2016 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Otani defeated again for the only win

The Saitama Seibu Lions went 1-4 for the week against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. They're officially in the cellar of the Pacific League.

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Game 1 was cancelled rained out where Yusei Kikuchi was scheduled to see Takahiro Shiomi. Instead for Game 2 with a late first pitch, it would be Isamu Sato with his first career start against Manabu Mima.

The Lions were on the board first when Ginjiro Sumitani had an RBI single in the second, but disaster struck in the bottom of the frame. With two outs and two strikes, rookie Eigoro Mogi would hit a three-run home run that would barely stay fair, giving the Eagles a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

There were multiple threats from the Lions including a bases loaded situation in the first, but no runs would come in. The Lions would get another run in the fourth with another RBI single from Sumitani, but nothing more. There were runners on the corners with no outs and Yuji Kaneko was batting, but he would ground into a 6-2 double play which went to review at the plate. Shogo Kimura would be tagged before he would get his hand on the plate and the team would fail to score.

Sato wouldn't allow much until the 5th inning, where the damage would be costly. Sato would walk two batters with a lack of control and his day would be done after 4.1 innings. C.C. Lee would come in and allow a gapper from Toshiaki Imae to make it 4-1. Zelous Wheeler would break it open with w two-run single and the Eagles didn't need to look back.

Naotaka Takehara would get the Lions a consolation run in the 7th, but it was already 8-3 in what was a messy game overall. Pitching was off, but it would be the last potential straw for Lee.

Eagles 8, Lions 3


Game note:

-C.C. Lee and Ken Togame were deactivated after the game. Yuta Nakazaki and Kyohei Nagae would be activated.

-Yasuo Sano would make his 2016 ichi-gun debut while pitching the 7th and 8th innings. He would walk three batters and allow two hits, but no runs.

===

In the second game against Rakuten, it was Takahiro Norimoto against Yusei Kikuchi. This would be a pitcher's duel as both of them would not allow a run through 7 innings. Norimoto in particular was dominant with 10 strikeouts on the night.

Both teams had chances with the bases loaded and even runners on the corners, but could not bring home a run. Kikuchi was also solid through seven innings in what would be his best pitching performance of the season with 10 strikeouts.

The eighth inning would decide it all, as Masataka Nashida went with Kam Mickolio to pitch for Rakuten and he would pickup a clean 1-2-3 frame. Norio Tanabe elected to go with Kikuchi with just over 100 pitches in the game. It would backfire as Kikuchi walked two batters and the bases would be loaded when Kazuhisa Makita entered the game.

Imae opened the score with an RBI single and the game was broken open with a bases clearing triple by Ginji Akaminai to make it 4-0. Yuki Matsui would finish the game in a non-save situation and the Lions lost their second straight.

This game was the result of Tanabe not choosing to go to his bullpen until it was too late. It's either he liked what he saw from Kikuchi or just didn't trust his bullpen, but Tanabe had no business keeping him out there for the 8th inning. Hitting will be feast or famine and unfortunately. Norimoto was on for the day, but it was a winnable game that was a disaster.

Eagle 4, Lions 0

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The week then shifted to Sapporo Dome, where Kona Takahashi faced Luis Mendoza in a rematch. Through the first four innings, it had the makings of  a great pitcher's duel as no runs were scored.

After two throwing errors, the Fighters broke the scoring open as Sumitani threw one to left field.  The Lions would answer back and tie the game from an RBI double by Mejia. Hideto Asamura would then single with two outs, giving the Lions their first lead.

Takahashi would get a shutdown inning and the Lions padded their lead in the top of the 7th. Shogo Akiyama and Naotaka Takehara had pinch hit singles to make it 4-1.

The bottom of the 7th is where the nightmare came as Takahashi was left in with more than 100 pitches thrown. He would allow two runs from an RBI single from Daiki Asama and a lack of control had them on base. Tanabe would finally take him out and Shota Takekuma would preserve the lead getting two flyouts, but it was 4-3 after seven innings.

Kazuhisa Makita had a quick 8th inning, but the bottom of the 9th would come with horror. Kaneko would have a throwing error to begin the frame to put Haruki Nishikawa on base and Takuya Nakashima's sacrifice bunt would be botched by Tatsushi Masuda when fielding it. With two on and no outs, Daikan Yoh sacrificed to move both runners into scoring position.

Asama would tie the game with an RBI single and Masuda would have his second blown save of the year. After intentionally walking Kensuke Tanaka and striking out Toshitake Yokoo, it was up to Kensuke Kondo with the bases loaded and two outs. He made no mistake about it and a walked off with a sayonara single to end the game.

Four errors in this game would equate to four runs, making this loss another disgusting one in the books. Tanabe fell asleep at the wheel again leaving in Takahashi too long and even the bats could have padded the scoring.

Fighters 5, Lions 4

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In Game 2, Shinsaburo Tawata made his ichi-gun debut against Anthony Bass. His first career inning would be three up/three down with a strikeout against Yoh.  Asamura would open the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the second.

However, the bottom of the second was another nightmare. Tawata allowed three consecutive singles and then walked the next three batters, equating to three runs making it 3-1. He couldn't record an out and his day was done early. Hirotaka Koishi allowed one inherited runner to score making it 4-1 due to a throwing error from Mejia, but made the most of his situation with a 1-6 double play.

