Softbank Hawks: March 13, 2012
by Gen on Mar.13, 2012 @ 11:59 pm, under NPB
Hiroki Kokubo left today's game before taking the field on defense in the 1st inning due to tightness in his left calf. The injury does not appear to be serious and the team expects Kokubo to be in the line-up on Thursday against the Rakuten Eagles.
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Nikkan Sports notes that Yuichi Honda and Kenji Akashi could take the top two spots in the batting order.
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Kazuyuki Hoashi is scheduled to start a Kyoiku League game against Hanshin (at Naruohama) on Sunday, March 18.
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According to Sanspo, the Hawks will most likely open the season with the following starting rotation:
March 30 - April 1 (vs Orix): Tadashi Settsu, Nagisa Arakaki, Hoashi
April 3 - April 5 (vs Rakuten): Hiroki Yamada, Brad Penny, Renyel Pinto
Sho Iwasaki and Kenji Otonari are also still in the running.
====== UPDATE 3/14 @ 12:45am
The Hawks will avoid starting Penny and Pinto against the Rakuten Eagles before the start of the regular season and will instead have them make Kyoiku League starts: Penny against Hiroshima on Wednesday and Pinto against Orix on Thursday.
Why don’t they want Penny and Pinto pitch against Rakuten?
Most likely because the two will be pitching against the Eagles during the second series of the season (April 3-5).
He skipped it.
http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nsp/hawks/item/291744