2018 NPB Power Rankings: June edition

Takashi Toritani's "Ironman" streak concluded on May 29 at 1,939 consecutive games played

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The second month of NPB concluded on Thursday with the first series of Interleague play in the books. As time goes on when we post our rankings, we'll post the previous rank (in parentheses) and the team's record for that month besides their overall record.

May 2018 Power Rankings

Here's how we rank all 12 NPB teams after two months:

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1 [^] (4): Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (29-21); 15-10 in May

The Fighters pitching has become an asset with Naoyuki Uwasawa looking like a possible ace and Nick Martinez continuing his strong form from April. Kensuke Kondo is healthy, Sho Nakata is hitting home runs again while Taishi Ota is on pace to hit at least 30 home runs. They also swept the Saitama Seibu Lions right before Interleague began which helped them leap to the top.

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2 [v] (1): Saitama Seibu Lions (29-19); 10-14 in May

The Lions offense cooled off big-time as Hotaka Yamakawa hovered around the Mendoza line in May. Shogo Akiyama is on pace for a peak season, given his quiet pop and plate discipline. Bullpen has become the largest concern with several blown leads to end the month, but taking the series over the Carp barely keeps them in second.

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3 [v] (2): Hiroshima Carp (28-19-1); 11-9-1 in May

The two-time defending Central League pennant winners are still on top of the league, but it's not by much. They were through ups and downs, where the Dragons had their number as the Carp were 2-4 against them this month. Right now, they're not in position to pull away early like 2016. Starting pitching remains solid, but the bullpen is an issue with Ryuji Ichioka being a liablity. Offensively things look good.
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4 [^] (8) Orix Buffaloes (25-25-1); 15-10 in May

After a slow first two weeks of the season, Orix was hovering around .500 ball for a whole month, but the last few weeks have seen a recent surge where they finally had some winnings weeks to go 9-4 in their last 13 games. Starting pitching has kept them afloat while the offense has been up and down. Still, this team will always have a shot to do something when Masataka Yoshida is healthy. Right now, they might have the best bullpen in the Pacific League, which is saying something and the potential for them to go far is huge.

Can this team make a run in interleague play and stay on course? Or does the driver take them laterally without taking that next step?

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[Pack]: 

This is officially the part of our power rankings where it's a large pack, as they'd say in a race when everyone is clumped together.. There is very little separation for now between several teams as this wasn't easy to rank.

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5 [=] (5) Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (26-23); 14-12 in May

The Hawks have gone through continuous injuries in their rotation and no Kodai Senga as well as their bullpen. However, they continue to weather the storm and have gone .500 in May to continue fighting. Hitting behind Yuki Yanagita and Akira Nakamura has been a concern, but they're right in position to strike later. By sweeping the Tigers in the first series of Interleague play, they retain their spot at five when the Kansai team was threatening to make a run.

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6 [^] (9) Hanshin Tigers (23-24); 12-12 in May

The Tigers offensively have what it takes to be worse than what their record is. Starting pitching has prevented them from falling in a pit behind Randy Messenger and Takumi Akiyama. Lots of players have been coming in and out, but Yusuke Oyama has been forcibly played by manager Tomoaki Kanemoto as he's his golden goose as the prized first round pick of 2016. He's only been a disappointment up to this point.

Crazy enough, the streak of Takashi Toritani was officially snapped this month at 1939 consecutive games played, a decision Kanemoto made after some poor hitting that hurt the team, going well under .200.  The biggest reason for this leap by the Tigers is how they haven't faltered yet, but by no means are the Tigers good up to this point.

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7 [v] (6) Yokohama DeNA Baystars (23-21-2); 10-10-2 in May

The pack continues as the Baystars barely move by default. They've dealt with injuries to the rotation, but the offense is still a concern overall. Putting up league-average numbers in a hitter's park tells how putrid they are hitting wise. Too home run dependent, but the talent is still there to make a run. Alex Ramirez's team has potential, but none of it has come together in the regular season under his watch.

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8 [v] (3) Yomiuri Giants (23-25-1); 9-14-1 in May

Who is this team? Like the Baystars, they are very up and down. It's either they're winning big, or losing big with not many close games inbetween. With a group of aging veterans, they have enough to compete. However, it's unsure which direction they're going as they take the biggest fall in our rankings.