Mejia would hit his 15th home run of the season to bring the Lions within two runs. Koishi did his job in long relief, eating up three innings, but the bottom of the 5th is where it got ugly.

Yuta Nakazaki made his first ichi-gun appearance in nearly three years and couldn't record an out by walking Asama and allowing a hit to Tanaka. With Ryohei Fujiwara coming in, both inherited runners would score with singles from Sho Nakata and Kondo to make it 6-2. Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura would give the Lions a consolation home run in the 6th to cut the lead to three runs.

In the bottom of the 8th, Mejia added more insult with a throwing error leading to another Fighters run. It would've been the third out of the frame, but it became 7-3 after 8 innings.

Hirotoshi Masui would close the game with a quick ninth inning and the Lions lost their fourth straight. Tawata's control and nerves hit him hard in the second and the team couldn't recover. But even worse, the bats had no life to bring run support outside of solo home runs.

Fighters 7, Lions 3

Game note

-To make room for Tawata, the Lions deactivated Fumikazu Kimura.

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In Game 3 against the Fighters, it was a rematch of last week where Shohei Otani faced Ryoma Nogami. Nakata opened the scoring with an RBI double off the wall. It was nearly a home run as the ball landed three-feet short of clearing the fence.

Nakata would add another with an RBI single in the third. Seibu would get a run back with Yuji Onizaki earning a walk with one out. Kaneko would bunt and force everything to be in the hands of Masatoshi Okada. Like last week, he would get an RBI single up the middle to cut the Fighters lead in half.

The Lions would later tie the game in the top of the 5th with Akiyama hitting a single, Kuriyama walking and Mejia crushing a 100 mph pitch to right field for a double. Nogami would last five innings with four strikeouts and two earned runs.

Kazuhisa Makita took over and delivered in the 6th inning with a Houdini. He loaded the bases with two hits and a walk, but Asama would get an infield fly and end the threat.

The top of the 7th had Otani stay in the game with a high pitch count and the fourth time through the order. Kuriyama would walk and Mejia would reach on an error, giving Okawari-kun a chance. He made no mistake with a no-doubt, three-run HR to center field. The Lions added another run to make it 6-2 in the 8th inning through a sacrifice fly from Mejia.

Despite a four run lead, the game was far from over. Makita had a clean 7th and 8th inning, but Masuda made the 9th inning interesting with the bases loaded with one out. Nakata would hit a deep sacrifice fly ball that looked like it was gone off the bat making it 6-3. Kondo would flyout and the Lions snapped a four game skid.

Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama gambled keeping in Otani for the 7th and it backfired. The Lions did a good job working up Otani's pitch count and were able to earn the win in a tough manner.

Lions 6, Fighters 3

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This is looking bleak even with a win over Otani. Unfortunately, the managing was incompetent as well as the bullpen. Season looks all but over, but they're only four games behind the Fighters for third place. Winning can move someone up quickly, but it's the fifth consecutive losing week for the team.

Not sure when this bleeding will stop, the defense is just too poor besides the rotation being raw. It's all about developing the kids and nothing else.

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Ernesto Mejia wins Pacific League MVP of the month

NPB announced their awards for the month of April for both the Pacific and Central League. In the Pacific, there was no doubt who would be the hitting MVP in Ernesto Mejia.

Coming off a down season in 2015, Mejia had an average of .316 and a slugging average of .640.  Having a combination of 10 home runs and 28 RBIs, which lead the league in both categories, it was an easy call for him to win the award.

The real improvement we saw in April was watching him at the plate. He had greater pitch recognition and even when he strikes out, we're seeing Mejia look smarter when batting. Norio Tanabe has moved him up to as high as 3rd in the batting order and the team has given him a chance to impress every time.

Previously, Shogo Akiyama won this award in April and June for 2016 while Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura was the Pacific League MVP in July. Kona Takahashi was the pitching MVP for August last year.

Here is a video reaction of Mejia winning his award. There is also merchandise available to commemorate this achievement.

Other April MVP awards:

Central League pitching: Tomoyuki Sugano (Yomiuri Giants)

Central League batting: Dayan Viciedo (Chunichi Dragons)

Pacific League pitching: Hideaki Wakui (Chiba Lotte Marines)

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2016 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Otani defeated, but Golden Week continues losing skid

The Saitama Seibu Lions went 2-4 combined against the Orix Buffaloes and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters for Golden Week on the homestand.

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In Game 1 against Orix, it was Brandon Dickson against Ryoma Nogami. The start for Nogami couldn't have been worse, as he allowed a three-run home run to Takahiro Okada in the first inning.

Orix would add two more runs in the fourth inning and it would be 5-0 with Nogami's day done early. Isamu Sato would later come in as a long reliever and do well initially, where he wouldn't allow a run through the first two innings.

Shogo Akiyama put the Lions on the board with a home run, but the 7th inning would be the crucial point for the team. With Sato pitching, he would allow a base hit to Okada and then a two-run home run from Eiichi Koyano all with two outs. The Lions would score a run in the bottom of the 7th, but trailed 7-2 heading into the 9th.

Dickson was dominant with eight innings and only two runs allowed, followed by five strikeouts including some crucial ones against Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura with runners on base.

The 9th inning would bring some drama, where Hirokazu Shiranita would load the bases with no outs. Orix manager Junichi Fukura would be forced to bring in Yoshihisa Hirano with inherited runners. Akiyama had a two-run single and Takumi Kuriyama would get a two-run double to bring the Lions within one having only one out. Unfortunately this game ended swiftly as Okawari-kun and Ernesto Mejia struck out to end the game.

