tried to pick off Sekimoto who delayed his steal and then set off for second. He was safe and the Giants pitching coach came out for a chat with Greisinger. This did not have the desired result as Lin then hit to centre driving in Sekimoto 4-3 Giants and the Tigers were closing in. Egusa returned for the Giants sixth and walked Abe but was successful in making sure that nothing came of this.

Greisinger returned for the Tigers seventh as Hara wanted to keep his weak relief out of the game as long as possible. It was a risky move but Greisinger did very well retiring the Tigers batters in order. He had thrown 111 pitches and given up 3 runs. He hadn't been convincing but had still had enough to keep the Tigers under control and ensure that his side had a lead. Watanabe was chosen for the Giants seventh - an unusual choice as it would turn out. Why Okada didn't use Atchison is difficult to understand. Watanabe got Kimura (pinch hitter) to fly out and then gave up a hit to Suzuki. Suzuki was bunted to second by Wakiya and then Okada switched Watanabe for Williams. He did not do well giving up a two run home run to Ogasawara 6-3 Giants. Once again a Tigers pitcher had let the Giants increase the lead and ease the pressure. Maybe Okada has no faith in Watanabe but this is the second time in three games he has switched him with two outs and the next pitcher has given up essential runs. It might be wiser to leave Watanabe in for the whole innings or not pitch him at all rather than make these ineffective switches. One must also question why it was Williams who was chosen given that his recent record against the Giants is poor. Anyway, Williams was able to get the final out but had practically thrown the game away.

Ochi pitched the Tigers eighth and demonstrated that Hara's worries about his relief were not unfounded. He faced Imaoka who slammed a lead off home run to right off his first pitch 6-4 Giants. Ochi was immediatley replaced by Yamaguchi who had more success and got the next three batters out to end the innings. Williams returned for the Giants eighth and was not convincing. With two outs he gave up hits to Abe and Sakamoto in succession (Sakamoto missed a cycle as he did not get a home run). Finally he got Tani to fly out and end the innings. Tigers ninth was of course pitched by Kroon. With one out, he gave up a hit to Yano. He then had to battle hard for the next two outs but was successful. Giants victory.

This was a disappointing match in many ways. Tigers pitching particularly the relief had not done its job. Once again Williams had failed and really shouldn't have been pitching. Tigers have Atchison who is in top form and he should have been used. Egusa was also poor and really his home run to Suzuki was pure laziness on the Tigers pitcher's part. Kanemoto still needs to start contributing to the side more than at the moment. On the plus side Imaoka's return has been very successful - he's hitting regularly and scoring runs. Giants still need to take the remaining two games to have a realistic chance of the pennant. If Tigers can win one then they will have increased their chances enormously.