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9 [^] (11) Chunichi Dragons (23-26); 13-11 in May

The Dragons have competed with some offense in May. They're even getting quality starts from the veterans where Daisuke Matsuzaka continues to revive his career, Daisuke Yamai throws a shutout and even Kazuki Yoshimi gives them a chance. For a rebuilding team, they should be happy to compete, but the bullpen is a weakness that's too glaring. The young pitchers still need to develop and grow up quickly if they want to be in A-class, something this team hasn't experienced since 2012, the longest current drought in NPB.

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10 [v] (7) Chiba Lotte Marines (22-26); 10-14 in May

The good news for the Marines is how they're still right in the hunt and Ayumu Ishikawa has been rebounding well after a horrid 2017. The bad news? Pitching depth is not there behind Hideaki Wakui and Mike Bolsinger, where the latter is looking like a good signing. While closer Tatsuya Uchi is decent, the rest of the bullpen is scary to watch.

Hitting has improved from an awful 2017, but there was nowhere to go but up. The Marines need Matt Dominguez to spark them with some power, because right now, it's hard to name someone who will hit 15 HRs in 2018.

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[/Pack]

The bottom two teams are in their own league, but anywhere from 5-10 is anyone's guess on what happens next.

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11 [^] (12) Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (17-31-1); 11-12 in May

The Eagles put a better May together after a horrendous April, but it's still a large uphill battle. Wins are coming, but their bullpen is one of the worst in the entire league. Takayuki Kishi has been a bright spot on a bad team, while Takahiro Norimoto is great when he's not playing the Lions. Hitting is still not there as a whole and as long as Eigoro Mogi puts in a below average season, they aren't going anywhere offensively.

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12 [v] (10) Tokyo Yakult Swallows (19-27-1); 10-12-1 in May

The Swallows are improved from last year, but it won't show in their record as much. Best thing for them is Tetsuto Yamada appears to be back when he had a down 2017 and Tomotaka Sakaguchi continues his consistent form from last year, the only hitting Swallows who remained solid on the worst team ever. David Buchanan remains solid while David Huff looks like an adequate signing, but this team has too many holes to stay in the hunt.

This weekend will be a fun pillow fight of last place teams when the Swallows goes up to Sendai against the Eagles.  As posted by @NPB_reddit, this should be interesting

Eagles can't win at home (.250) and the Swallows can't win on the road (.261)
oh boy......

— NPB on reddit (@NPB_Reddit) May 31, 2018

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Any agreements, disagreements or opinions? Let us know!

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Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall

Graveyard Baseball Podcast: Lions ŌenDEN Episode 24

This is the 24th episode of the Seibu Lions ŌenDEN podcast. Christian and Wes return for the first time in two months, discussing the team through May.

Time stamps are below:

Intro @ 00:00
Full Lions (hitting, starters/relievers) talk @ 1:11
Team by Team Pacific League Observations @ 24:00
Central League and Interleague preview @ 43:40
R.I.P. Sachio Kinugasa @ 50:29
Soccer shoutouts and closing @ 53:10

Download link is also available here if the embed doesn't work.

Song used is "Motto Tooku e / もっと遠くへ" by Remioromen/レミオロメン. It was one of the walkup songs by Sosuke Genda.

Central League podcast from The Hanshin Tigers can be heard here, thanks to Trevor "T-Ray" Raichura.

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Special thanks again to @MistaMaxG for providing this graphic. 

Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall

2018 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Swept at home before Interleague

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went 2-4 against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Their lead in the Pacific League is down to one game ahead of the Fighters with interleague play about to start.

Here is how it all went down:

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The first matchup was outdoors as Fabio Castillo took on Tadashi Settsu. Castillo started off slowly giving up a barrage of hits, which included a timely from Nobuhiro Matsuda in the 1st and Yuki Yanagita in the second.

The Lions squandered multiple chances early on as Settsu struggled with control. From strikeouts, to Yuji Kaneko being unclutch with two runners on. Akira Nakamura's two-run HR put the game away early at 4-0 and the Lions couldn't recover.

Kazuki Kaneko hit a HR in the top of the 9th for a consolation for his first career hit, but it was too late.