There were numerous chances earlier where the Lions bats couldn't capitalize. The two-run home run allowed by Sato was the difference, but this game was all but over when it started as Nogami could not get outs in the beginning.

Buffaloes 7, Lions 6

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In Game 2, it was Yusei Kikuchi against Daiki Tomei. Early on, Kikuchi's location was off and it led to two runs from Orix in the first two innings.

The Lions would answer back with a run in the bottom of the 2nd, with Tomei lacking control and walking batters. Shogo Kimura would get the RBI single to put them on the board.

In the bottom of the 4th, the Lions would get runners on base for Yuji Kaneko with a bunt.  Asamura would score as a ground ball would be hit to Orix SS Takuya Shimada, but he couldn't field it cleanly.

Kikuchi worked a shutdown 5th inning and setup a big frame in the bottom half. With two runners on and no outs, Mejia would golf swing the first pitch to dead CF and it would clear the fences with no doubt as the Lions went up 5-2 on 3-run HR. It would be his 12th of the year.

With some error help from Torai Fushimi, the Lions had runners on the corners and Ginjiro Sumitani reached base. Akiyama padded the lead with an RBI single making it 6-2.

In the bottom of the 6th, Seibu would put the exclamation point on the game with back-to-back home runs from Okawari-kun and Mejia, making it 8-2. Mejia had a no-doubt HR that went behind the Lions Oendan for a moonshot.

Kikuchi wouldn't need to look back as he went seven innings and didn't allow a run in his last five. He drew weak contact and didn't get his first strikeout until the 7th. He would earn his second win of the season after having his defense let him down in the past.

Lions 8, Buffaloes 2

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In Game 3, Ken Togame faced Kazuki Kondo for the rubber match. Brent Morel would open the scoring with a solo HR off Togame to make it 1-0. It was Togame's first HR allowed of the 2016 season.

The Lions evened it up with an RBI single in the bottom of the 2nd to make it 1-1, but the damage would come in the next frame. For the top of the 3rd, Orix would score four runs off Togame as his command would struggle. Walks and hits from Yoshio Itoi and Okada as well as a wild pitch would make it 5-1.

Togame's day would end in the 5th inning, where he would be credited with another run and Hirotaka Koishi wouldn't solve the problem, allowing a gapper to Okada, making it 7-1.

Kaneko and Naotaka Takehara would hit two-run HRs for their firsts of the season to make it 7-5, but it wasn't enough. The Lions would fail to score in the last three innings as Orix's bullpen shut the door.

Buffaloes 7, Lions 5

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In the first game against the Fighters, it was Kona Takahashi facing Luis Mendoza. The Lions were able to strike first with RBIs from Mejia on a sacrifice fly and Asamura on a single.

Unfortunately, Takahashi couldn't get a shutdown inning as Shota Ono got an RBI single. Seibu would get a run back from a sacrifice fly by Akiyama. After the Fighters got another run back in the 3rd off a Sho Nakata single, things would get ugly in the 6th.

Takahashi would load the bases thanks to an error from Okawari-kun. A ground ball was hit to third base by Brandon Laird, but Okawari-kun couldn't field it cleanly. Takahashi also had a lack of command, walking multiple batters. He would strikeout Ono with the bases loaded and the game would be tied.

Even worse, a wild pitch on the following batter would score two runs and the Fighters had the lead for good. Takahashi was called for obstruction for blocking the plate on the second run, which was a controversial call.

To add insult, Takahashi wouldn't get outs and couldn't get through the 6th inning allowing two more base runners. Hirotaka Koishi would allow one base hit to make it 7-3 to put the game away.

The call was bad, but it wasn't the ultimate reason the Lions lost this game. Takahashi's command was off and it is partially Norio Tanabe's responsibility to know when to pull the starter. It's possible that Tanabe wanted Takahashi to go through growing pains at the ichi-gun level in the worst way possible, but the game was all but over after leaving him in too long.

Fighters 8, Lions 4

Game note:

-Esmerling Vasquez and Fumikazu Kimura were activated after the game. Ryo Sakata and Tadasuke Minamikawa were deactivated as corresponding moves.

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In Game 2, Chun-Lin Kuo faced Anthony Bass. This was a no-contest from the beginning, where Kuo could not get an out and the Fighters would get a long two-out rally in the first. Kensuke Kondo would open the scoring with a single and then Brandon Laird would get a three-run no doubt HR to make it 4-0 after the first inning.

The top of the second would be no better, where Kuo would leave after two outs, but allowed four more runs with Koishi entering with inherited runners. The hits would keep piling up and the Fighters batted through the order in the inning, making it 8-0.

Despite the big gap, the Lions would claw their way back with home runs from Kuriyama and Asamura and they had a big chance in the bottom of the 6th inning with the bases loaded. However, Shogo Kimura would strike out to end the threat.  Tatsuyuki Uemoto would make it even closer with a two-RBI gapper making it 8-6, but Akiyama would strike out with the tying run on base.

S. Kimura would get a double, but make a foolish mistake trying to extend it to a triple. It was costly, because Okawari-kun had a double later in the inning, but no runs would score in the 8th. Chris Martin would shut the door in the 9th and the Lions would fail to win their 8th consecutive series.

