Yomiuri Giants: March 3, 2010
by Gen on Mar.03, 2010 @ 4:50 pm, under NPB, Spring Camp
=== 3/4/2010 12:35am JST
...Daisuke Nakai has a modest 3-game hitting streak going and is 4-for-5 over three exhibition games.
...Tetsuya Yamaguchi rejoined the Ichi-gun team for practice on Wednesday. He had been out with tonsillitis since 2/28. Yamaguchi did not work on the same training menu and instead did some walking and played some catch.
=== 3/3/2010 4:50pm JST
...Going into Wednesday's game, Hayato Sakamoto did not have a hit over his last 8 at bats. On Wednesday, he went 0-for-3 with walk and is now 0-for-11 with 4 strike outs and 2 walks.
...Tatsunori Hara told reporters that he might try hitting Hisayoshi Chono in the number 1 or 2 hole at some point during exhibition play. The point is to create more options when / if Sakamoto and Tetsuya Matsumoto need breathers, go down with injuries, or hit prolonged slumps. Chono wouldn't be a prototypical lead-off hitter since he tends to swing a lot, but he could be an interesting option if he continues to make contact.
On Wednesday, Chono started in left and batted out of the 9 hole and went 0-for-3 with a strike out.
...On Tuesday, Hara suggested that Kentaro Nishimura try picking up a cutter. To that end, Nishimura ended up working with BP pitcher Shintaro Yoshitake, a pitcher that was known for his cutter. This would be a pitch Nishimura could use against left-handed batters.
...Tetsuya Utsumi threw 80 pitches in a bullpen session on Tuesday. During the session, Ni-gun pitching coach Tadakatsu Kotani offered Utsumi some advice that apparently gave his pitches a little something extra. Utsumi later told reporters that he's now focusing more on his balance and that he feels he's making better pitches.
