The Chiba Lotte Marines announced today that they signed former Yomiuri Giant Dicky Gonzalez to a contract for the 2013 season.  The contract is reportedly worth an estimated 450,000 US dollars (about 38 million yen) plus incentives.  He has not yet been assigned a uniform number.

Source: official announcement, Daily Sports 12/13/2012

The Seibu Lions announced that they signed Jose Ortiz (35) and Brian Sikorski (38) to contracts for the 2013 season.  Ortiz will return to Seibu after joining the team in June this year; his uniform number will change from fourteen to eight.  Sikorski took a tryout with the team during fall camp and passed.  Source: official announcement

UPDATE 12/1 @ 10:23am - Ortiz's deal: 34 million yen plus performance bonuses.  Sikorski's deal: 25 million yen plus performance bonuses.  Source: Sanspo 12/1/2012

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The Chiba Lotte Marines announced that they informed Doug Mathis and Hayden Penn they will not be offered contracts for the 2013 season.  Source: official announcement

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Edgar Gonzalez was left off the Yomiuri Giants' reserved list and will become a free agent.  Dicky Gonzalez has also been released and will not be returning next season.  Source: Sanspo 11/30/2012

Dicky Gonzalez was examined at a hospital today and diagnosed with a strain in his left internal oblique.  The Giants did not announce a timetable for his return, but it appears he could be out at least one month.

Dicky Gonzalez (YOM) was lifted from his start against the Chunichi Dragons after he complained of complained of discomfort in his body (he may have tweaked his left flank during his at bat in the top of the 2nd inning) while throwing practice pitches before the start of the bottom of the 2nd.

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Brian Wolfe (HAM) left the game after throwing three pitches to Shigenobu Shima (Seibu) in the 4th inning.  Wolfe called for time after throwing two pitches to Shima because he felt some discomfort in his left hamstring and took himself out of the game after throwing the third pitch.

Ikusei player Takao Zaizen was hit by a pitch near the base of his neck during a game against Kansai Medical Sports Gakuin today and was diagnosed with a spinous process fracture in his sixth cervical vertebrae.  Zaizen will remain in the hospital for additional testing.

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Dicky Gonzalez is slated to start Wednesday's game.  After that, it will go back to the top of the rotation with Tetsuya Utsumi, Hirokazu Sawamura, and Toshiya Sugiuchi starting on five days of rest.

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If Ryosuke Miyaguni can win his first Ichi-gun start on April 8, he will become the first pitcher under twenty in franchise history to do so since Hiromi Makihara on April 16, 1983.

Dicky Gonzalez took part in full-squad workouts at Giants Stadium today.  He is scheduled to start Tuesday's exhibition game against the Yakult Swallows.

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Tatsunori Hara worked with the struggling Hisayoshi Chono at Giants Stadium today.  He also spent some time with Hayato Sakamoto.

Chono: 7-for-34 (.167/.182/.262) in eleven exhibition games
Sakamoto: 7-for-42 (.206/.308/.206) in twelve exhibition games

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Yasunari Takagi's mother died of liver cancer this afternoon.  She was fifty-seven.

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Sponichi is reporting that Kentaro Nishimura will start the season as the team closer until Yuya Kubo is fully ready to take over.

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The Giants announced that Giants Academy will hold a baseball clinic on May 6 for kids between five and six years old.

Dicky Gonzalez is slated to start Sunday's exhibition game against the Hanshin Tigers.

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Yoshihito Ishii spent Friday resting at a hotel because of lower back pains.  He returned to practices today.

Shun Tono worked out at Giants Stadium today.  He is scheduled to start and toss four to five innings in tomorrow's exhibition game against the Hiroshima Carp.

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Yuya Kubo faced live hitters for about ten minutes during indoor workouts today.

Tatsunori Hara spoke to reporters at Haneda Airport today and said that the team will figure out his comeback schedule after they have a chance to see him pitche in a Ni-gun game on March 20.

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The Giants called up Jin Nakatani and sent Tomoya Ichikawa down to Ni-gun today.

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Tatsunori Hara has been messing around with the batting order.  His next version will likely be, for the top half: Hayato Sakamoto, John Bowker, Hisayoshi Chono, Shinnosuke Abe, and Shuichi Murata.

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Nikkan Sports and Sponichi figure Tetsuya Utsumi and Hirokazu Sawamura will pitch in the home opener (March 30 - April 1 vs Yakult at Tokyo Dome) and Toshiya Sugiuchi and D.J. Houlton in the road opener (April 3 - April 5 vs Hiroshima at Mazda Stadium).

Sponichi also adds that Ryosuke Miyaguni could start the final game of the home opener.

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Kyoiku League game vs Rakuten on Sunday: Dicky Gonzalez tossed three shutout innings while allowing two hits; Taishi Ota started in center and batted first and went 0-for-4. (Sponichi)

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The Ni-gun Giants had the day off today.

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For the fourth time during spring camp, the Giants decided to start practices indoors today because of the cold weather.

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Tetsuya Yamaguchi faced Hisayoshi Chono and Hayato Sakamoto during batting practice today and threw forty-seven pitches.

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Taishi Ota stayed back after general workouts for about an hour of extra fielding practice in the outfield today.

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Kentaro Nishimura is scheduled to start an intra-squad practice game on February 12.

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Sanspo reports that the first six spots in the line-up could go: Hayato Sakamoto, Daisuke Fujimura, Hisayoshi Chono, Shinnosuke Abe, Shuichi Murata, Michihiro Ogasawara.

Nikkan Sports mentions that Tatsunori Hara could try something a one thru five of: Chono, Sakamoto, John Bowker, Abe, Murata.  It is also possible that Ryosuke Miyaguni gets a shot at being the sixth starter in the rotation.

Regardless, it seems Hara will reserve the four and five spots for Abe and Murata.

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Fujimura will be using lighter cleats this year, from 330 grams to about 300 grams.

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Shun Tono is working on a new delivery where he does not raise his arms above his head when he lifts his left leg.

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Sponichi reports that Hara wants his base line-up to be Sakamoto batting first, Chono batting third, Murata batting fourth, and Abe batting fifth.  From there, players can be moved around.  For example: if someone different were to bat third, then Chono could move to batting lead-off with Sakamoto dropping down to the seven hole.

Regarding the outfield spots, Sponichi mentions, in a separate article, that Chono will be treated as the everyday right fielder.  Bowker and Yoshinobu Takahashi will battle it out for left, and Tetsuya Matsumoto and Ota will compete for the CF job.

The Yomiuri Giants announced today that Dicky Gonzalez and Levi Romero will be returning to the Yomiuri Giants in 2012.

UPDATE 12/22 @ 10:52am - Sanspo notes that Gonzalez signed for 50M yen (down 60M yen) and Romero 10M yen (up 5.1M yen).

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2011 Season - Dicky Gonzalez

2011 Season - Levi Romero