This game was just bad from the start despite a close finish at the end. Bass was a pitcher who was beatable, but Kuo's awful beginning never gave the team a chance. Little mistakes like the base runner blunder from Kimura to Kuo's location just added up.

Fighters 8, Lions 6

Game note:

-Chun-Lin Kuo was deactivated after the game. The Lions brought up Yasuo Sano to the ichi-gun roster.

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In Game 3, the Lions faced Shohei Otani for the first time this season with Ryoma Nogami on the mound. It was a low scoring affair at the start with no runs through three innings. Otani picked up a houdini drawing a 1-6-3 double play from Kaneko.

The scoring would come in the 4th, where Daikan Yoh would get a two out single and score two runs. He would advance to third and Haruki Nishikawa would score from first, thanks to an error by F. Kimura in right field. Kimura would misplay the ball on a bounce and it would go over his head.

Mejia would bring the Lions back with an opposite field solo home run off Otani to make it 2-1. In the 5th inning, the Lions would get runners on the corners with hits from Kaneko and Akiyama. Mejia had a chance with two outs and he capitalized on it with a bloop single to tie the game.

In the bottom of the 6th, the Lions worked up Otani and found some success. Kuriyama was on base with a single and the team chose to bunt him over to second for two outs, having it all come down to Kaneko. With the outfield playing in, Kaneko made contact and hit the ball deep enough to get a triple as the Lions took their first lead of the game. Masatoshi Okada would add on with a single of his own that would extend the Lions lead to 4-2.

The Lions bullpen proved to be reliable after Nogami went five innings on short rest. Ryohei Fujiwara, Shota Takekuma and Kazuhisa Makita retired the Fighters in order for the 6th, 7th and 8th innings to preserve the lead and the 3 of them combined for 5 strikeouts. Akiyama padded the lead with a two-out, two-run HR to make it 6-2 for insurance.

Tatsushi Masuda allowed two bloop singles in his first game since eight days ago, but shut the door and the Lions pulled an improbable victory.

The hitting worked up Otani and he wasn't having his best game. It might have been a benefit not seeing him until May and the pitching was respectable. The bullpen was the big story, as they went for a combined 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K's.

Lions 6, Fighters 2

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This was another losing week, but we hope it can get better as the season goes along. The bats were inconsistent, while the errors have hurt the team. Pitching and command is also an issue, but we're happy they've kept Makita in the bullpen.

Rotation pitching needs to get better if they want to compete, but it's a miracle they're only 1.5 games behind the Fighters for third place and not in the cellar. They played like a last place team and still pulled out two wins. Can momentum be built from this victory against Otani?

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Found On Ebay: Orestes Destrade's 1990 Japan Series Watch

We usually just talk baseball here on Graveyard Baseball, but with the Lions playing so poorly and I don't have the time to do an analysis post for another 2 weeks, I figured I'd chime in with this gem.

I simply just googled "Orestes Destrade Seibu Lions," and this is what came up in an Ebay listing. It turns out, the link is more of just simple click bait and it's actually Destrade's wife's watch that's for sale but still, this is quite notable and subtly spectacular.

Think about it, the Lions gave Orestes' wife a brand new, commemorative watch to celebrate her husband's accomplishments in a year where Destrade won the Japan Series MVP and took home the NPB Home Run Crown.

It's possible that this watch was owned by a player or became a special novelty item for fans. For all I know, this is something that's done throughout NPB but until I get that confirmation, all credit to Yoshiaki Tsutsumi for this treasure.

Currently, the watch is going for $2,999.99 and comes with a special certificate that declares its authenticity. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those that has the coin to be buying this but for those Seibu Lions merchandise collectors out there, this is all you! I doubt this is something you'd wear, this is something that should probably be showcased in the living room as a conversation starter.

Here's the link! It will stay up for sale for another 16 days.

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Report: Seibu Lions promote Shinji Mori to ichi-gun pitching coach, add Chikara Onodera to ni-gun staff

Chikara Onodera at his introductory press conference.

The Saitama Seibu Lions announced on Friday afternoon that they promoted ni-gun pitching coach Shinji Mori to the ichi-gun level with the identical coaching job. They also announced that they hired a new coach in Chikara Onodera to take his old position.

Mori, 41, was the ni-gun pitching and training coach for the Lions since the end of 2014. He also played for the Lions as a pitcher from 1997-2005, where he was a second-round draft pick in 1996. Mori was a member of the 2004 Japan Series champion Lions team as well as the 2002 team who won the Pacific League pennant in mostly a bullpen role.

An interesting tidbit about his professional career includes being posted for $750,000 to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005, but didn't play a game at the MLB level due to a torn labrum. It was a year before Daisuke Matsuzaka was posted to the Boston Red Sox.

Mori would later manage the Ishikawa Million Stars out of the baseball challenge league where he played for them in 2009 and was the skipper from 2010-2014. He was a player-manager from 2013-2014. Today, the Million Stars manager position is held by former MLB player Julio Franco.

Yoshihiro Doi, who was the previous pitching coach, has now become the bullpen coach. Doi, 39, was a former Lions pitcher who was drafted in the fourth round of the 1997 draft. He would play for the Lions from 1998-2003 and 2009-2010 with a stint for the Yakult Swallows from 2004-2008.

Onodera, 35, played for the Lions from 2003-2011 as a pitcher. He was a fourth round draft pick of the team in the 2002 NPB Draft. Onodera was a reliever for the 2004 and 2008 Japan Series Championship teams and now has his first coaching role. He will also coach any ikusei players.