Hawks 5, Lions 3

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The roof remained open for the second game as Ken Togame took on Shuta Ishikawa. With some early trouble in the first, Togame walked a batter, but the runner on third scored on ball-four thanks to a wild pitch to make it 1-0.

It was another game where the Lions continued to threaten with runners on base, but didn't score. Togame limited the damage early on and stranded runners himself to help his cause. Shogo Akiyama tied the game with a solo HR in the top of the 5th inning and Togame got a shutdown inning with a runner on second.

Shuta Tonosaki got on base with a double in the 6th and advanced to third on a groundout by Tomoya Mori. Masatoshi Okada drove in the go-ahead run with two outs and made it 2-1. Togame had the bases loaded in the bottom of the frame, but Hikaru Kawase grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to create the Houdini.

Shota Takekuma pitched the 7th and while Neil Wagner had to strikeout Shuhei Fukuda with the tying run on second in the 8th. Tatsushi Masuda closed it out in the 9th with a 1-2-3 inning as the Lions took the second game,

Lions 2, Hawks 1

Game note:

-Kazuki Kaneko made his first career start at 3B with Tonosaki moving to RF. He went 1-3 with a single and was caught stealing.

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The last game had Brian Wolfe returning for the first time in more than a month against Kenichi Nakata. Tonosaki's aggressive base running paid off early when he stole second and the ball scooted to the outfield to move to third on an attempt. Mori delivered a timely two-out hit and scored him for the first blood.

This lead didn't last long, when Alfredo Despaigne hit a solo HR in the bottom of the 2nd and a timely hit by Takuya Kai to make it 2-1. Yuki Yanagita added a two-run HR in the third as it was a 4-1 lead.

The Lions got both runs back in the 4th when Ginjiro Sumitani and K. Kaneko delivered with timely hits of their own, but Wolfe couldn't get a shutdown inning as he allowed the leadoff runner in the bottom of the frame on base. Hirotaka Koishi allowed the runner to score when Yuichi Honda hit a gapper, but that was it.

Shogo Akiyama hit a three-run HR in the top of the 6th, after the Hawks put in a lefty specialist in Shinya Kayama to give the Lions the lead again. Their bullpen was destroyed in the 7th and 9th innings for three runs a piece, where the offense exploded with gappers and bloop singles to pull away for good.

The Lions won series for the only the third time in Fukuoka since 2008.

Lions 12, Hawks 5

Game notes:

-Akiyama and Sumitani had modashos with four-hit games. The former was a triple short of a cycle.

-Deunte Heath was deactivated to make room for Wolfe.

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The week shifted home as the Fighters came to town with Hirotoshi Takanashi against spot starter Makoto Aiuchi. Sho Nakata hit a two-run HR early and it appeared the Fighters would light this game up, but it remained competitive when Shuta Tonosaki drove in a run and Masatoshi Okada hit a solo HR to tie it up at 2-2.

Aiuchi gave up another run in the third, but no more damage with three runs allowed through five innings of work. The Lions couldn't do anymore damage with the bats and were penalized when Shogo Noda was pitching and gave up a HR to Kensha Sugiya. Katsunori Hirai then gave up a three-run HR to Kensuke Kondo to ice it.

Shogo Akiyama put some consolation runs on the board, but it was too late.

Fighters: 8, Lions 5

Game note;

-Kyohei Nagae was taken off to make room for Aiuchi.

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The next game had Kenta Uehara against Shinsaburo Tawata in a battle of 2015 First Round draft picks. Hokkaido struck first on an RBI single from Taishi Ota. Yuji Kaneko tied it up in the bottom of the third with a timely of his own.

A sac fly from Tomoya Mori in the bottom of the 4th made it 2-1. Trouble for Tawata came in the 5th when Ota delivered a two-RBI single to give the Fighters the lead again.Y. Kaneko helped his own cause again with a bases loaded two-RBI double in the 6th.

Shota Takekuma couldn't get the shutdown inning, as Kondo hit a two-run HR in the top of the 7th. Y. Kaneko helped the Lions again, with a solo HR in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game. The Lions even had a the winning run on base for the 9th and 10th innings. However, Shinya Tsuruoka had a timely hit to put the Fighters up while the Lions struck out in the bottom half to lose another one, despite Y./Kaneko's modasho. .

