4/23/2010 2:44am JST

Kikuchi has been doing a lot of running (8km, five days a week) in order to improve his conditioning and strengthen his lower body.  After his start on Wednesday, he ran twenty 400m sprints.  And it seems the Lions may no longer be thinking about Kikuchi pitching any Ichi-gun games this year, but rather next year.

Said Ni-gun pitching coach Ono, "He needs to build-up his trunk muscles.  The rest will have to come after that. ...  It'll take at least a year.  If he continues what he's doing right now, by the time summer ends, he'll be throwing a lot more differently."

4/22/2010 11:37am JST

Ni-gun pitching coach Kazuyoshi Ono told reporters that Kikuchi's upper body was moving vertically while his lower body was moving horizontally, creating an imbalance that wasn't allowing him to throw with any sort of velocity.

As of now, he'll likely start pitching regularly on 7-days of rest.

4/21/2010 3:14pm JST

Yusei Kikuchi started a Ni-gun game against the Futures on Wednesday.

Kikuchi topped out at 140km/h and lost the game 4-1.  His final line: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4 R

===

1st inning

Takuya Sakamoto (YOK): fly out to left

Sumi Kota (LOT): single to left

Atsushi Fukumoto (YOM): single to left, runners on first and second

Takuma Sadaoka (LOT): 3-run homer

Takahiro Ijuin (YOM): reached on error (E6)

Yukinori Momiyama (YOM): grounder to short, double play

2nd inning

Masashi Yoshida (LOT): single to center

Genki Kawano (YOM): strikeout, Yoshida steals second

Masato Sugimoto (YOK): ground out to short, runner on second

Sakamoto: infield singer, runner on second scores

Kota: fly out to second

3rd inning

Fukumoto: ground out to second

Sadaoka: single to left

Ijuin: grounder to third, double play

4th inning

Momiyama: ground out to second

Yoshida: ground out to third

Kawano: walk

Sugimoto: fly out to right

5th inning

Sakamoto: ground out to first

Kota: ground out to firt

Fukumoto: fly out to right

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