The Lions pitching has been struggling as they're a bottom tier staff among Pacific League teams. As of May 5, they have second fewest number of strikeouts and are 4th in team ERA. They're also ranked 5th in WHIP.

In all, this is a desperate move for a situation that isn't looking good. The rotation has not been good, while the bullpen has remained unreliable for most of the this young season through one month. Management is trying to find lightning in a bottle for a coach by promoting from within.

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2016 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Rookies make their ichi-gun debuts in team losses

Photo credit: Seibu Lions

The Saitama Seibu Lions would go 1-3-1 in a five-game week against the Chiba Lotte Marines and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. It was the second straight week with only one win.

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In Game 1 against the Marines, it was Ryoma Nogami taking on Ayumu Ishikawa. The Lions got off to a good start with the first run with a hit from Hideto Asamura, but that was the only glory they'd find.

The top of the 4th proved to be too much for Nogami as he allowed a two-run home run to Alfredo Despaigne. Chiba would keep getting hits including a gapper by new pickup Yamaico Navorro (who served a one-month suspension) and Katsuya Kakunaka would score from first. After a sacrifice fly from Tatsuhiro Tamura, it would be 4-1 and Chiba wouldn't need to look back.

Ishikawa would settle in after the 2nd and go seven innings on the night with four strikeouts. For Nogami, he was able to eat up seven innings and allowed an extra run in the 7th from a single by Takashi Ogino.

The Lions bats were no threat for majority of the night minus the second inning when runners were on the corners. Ishikawa did his job spreading out the base runners and making sure there was no life on offense. He has been the Lions nemesis and the team has not figured him out.

Norio Tanabe got rather greedy keeping Nogami in for the 7th and it cost him a run, but the game was already decided with the four-run fourth inning. In many ways, Nogami did what the coaching staff wanted in eating up innings for the night.

Game Notes: 

-Tadasuke Minamikawa made his debut. He's the first 2015 Lions draft pick to appear with the ichi-gun. He drew two flyouts and a groundout in a scoreless 8th inning.

-Isamu Sato also made his ichi-gun debut in the 9th inning. He gave up a single and a walk, but also fielded a ball for a 1-6-3 double play.

Marines 5, Lions 2

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In Game 2, Yusei Kikuchi was once again on short rest (five days) taking on Kota Futaki. Early on, this game had the makings of a pitcher's duel through five innings and there were only runners on second, but no major threats.

It wouldn't until the 6th inning where the wheels fell off. Kikuchi could not get an out as it all started with an infield single from Shogo Nakamura. Ikuhiro Kiyota would get a single and Alfredo Despaigne hit a deep gapper for the Marines first run. The bases would later be loaded with no outs and Kakunaka added on with a two-run single.  After walking Tadahito Iguchi to load the bases again, Daichi Suzuki broke the game open with a two-run single of his own.

Asamura gave the Lions a consolation home run, but it was already late. Chiba would tag Hirotaka Koishi with two more runs to put the game out of reach for good.

This game was a classic third-time through the order penalty, where Kikuchi's pitch count wasn't high, but batters solved him by the time the 6th inning came in. He cruised early on, but it all became tough later.

Marines 7, Lions 2

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Game 1 against the Hawks featured Ken Togame against Kenichi Nakata with the latter making his first appearance for the 2016 season. Togame allowed a run to begin after he committed a throwing error as it was 1-0 thanks to a double by Seiichi Uchikawa.

Mejia hit his 9th home run going opposite field to tie the game. It wasn't until the top of the 4th where things started to break. Ryo Sakata would get an RBI single to take the lead and with the bases loaded, a chance came for the bottom of the order. Yuji Kaneko would pull a triple down the right field line and clear the bases, making it a 5-1 ballgame. Shogo Akiyama made important contact to make it 6-1 with a sacrifice fly.

Takumi Kuriyama added on with a solo home run in the 7th inning to make it 7-1. The Hawks would add two runs off Shota Takekuma in the 8th, but that was as close as they would get. Tatsushi Masuda shut the door in a non-save situation striking out two batters in the process.

Togame would go seven innings with no earned runs thanks to his own error in the first. He only had three strikeouts and had to keep the ball in the park for outs. There were multiple "loud outs" with hard contact, but he was saved with players like Naoto Watanabe and Mejia standing in the right spot to prevent a hit. Given his recent outings, he has been better than his ERA is, but nothing flashy like the boxscore may show.  We'll take it.

Lions 7, Hawks 3

Game note:

-The Seibu Lions would deactivate OF Yutaro Osaki and activate Ryohei Fujiwara after the game.

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In Game 2, it was Kona Takahashi's 2016 ichi-gun debut against new nemesis Kodai Senga. The Hawks were on the board first with three consecutive hits from Yanagita, Uchikawa and Yuya Hasegawa to make it 1-0 in the first.

The Lions would answer back with back-to-back home runs by Mejia and Sakata. Both of them would fall in the "porch" or terrace of private seats to give the Lions the lead.

Takahashi would continue to be in trouble the entire day, with only the third inning being a 1-2-3 frame. He had a bases loaded, no out situation but only one run would score on a sacrifice fly from Shuhei Fukuda.

Trouble would continue in the 5th, where the bases were loaded again with one out.  Takahashi would walk Hiroaki Takaya on a full count pitch to give the Hawks the lead.  Kenta Imamiya would then hit a sacrifice fly to double the lead at 4-2.