Fighters 6, Lions 5 (10 innings)

Game note:

-Tadasuke Minamikawa was called up after Aiuchi was taken off for the spot start.

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The final matchup before interleague play had Daiki Enokida against Kohei Arihara. It was an early 6-0 start for the Lions capped off by a grand slam by Mori. However, this was all for nothing as the Fighters crept back slowly where Enokida gave up four runs and the bullpen entered in the 5th inning. With the Lions up 8-5, a solo HR was given up by Takekuma and Neil Wagner allowed a two-run HR to Brandon Laird to tie it.

In the bottom of the 9th, Ernesto Mejia had a chance with two outs, but grounded into a fielder's choice. For the top of the 10th, Hideto Asamura failed to touch second base and the Fighters had a chance with 1 out. Kensuke Kondo made no mistake hitting one to the wall and both runners scored, making this nearly a replay of Saturday's game.

The Lions were swept for the first time in 2018 as a result.

Fighters 10, Lions 8 (10 innings)

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The homestand was quite disappointing after such a strong series in Fukuoka. We knew the bullpen was due for something like this and unfortunately it happened. On our podcast episode which will come soon, this will be a discussion point for sure.

Lots to worry about with a small lead and interleague play coming up, but if anything, it's a good change of pace after a horrid May.

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Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall

2018 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Shutouts galore

Photo credit: @n_524_photo

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went 1-3 against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Orix Buffaloes in a week with irregular locations. They maintain first place in the Pacific League with a three-game lead on the Fighters.

Here's how it all went down:

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The first game from Tokyo Dome had Nick Martinez facing Fabio Castillo. There was no score until the bottom of the 7th where both pitchers were solid. The Lions had plenty of guys on base, but stranded runners every time, including a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the 5th with less than two outs.

Castillo had his own Houdini in the bottom of the 6th where the bases were loaded, but intentionally walking Kensuke Kondo paid off as Sho Nakata flied out to CF. He was left in too long when Brandon Laird hit a solo HR in the bottom of the 7th. Shinya Tsuruoka hit an RBI double shortly after and that was enough for the team to win. It was the third shutout loss for the Lions in 2018.

Fighters 2, Lions 0

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The second and last game of the series had Ken Togame against Naoyuki Uwasawa in a rematch of a previous Tokyo Dome matchup. Both sides again pitched well where each stranded runners on the bases.

After a Houdini in the 6th, Togame had some bad luck in the 7th, where Kotaro Kiyomiya's fly ball was dropped after miscommunication by Fumikazu Kimura and Shogo Akiyama causing him to be on third base. A quick sacrifice fly made it 1-0.

Despite all of this, the Lions had a final chance against Uwasawa in the top of the 9th with two runners on and no outs, but Hotaka Yamakawa struck out, Tomoya Mori grounded into a fielder's choice and Shuta Tonosaki grounded out to end the game as the pitcher earned a shutout of his own.

In a game with three errors, one of them was costly and the Lions were shutout for the second straight night, as well have being shutout two times or the second consecutive week.

Fighters 1, Lions 0

Game note:

-Takumi Kuriyama was taken out after a walk. He fouled off a pitch that came off his foot, but initially stayed in the game.

-New Lions signing Deunte Heath was called up to the ichi-gun. Sho Ito was taken off as a corresponding move.

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The road trip continued in Kobe where Shinsaburo Tawata was facing Taisuke Yamaoka. There was no score until the top of the 5th inning, where Mori reached home on a wild pitch to end the long offensive drought by the Lions. Ernesto Mejia hit his second HR of the season. A fourth run came when Yuji Kaneko reached on an error and advanced around the bases without a hit, scoring on a wild pitch.

Yamaoka's day was done after the 5th inning while Tawata went the distance with a shutout, allowing only six hits, one walk and recording five strikeouts. He flirted with a Maddux (under 100 pitches for a shutout), but a few hits prevented that in the 9th. For good measure, the Lions added to the score off a timely hit by Sosuke Genda and a HR from Yamakawa to put icing on the cake.

Lions 7, Buffaloes 0

Game note:

-This was Tawata's 4th shutout of his career, guaranteeing a streak of having at least one per season at the ichi-gun level.