It wasn't until the top of the 7th where there was drama. Hayato Terahara would come in and allow multiple hits to Watanabe and then Shogo Kimura, who was pinch hitting. Kimura would get a key triple and bring the Lions within one. Then Tatsuyuki Uemoto came in as a pinch hitter and doubled home Kimura to tie the game at 4-4. Despite having runners on the corners, the Lions could not take the lead.

Koishi pitched a scoreless 6th inning and Kasuhisa Makita would enter in the 7th having a tie game. He did a tremendous job as a long reliever, taking four scoreless innings. It didn't come without pressure though, as the Hawks had two runners on and a Sayonara chance in the 10th. However, they intentionally walked Fukuda and Yuichi Honda would flyout to end the threat.

Masuda would take the 11th inning where another threat would come with a runner on base and Nobuhiro Matsuda up. However, Masuda would ring him up on the inside corner with a strike three and we went to the 12th.

Shinya Tsuruoka would get a double for the Hawks with one out off Masuda and the drama began. Despite a runner in scoring position, Tomoaki Egawa hit an infield fly and Fukuda would also flyout to centerfield and the Lions had their second tie of the season.

Takahashi should have allowed more runs, but the Hawks would strand the baserunners and keep the Lions within striking distance. This was a game where he was getting hit hard, but fortunate that the ball would bounce his way a few times. The bullpen, however, was tremendous.

Tanabe managed this game as best as you can, having Makita in the smart role of being the team's long reliever. The pinch hit decisions were timely combined with the urgency to play Masuda for the last two innings. It's one of those times where a draw is like a win due it being against the Hawks.

Lions 4, Hawks 4

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In Game 3 against the Hawks, Chun-Lin Kuo was given his first start of the season against Shota Takeda. Things started well for the Lions as they were on the board in the first after Uchikawa couldn't catch Matsuda's throw on a hop to make it 1-0.

Kuo was cruising through the first three innings, but the damage came in the fourth. After giving up his first hit to Honda, he would get two outs, but Hasegawa would get a bloop single to fall and tie the game. After Matsuda singled, the backbreaker would come from Akira Nakamura where he would hit a three-run home run as Kuo hung up a pitch making it 4-1.

Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura would get the Lions within two by hitting a no-doubt solo home run in the 6th, but that's as close as they got. Takeda would cruise for majority of the game and the Lions had minimal life with weak contact throughout the day.

There was a chance in the 8th where Kimiyasu Kudo stuck with Takeda for the inning as Kaneko and Kuriyama reached base, but Roberto Suarez would strikeout Okawari-kun on three pitches to end any threat.

C.C. Lee would come in the bottom of the 8th inning and allow a two-run home run to Hasegawa to rule out any chance of a comeback. Mejia hit his 11th home run of the season in the 9th, but it was too late.

Takeda was owning the Lions like he usually does. It was a standard outing for him even though he had minimal strikeouts on the day. Seibu would hit into too many double plays for the game and it would bail out any mistakes from the Hawks pitcher.

Hawks 6, Lions 3

===

Right now, we're in a bad state with Takayuki Kishi suffering a right adductor muscle in the previous week. He could be out for up to two months and the Lions will have to play two consecutive weeks six-games a piece.

More questions rather than answers have come. Does Andy Van Hekken come back after a decent outing in ni-gun? Is Kuo going to remain in the rotation? Can the bats show up against quality opponents?

This team isn't far from a playoff spot due to the rest of the competition being poor, but we shouldn't be at the point where scoreboard watching benefits the Lions. It's not looking good to say the least, with limited bullpen options and a rotation that's half empty.

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2016 Seibu Lions Weekly Digest: Throwing games away (on errors)

The Lions would go 2-3-1 against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles for the week. It was the second consecutive losing week for the team.

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In Game 1 against the Fighters, it was a rematch from two weeks ago in Takayuki Kishi against Mitsuo Yoshikawa. Kensuke Kondo would open the scoring for Hokkaido with a solo home run in the first inning.

It would be Kishi's only mistake of the night, as he would go six innings without any extra damage. The Lions had their share of chances with two runners on base, but couldn't punch in any runs with two outs. Yoshikawa would get 7 scoreless innings after an embarrassing defeat at Seibu Dome two weeks ago.

The Lions best chance came in the top of the 8th with Chris Martin pitching in relief. Tatsuyuki Uemoto was pinch hitting for Ginjiro "Gin-chan" Sumitani, where he would get a leadoff double. After Yuji Onizaki bunted him over to third, pinch runner Shotaro Tashiro was picked off by Fighters catcher Shota Ono and it cleared any threats. Shogo Akiyama would walk, but was caught stealing second and Ono had his second throw out of the game.

It was a quiet game for the Lions bats while it was a noisy one for Kondo, who had three hits. Shohei Otani also had three hits as the team's designated hitter on the night.

Fighters 1, Lions 0

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In Game 2, the Lions had Ryoma Nogami take on Masaru Nakamura. After both pitchers had shaky first innings, Nakamura would blink first as the Lions scored three runs off a bases clearing double by Ernesto Mejia. It took a 10-pitch at bat to break the scoreless draw and it was the first time the team scored in 12 innings.

Mejia would do damage again with two outs on a 2-2 pitch in the fifth, taking a deep two-run home run to left field. Best yet, Kondo-san, the Fighters' play by play broadcaster, made the call in English and you can see it here.