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The final game of the week had Daiki Enokida facing Daiki Tajima. Orix struck first on a timely single from Stefen Romero in the first and that is all the Buffaloes needed. The Lions couldn't score a run after Romero hit a HR in the 6th. 

Their best chance came in the top of the 7th, but Ernesto Mejia struck out while in the 8th, Hideto Asamura grounded into a double play. Enokida put in a quality start with two runs allowed in seven innings, but couldn't get the win. It was the third shutout of the week for the Lions offense.

Buffaloes 3, Lions 0

Game note:

-Deunte Heath made his debut in a Lions uniform and gave up a run in the bottom of the 8th. 

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This was a disappointing week where the offense couldn't do anything despite the left on base party from Tuesday. It only gets tougher when the Hawks and will be the last clip before Interleague play.

Lots of work is to be done if this team has pennant aspirations.

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Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall

2018 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Enokida snaps four game skid

Photo credit: @Naoto_524_photo

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went a combined 1-4 against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Chiba Lotte Marines. They maintain their lead on top of the Pacific League being 4.5 games ahead of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Hawks.

Here is how it all went down:

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The first game from Omiya had Fabio Castillo against Kodai Senga. Both pitchers looked solid, but it was some defense that saved the Lions from allowing runs early. From a jumping catch by Fumikazu Kimura to a throw at home plate by Castillo, they didn't allow any damage through seven innings.

Senga didn't allow a hit until the 4th inning, but the Lions bats couldn't break through with several stranded runners. This included a groundout by Yuji Kaneko with runners on and Tomoya Mori striking out with the bases loaded.

The rain played effect on the game as Neil Wagner entered the 8th and gave up a walk and hit to the first two batters he faced. Things unraveled when Shuta Tonosaki couldn't field a slippery ball and the Hawks took a 1-0 lead. A sacrifice fly with the bases loaded made it 2-0.

Shogo Noda tried coming in to get two outs, but ended up walking in a run and allowing another through a hit to put the game away. This would be the first time the Lions were shutout in 2018.

Hawks 5, Lions 0

Game note:

-Seichi Uchikawa was going for his 2,000th hit, but the error by Tonosaki denied the milestone and he was 0-5.

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The series went to MetLife Dome as Shuta Ishikawa faced Ken Togame in a rematch from two weeks ago. Togame gave up a solo HR to Nobuhiro Matsuda to give the Hawks an early lead. Seiji Uebayashi hit a no-doubt HR in the top of the 6th to make it 2-0.

The Lions bats were mostly cold again with minimal chances. Their best opportunity came in the bottom of the 7th, where the bases were loaded, but Takumi Kuriyama grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to end the threat. Ishikawa went 7.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, four hits and two walks allowed.

Takuya Kai pulled off a surprise bunt which led to a ball being thrown away and scored a third run for the Hawks to end any hopes. Togame collided with Hideto Asamura, but both players were alright.

This was the second straight night the Lions were shutout and the first loss in MetLife Dome.

Hawks 3, Lions 0

Game note:

-Seiichi Uchikawa recorded his 2,000th career hit in NPB against Shota Takekuma in the 8th inning. The game was stopped for a brief recognition.

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The homestand continued against the Marines where Yasuo Sano started against Hideaki Wakui. It was Sano's first start in nearly a year after recovering from a leg injury. Hideto Asamura started the scoring with a two-run HR in the bottom of the first, but that was all the glory for the night.

Sano was tagged for several runs in the top of the second, where Matt Dominguez hit a three-run HR. The hits kept coming and the Marines continued to bat around the order for a total of eight runs as Sano was taken out with two outs. Sho Ito allowed the inherited runners to score and it put the game away for good.

Asamura hit a second home run for a consolation, but that was it. The mop up bullpen team came in and allowed four more runs to put icing on the cake as the Lions lost their third straight.

Marines 12, Lions 3

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The second game had Mike Bolsigner up against Shinsaburo Tawata. Like the previous game, it was over from the beginning where Tawata was hit for five runs in the top of the second, giving up timely hit after timely hit. He didn't even make it out of the fifth after allowing seven runs total on the day.

Even worse was how the Lions stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the second when Akiyama grounded out. Bolsinger went six innings and allowed only one run for the day. The only run he allowed was on an RBI groundout by Shuta Tonosaki.

Naoaki Matsumoto and Shogo Noda allowed a couple of runs when the game was already out of hand and the Lions lost their fourth straight.

Marines 11, Lions 2

Game note:

-Kazuki Kaneko was called up and made his NPB debut in the top of the 9th as a defensive replacement at 3B.

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The final game of the week had Daiki Enokida against Edgar Olmos. This one had an early score for the Lions as they put four on the board in the bottom of the first. None was more important than the timely double by Tonosaki with two outs.

Olmos was already done by the second inning, where he walked Yuji Kaneko and it was a nightmare from there. He threw the ball away twice to put Kaneko on third base and the run scored on a bloop single by Akiyama in the second.

An infield single by Fumikazu Kimura put another run on the board to make it 6-0 after five innings. The story was Enokida, who pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts and allowing only two walks to go with four hits. 

Neil Wagner and Tatsushi Masuda pitched scoreless 8th and 9th innings to secure the win, ending a bad losing streak.

Lions 6, Marines 0

Game note:

-Enokida is on a four-game win streak. By picking up his fourth win of the season, he already matched his win total with the Hanshin Tigers from 2011-2017. He has not allowed a run in 16.2 consecutive innings, where his last came on April 30.

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It was a brutal week, but at least it ended on a high note. Enokida is looking like a fine pickup, possibly an asset through four starts, when the expectations weren't even high. Can't win them all and with a shortened week, the pitching rotation can use it to get healthy later.

Brian Wolfe could be back soon while Yusei Kikuchi is hoping to be ready in a few weeks. Are we getting another spot starter again in two weeks? We'll find out.

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Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall

Report: Seibu Lions reach agreement with Deunte Heath

The Saitama Seibu Lions announced that they signed P Deunte Heath on Thursday. This is the first foreign signing by the team since last December.

Heath, 32, was with the Hiroshima Carp from 2014-2015. He appeared in seven games for 2014 and recorded a 3-0 record with a 2.38 ERA as a starter. Heath spent the 2015 season out of the bullpen in 43 games where he had four saves and a 3-6 record with a 2.36 ERA. His strikeout per nine clip was 10.7 when as a reliever.

Most recently, Heath has been in Japan's independent BC League, where he played with the Toyama Thunderbirds. He was part of a combined no-hitter last month.

In his major league career, Heath played a total of eight games combined with the Chicago White Sox from 2012-2013./ He had a combined ERA of 10.24 in a total of 9.2 innings. He also spent the last two years in the Mexican League and a Venezuelan Winter League.

Senior Director Hisanobu "Nabe-Q" Watanabe stated that the Lions needed pitching reinforcements as the team has struggled in the bullpen. The Lions also liked his versatility where Heath could go as a starter or reliever if needed.

In an exit interview with the Thunderbirds, Heath confirmed that he is ready to take any role as a pitcher whether it's starting or in relief. Through seven games with Toyama, he did not allow a run and already recorded four saves and one win. He has a fastball that can top around 153 km/HR (95 mph).

The Lions bullpen is highly dependent on Katsunori Hirai, Shota Takekuma and Tatsushi Masuda if the team has a lead. Everyone else has struggled or has been mediocre to earn meaningful innings.

With the signing of Heath, the Lions have 67 players on their 70-man roster. Two spots are left open to possibly promote ikusei players OF Wataru Takagi and C Masato Saito. If the Lions feel they need more depth, one roster spot is still open.

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Seibu Lions sweep monthly March/April Pacific League MVP Awards

The Saitama Seibu Lions won both the Pacific League hitter and pitcher of the month awards for March/April of the 2018 NPB season.

Hotaka Yamakawa was named the hitter in a landslide, where he hit .337 having 28 hits, 11 home runs, 33 RBIs. He also had a slugging average of .831. This is the third time he has won a monthly award in his career and it's the third consecutive time in a row after taking it for August and September/October of 2017.

"I was aiming for this award, Yamakawa said in a statement. "I planned to win it. I was conscious of my batting average with men in scoring position and my walks total."