In the sixth inning, Akiyama would get an RBI double to make it 6-0. Mejia picked up an RBI single in the 7th and was a triple short of the cycle on the night.

For Nogami, he would survive a scary first inning and cruise through seven innings, with only two earned runs coming in the 7th. He struck out seven and mostly had no trouble with the Fighters lineup. Only Kensuke Kondo would consistently get on base, but that would be it.

Hirotaka Koishi would end the game with two scoreless innings and the Lions padded their lead. After not scoring for a full game, They would explode off a back end depth pitcher from the Fighters.

Lions 9, Fighters 2

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In Game 3, Anthony Bass would face Yusei Kikuchi on five days of rest. It was a brutal start for Kikuchi, where a routine double play ball ended up being a throwing error on Hideto Asamura. After a simple ground ball, Asamura threw a ball over Mejia's head and the Fighters struck first.

They would get another run in the second inning after Ono would single followed by a double off the wall by Nishikawa, all with two outs. Kikuchi appeared to have settled in afterwards and the Lions would tie the game in the fourth off a two-run home run by Mejia, which was his 5th HR of the year.

There was a chance in the fifth for the Lions with two on, two out, but Sumitani would strike out on full count where it would have been ball 4. In the sixth, Brandon Laird would single and Daikan Yoh, playing as the team's designated hitter would hit a backbreaking two-run home run off Kikuchi to give the Fighters a 4-2 lead.

Seibu had a chance with runners on the corners and Asamura batting on a cold streak in the 7th. He would flyout to centerfield and Onizaki would score from third, but Akiyama was caught trying to tag up as the pitcher served as a cutoff man to throw him out.

Chris Martin and Hirotoshi Masui cleaned up the 8th and 9th innings for the Fighters and the Lions would lose their third consecutive series. For Bass, it was his first win in Japan after being on the unfortunate end of decisions. He would go 6.1 innings with three earned runs total.

This was a game where Norio Tanabe fell for the third time through the order penalty trying to stretch Kikuchi through a 6th inning. Yoh would make the Lions pay with the home run and the mental mistakes would pile up with Asamura and Akiyama's blunders.

Game notes:

-Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura would leave the game with a wrist injury. Bass would strike him on a pitch and it would hit his right forearm.  Shuta Tonosaki came in as a pinch hitter and Tatsuyuki Uemoto would pinch hit later in the game.

-This became the 300th career win for Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama.

-At the conclusion of this game, Mejia would tie Brandon Laird for the most home runs in the Pacific League with five.

-Tomomi Takahashi and Shotaro Tashiro were deactivated after the game for Naotaka Takehara and Yutaro Osaki. Takahashi reportedly has an elbow injury.

Fighters 4, Lions 3

===

In Game 1 against Rakuten, it was Takahiro Norimoto vs. Ken Togame. The Lions jumped out to a 3-0 lead after four innings where Yuji Kaneko had a base hit with the bases loaded and Takumi Kuriyama would slice a gapper.

Togame looked like he was cruising through five with no runs allowed despite a shaky start. The third time through the order penalty would strike in the sixth, where the Eagles tied it up from hits by Zelous Wheeler and an RBI groundout by Kazuo Matsui.  Shota Takekuma came in with inherited runners and a pinch hitter in Ryohei Kawamoto was up batting for the first time with an ichi-gun since 2014. He would get a clutch single to make it 3-3.

The Eagles would go on top as Takekuma conceded another RBI to Wheeler in the 7th. Amazingly, the Lions answered back with a game tying two-out hit from Ryo Sakata and went ahead with a single from Onizaki.

Kazuhisa Makita came already allowing an inherited runner, but gave up another run in the 8th to tie it again as Motohiro Shima hit a gapper with two outs. Seibu had a great chance in the 9th off Kodai Hayama. The bases would be loaded with two outs and Takehara, pinch hitting for an already subbed DH spot due to Okawari-kun's injury, was up. He would get a clean single to right field and the Lions went back on top 7-5.

The top of the 9th would be where it all unraveled. Tatsushi Masuda couldn't strikeout anyone with an early single and walk to begin the frame. After Wheeler lined out, Matsui would slice a gapper in LF to bring the Eagles within one and the go-ahead run in scoring position.

The bases would be loaded and Kawamoto was up again. Masuda got a ground ball to Onizaki, but he would botch the throw to second base and it would go to the outfield as the Eagles tied it up.  Mitsutaka Goto would be up next and had a ground ball to Asamura, but he would also throw it wide of the plate and the go-ahead run would score making it 8-7 Eagles.

Yuki Matsui would close the game after getting a double play and the Lions lost another one.  This game had everything go wrong from errors and giving up hits. Tanabe may have mismanaged Togame with the third time through the order penalty, but his pitch count was far from high, so it's understandable he left him in.

The one thing Tanabe did right, was know when to pinch hit. He made calls at the right moment to give an opportunities as Osaki and Takehara both got at-bats in crunch time. Despite Norimoto starting, the bats did an amazing job making him work for every out and would take pitches outside without issue.

With Tomomi Takahashi out and Okawari-kun hurt, it was already discouraging news that they needed to pick up the slack. That being said, they scored off a poor Eagles bullpen and still couldn't close it out. The Lions in general haven't struck anyone out and it becomes discouraging with how this one ended.