To begin the year, Yamakawa had 22 walks and a .560 average with runners in scoring position. Last year, he had a poor April which led to his deactivation, but was called up and had a strong second half. The Lions used this as leverage to force a lower wage for the 2018 season. If he stays at the ichi-gun, he will get a payday. 

Tawata won his award for the first time in his career. He had a 5-0 record in 35 innings with one complete game, a 2.06 ERA and 22 strikeouts. In 2015, he was the Lions first round draft pick out of Fuji University.

"I'm happy to win this award because it is difficult to get it in baseball while pitching," Tawata said. "In addition, I revealed that my first child will be born in September later this year. I want to work hard first, I want to leave a good result and good content."

Tawata was married last offseason. 

Yamakawa and Tawata were both teammates at the high school level in Okinawa and college level in Iwate  before being reunited again on the Lions in 2016. Both of them played at Fuji University for two seasons together (2012-2013). 

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Central League awards:

SS Hayato Sakamoto (Yomiuri Giants): .369 average, 38 hits, 2 HRs, 20 RBIs. 

P Randy Messenger (Hanshin Tigers): 4-1, 1.82 ERA, 28 strikeouts in 29.2 innings. 

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Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall

2018 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Kikuchi hurt as wins keep coming

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The Saitama Seibu Lions went 4-2 against the Orix Buffaloes and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in a Golden Week holiday that was mostly on the road (when counting Monday's home outing). They still maintain first place in the Pacific League and have not has a losing week this year.

Currently, they have a six game lead on the second-place Fighters. Here is how we got there:

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The first game against the Buffaloes had Hayato Takagi against Andrew Albers. Takagi started the first well, but loaded the bases all with two outs after hitting a batter and walking another. Ryoichi Adachi took the first pitch he saw into the gap and cleared the bases for a 3-0 Buffaloes lead.

Takagi looked like he'd settle in, but walked a run home in the 4th to end his day prematurely. Hirotaka Koishi came to relieve him and end the threat.

The Lions bats were mostly cold on the night, as Albers forced a double play and went seven strong innings. Fumikazu Kimura put the Lions on the board with an RBI single in the 5th and another came from Hideto Asamura in the 6th, but they failed to take advantage of the few chances.

Yuta Kuroki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto combined for the 8th and 9th inning to close the door, ending the Lions three-game win streak.

Buffaloes 4, Lions 2

/Game note:

-Ernesto Mejia and Kimura started with Albers being a left handed pitcher. Takumi Kuriyama and Tomoya Mori had the day off.

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The next game had Fabio Castillo against Brandon Dickson. It looked like an early rout when Dickson allowed hit after hit, giving up four runs alone in the top of the first for a 4-0 Lions lead.

Castillo struggled early, but appeared to be cruising through three innings. Ernesto Mejia added his first HR of the year with a solo HR in the top of the 4th to make it 5-0. Castillo had a meltdown bottom of the 4th, giving up several hits including a two-run HR to Chris Marrero and a timely hit from Shuhei Fukuda, which tied the game at 5-5.

Both pitchers went five innings, earning a no decision. Shogo Noda allowed nothing in the 6th, but Hirai gave up a solo HR to Stefen Romero, giving Orix the lead and it finished off the Lions. The Buffaloes bullpen shut the door again and the Lions lost their second straight.

Buffaloes 6, Lions 5

Game note:

-Hayato Takagi was deactivated for Naoaki Matsumoto.

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The final game of this series had Ken Togame facing Chihiro Kaneko. Hotaka Yamakawa opened the scoring in the top of the 4th with a solo HR. He added two more runs in the top of the 6th with the bases loaded to make it 3-0.

A timely double from Shogo Akiyama and RBI triple from Sosuke Genda made it 5-0 in the top of the 7th. Togame had his best performance of the season, with seven shutout innings, two walks and two hits.

Masatoshi Okada put no doubt into this game with a three-run blast for only his second career home run. Sho Ito and Naoaki Matsumoto closed it out to end the losing streak.

Lions 8, Buffaloes 0

Game note:

-This was the first shutout for the Lions in 2018.

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The week shifted into Sendai with the opening game featuring Takahiro Shiomi and Tohoku native Yusei Kikuchi. Seibu struck first in the top of the third with a gapper by Yamakawa to plate two runs. Kikuchi appeared to be cruising as he retired the first 10 batters, but the damage came in the bottom of the 4th inning.

Timely hits from Zelous Wheeler and Toshiaki Imae tied the game with two outs. Japhet Amador then hit a two-run HR to give the Eagles the lead on a line drive shot, making it 4-2.

The Lions got a run back when Shogo Akiyama hit a solo HR off Shiomi, his former college teammate. Rakuten's bullpen came in for the 6th as Yoshinao Kamta came in. Shuta Tonosaki bunted two runners into scoring position and the plan worked, as Takumi Kuriyama dropped a bloop single so that both runners ended up scoring, giving the Lions a 5-4 lead.

Kikuchi appeared to have settled in with a shutdown inning, but Eigoro Mogi tied it all up in the bottom of the 7th with a solo HR. It became a battle of bullpens as Frank Herrmann and Neil Wagner had scoreless frames for both teams in the 8th.

Yuki Matsui was in for the top of the 9th and Fumikazu Kimura reached base on a single. He stole second and struck out Sosuke Genda which should have ended the inning. However, the ball skipped away from catcher Yuichi Adachi and Genda was safe, while Kimura scored from second base to give the Lions the lead once again.

Tatsushi Masuda closed the 9th and the Lions continued their winning ways against the Eagles.

Lions 6, Eagles 5

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The second game had Shinsaburo Tawata facing Takahiro Norimoto. In the top of the 2nd, the Lions put three runs on the board from three balls that didn't leave the infield. A fielder's choice from Kimura led to everyone being safe with the bases loaded as the play at second base was off the bag. Akiyama beat out a double play for another run and Genda plated the third with an infield single, beating out a throw by Eigoro Mogi.

Rakuten got a run back from a double by Motohiro Shima. The Lions broke this one open in the top of the third. Mori hit his third HR of the year and Kimura hit a two-run HR to make it 6-1. Genda also hit an RBI double to make it 7-1.

Tawata was not dominant in this outing, where he only went 5.2 innings with three earned runs and four runs allowed overall. with eights hits and two walks allowed to go with three strikeouts. Both teams ended up trading runs for the rest of the day in what was a snoozer.

Akiyama hit another home run in the top of the 5th and two more runs came in the 8th with a timely single by Mori and bases-loaded walk from Kimura. The streak continued in Sendai as the team won their third straight.

Lions 10, Eagles 4

Game notes:

-Kikuchi was taken off the roster after this game with shoulder and neck stiffness, something he suffered as early as March 14. He will be ineligible to return until May 16.

-Tawata has won all six starts up to this point.

-Norimoto's three losses have all been against the Lions in a dominant fashion. It was his shortest outing of the year at three innings.

-Both Genda and Kimura had a modasho.

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The last game of the series had Daiki Enokida against Shoma Fujihira. Shogo Akiyama started the scoring with a solo HR in the top of the third. After Genda singled, Asamura hit a HR of his own.

Yamakawa walked and Tonosaki legged out an infield single to setup a chance. Kuriyama made no mistake about it, hitting a deep three-run home run to right field and giving the Lions a 6-0 lead.

Even more runs came in the top of the 4th for the Lions, with timely hits by Asamura and Tonosaki as well as a sac fly from Mori to make it 9-0. Enokida put in another quality start for the Lions with six scoreless frames, four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

With this game being a easy one, the Lions added two more runs with Mori hitting a gapper and Yuji Kaneko grounding into a double play. Sho Ito had two flawless innings while Naoaki Matsumoto closed it out in the 9th to secure the Lions four game win streak and second shutout of the season.

Lions 11, Eagles 0

Game notes:

-This was Hideto Asamura's 1,000th career ichi-gun game. He celebrated it with a modasho.

-Every Lions starter had at least one hit in the game.

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Hopefully Yusei Kikuchi will be alright after it was documented he was playing hurt the entire season up to this point. However, Enokida has been a solid pickup with three quality starts and earning three wins.

The bullpen is still shaky, but the close game in Sendai went the Lions way. A brief home stand against the Hawks will still be tough, At minimum, the winning streak in MetLife dome will likely be snapped in the four games ahead while one is in Omiya.

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