Game notes: 

-Masatoshi Okada started for the first time at catcher. He went 1-4 with a walk.

-Asamura came in as a defensive substitute and Shuta Tonosaki was starting at 2B.

-Onizaki and Tomoya Mori were deactivated after the game. Isamu Sato and Shogo Kimura became active players.

===

In Game 2 against the Eagles, Andy Van Hekken faced second-year pitcher Tomohiro Anraku. Van Hekken entered the game without a win hoping to right the ship.  Anraku was once featured on ESPN due to his performance in the 2013 Spring Koshien. He was the team's first round draft pick in 2014.

Van Hekken got off to a slow start and couldn't recover. Wheeler was the culprit again with the first RBI of the game. Masayoshi Fukuda and Taishi Nakagawa would also do damage where Van Hekken couldn't even last three innings.  It was 4-0 until Sakata put the Lions on the board with an RBI single in the 4th. They'd add another through an RBI double play and make it 4-2.

The wheels fell off in the 6th, where Chun-Lin Kuo came in for middle relief and his control was off. He would hit two consecutive batters, with the second at the head level leading to his ejection as it is a dangerous pitch. Koishi came in with the bases loaded and got a ground ball, but Naoto Watanabe would commit a throwing error which should've been out No. 3 and two runs would score. It was nearly a replay of last night when Onizaki botched the throw in the ninth inning.

The Lions chipped away at the lead with a two-run HR from Asamura, snapping a significant 0-28 leading up to that at-bat. They would later rally for three consecutive base hits, ending with an Akiyama single to bring them within one run at 6-5.

This glory would be short lived, as Koishi remained in the game for the top of the 7th and gave up three consecutive singles, including one to Kazuo Matsui to make it 7-5. A wild pitch would make it 8-5 and the game was all but over.

However, a break would come as the Lions would get two singles and Watanabe appeared to have a double play ball, but Ryota Yoshimochi would miss the tag on Kuriyama and the throw to first was dropped. Asamura would hit into a fielder's choice to get one run.

There would be runners on the corners and two outs for Okawari-kun, who would get a sudden pinch hit appearance.  Okawari-kun sliced one opposite field and it looked catchable, but it dropped and it resulted in a two-run triple to tie the game at 8-8.

Masuda would enter the 9th inning and suddenly allow a base runner with speed to get on base. With two outs and a runner on 2nd, it was up to Goto. He would get an infield single and beat out a throw from Watanabe as runners were on the corners.  Kawamoto would flyout to right field as Sakata made a basket catch and preserved the tie.

A chance would come in the 9th for the Lions as Watanabe would leadoff with a single. After Asamura advanced him to 2nd on a bunt, Okada would walk on 5 pitches.  Akiyama also walked on four pitches.  Newcomer Shogo Kimura had a chance like Takehara in the previous game to get a big hit with the bases loaded. He would strikeout on some terrible pitches in the dirt as Koji Aoyama would get a houdini.

Makita would get his own jam in the top of the 12th with two on and one out. Yoshimochi would ground into a 6-4-3, meaning the Lions could no longer lose the game.

In the bottom of the 12th, the Lions were only able to get one base runner, but Kuriyama struck out and the game ended in a draw.

Game note:

-Andy Van Hekken was deactivated after the game and Yosuke Okamoto would come up.

Lions 8, Eagles 8

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In Game 3 against the Eagles, Kishi would start on four days of rest against Yoshinao Kamata. He would start well at first, but left the game in the third inning after 34 pitches due to an undisclosed injury. This left a pickle, but Mejia would hit a solo HR off Kamata for the first run of the game in the third.

Koishi would come in as a long reliever and concede a run in the 5th, but Mejia answered right back with a two-run HR in the bottom half. Things began to unravel in the top of the 7th, where C.C. Lee allowed two runners, but got two outs. Yosuke Okamoto would enter and could not do anything right. He would walk Goto to load the bases before Ryo Hijirisawa would tie the game on a two-out single.

The Eagles took the lead shortly after as Takekuma came in with inherited runners. Ginji Akaminai had a gapper of his own and made it 5-3. Another hit from Wheeler made it 6-3 and all hope looked lost.

However, the bottom of the 7th loomed large.  Kamata and Hayama combined to load the bases with hits and walks for Mejia up. Hiroyuki Fukuyama would enter, as he has given up a game-winning run for the Lions earlier this season. On first pitch, Mejia hit a no-doubt grand slam to centerfield and the Lions regained the lead in improbable fashion going up 7-6.

Takekuma had a clean 8th inning and Masuda would shut the door as the Lions split the three-game series against the Eagles.

Lions 7, Eagles 6

===

Despite the miracle win on Sunday, the Lions look like they're in deep trouble with no bullpen help and no defense. They literally threw away Friday's game and blew an opportunity to even sweep the Eagles where Saturday was also winnable.

Each game this week was doable, but all the little mistakes from bats, errors and bullpen made it all become a nightmare. There is an even larger concern with Okawari-kun's injury, Mori being deactivated, no rotation stability and a potentially injured Kishi.

Expectations are officially out the window because this Lions team cannot compete with an incompetent bullpen. They were bailed out by Rakuten's terrible pen which contributed to a non-sweep and even a win.

Too many questions arise with this week of poor defense, bullpen and more. Who becomes the starter in place of Van Hekken?  Who is the setup man now that Tomomi Takahashi is injured? Can Okawari-kun recover from his forearm injury?  It's just too much.

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