Games from May 21:

Seattle Mariners 6 - Texas Rangers 1
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 2-for-4: RBI triple to right, RBI single to center (run scored, advance to third on throwing error by center field), ground out to third (force), strikeout (foul tip). [Sponichi, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Nikkan Sports]

Yu Darvish (TEX) started the game and allowed five runs (four earned) over four innings of work.  He took the loss and is now 6-2.  Final line: 4 IP, 96-56 NP-S, 22 BF, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Yoshinori Tateyama (TEX) entered the game in the bottom of the 6th, with the Rangers down, and gave up a run over two innings of work in relief.  Final line: 2 IP, 37-27 NP-S, 8 BF, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR. [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi]

Kansas City Royals 6 - New York Yankees 0
Hiroki Kuroda (NYY) started the game and gave up three runs over 5.1 innings of work. He took the loss and dropped to 3-6 on the year.  Final line: 5.1 IP, 103-63 NP-S, 26 BF, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB (1 IBB), 4 SO, 1 HR. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Oakland A's 2 - LA Angels 1
Hisanori Takahashi (LAA) entered the game in the bottom of the 7th with a runner on first, one out, and the A's up 2-1.  Takahashi recorded one one out on a fly out to center.  The second out was picked off at first base.  Final line: 0.2 IP, 4-2 NP-S, 1 BF, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR. [Nikkan Sports]

SF Giants 4 - Milwaukee Brewers 3
Norichika Aoki (MIL) started in right and batted second.  He went 0-for-5: bunt ground out to third, strikeout swinging, ground out to third, reaches on fielding error by shortstop (run scored), strikeout swinging, walk. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Durham 3 - Charlotte 2 (AAA)
Hideki Matsui (DUR) was the starting DH and batted fourth.  He went 1-for-5: fly out to left, fly out to left, GIDP, line out to second, game-winning walk-off RBI single to right. [Sponichi, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Las Vegas 10 - Nashville 8 (AAA)
Ryota Igarashi (LV) entered the game in the top of the 9th and tossed a shutout inning in relief.  He also recorded his fourth save of the year.  Final line: 1 IP, 18-12 NP-S, 5 BF, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR.

===

Komatsu will be maintaining the spokesperson contract they have had with Hideki Matsui (TBR) since 2003.

The Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin has the following update on Matsui:

OF/DH Hideki Matsui seems likely to join the Rays this week, maybe for the weekend series in Boston.

And from the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith:

Though there's no official date for DH/OF Hideki Matsui to be called up from Triple-A Durham, Maddon said he and executive VP Andrew Friedman are monitoring him more closely. Maddon said part of the timing is Matsui being ready and the other is need, with the Rays having a lot of left-handed bats. Matsui hit an RBI single in the 10th Monday to lift the Bulls to a 3-2 victory.

===

The latest on Daisuke Matsuzaka (BOS), from the Providence Journals Tim Britton:

Daisuke Matsuzaka was officially placed on the 15-day disabled list effective Saturday with a strain in his right trapezius.

Matsuzaka received an injection in that trapezius over the weekend.

"The same area flared up a little maybe three weeks ago. It was the same symptoms," Matsuzaka said through interpreter Jeff Cutler. "It seemed to have cleared up, but it came up again. It restricts my movement when I throw. At this point, that's why I got the shot. Hopefully it gets better from here. MY rehab so far had been going really well, so it is a setback and it is a little disappointing."

===

Yoshinori Tateyama (TEX) made it back to the Majors on Monday.  From MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan:

Yoshinori Tateyama is back in the big leagues.

The Rangers called up Tateyama on Monday from Triple-A Round Rock after placing pitcher Neftali Feliz on the disabled list with a sprained right elbow. Tateyama goes into the bullpen while Scott Feldman will take Feliz's spot in the rotation.

Tateyama, who began the season on the disabled list with tightness in his lower back, pitched in 12 games for Round Rock and was 1-0 with a 0.54 ERA. In 16 2/3 innings, he allowed 12 hits and four walks while striking out 14.

===

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) kept himself busy during Monday's game by catching in the bullpen.

Games from May 17:

Cleveland Indians 6 - Seattle Mariners 5 [Sponichi, Daily Sports]
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 0-for-6: fly out to left, ground out to first, fly out to center, ground out to short, line out to short, ground out to short. [Nikkan Sports]

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) entered the game as a pinch-runner for Justin Smoak in the top of the 10th and remained in the game at second in the bottom of the 10th. [Nikkan Sports]

Chicago White Sox 6 - LA Angels 1
Hisanori Takahashi (LAA) entered the game in the top of the 6th, with the Angels down 4-0, and tossed a shutout inning in relief.  Final line: 1 IP, 20-10 NP-S, 4 BF, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR. [Nikkan Sports]

Houston Astros 4 - Milwaukee Brewers 0
Norichika Aoki (MIL) started in center and batted first.  He went 3-for-4: ground out to second, double to right, single to right, HBP, single to center. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Durham 5 - Pawtucket 0 (AAA) [Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]
Hideki Matsui (DUR) was the starting DH and batted fourth.  He went 0-for-3: ground out to first (force), fly out to left, reaches on catcher interference (run scored), fly out to center. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Daisuke Matsuzaka (PAW) started the game and allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits over 6.2 innings of work.  Final line: 6.2 IP, 95-64 NP-S, 28 BF, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2 HR, 1 HBP. [Sponichi, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Louisville 4 - Rochester 2 (AAA)
Tsuyoshi Nishioka (ROC) started at second and batted first.  He went 1-for-4: ground out to first, fly out to left, single to center, strikeout swinging, walk. [Nikkan Sports]

===

The Hideki Matsui - Daisuke Matsuzaka game will be shown on J-Sports 2/3 in Japan at 6pm today and against a 8am on Saturday.

===

The Durham Bulls plan to begin selling Hideki Matsui (TBR) t-shirts on Friday for $24.99.

Depending on how things turn out, Matsui could join the MLB roster as early as May 22.

===

Yu Darvish's (TEX) next start will come on May 21 against the Seattle Mariners.  Darvish will be going for his 100th career victory (currently at ninety-three NPB victories and six MLB victories).

Incidentally, Darvish tweeted that he threw at about seventy to eighty percent during his last start in order to give hitters something else to think about.

Games from May 15, 2012:

Boston Red Sox 5 - Seattle Mariners 0 [Nikkan Sports, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 2-for-4: fly out to center, single to center, infield single (stole second and third), ground out to first. [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi]

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) started at short and batted ninth.  He went 0-for-3: strikeout swinging, fly out to center, ground out to second. [Sponichi]

Kansas City Royals 7 - Texas Rangers 4
Koji Uehara (TEX) entered the game in the top of the 8th, with the Rangers down 7-3, and retired the side in order.  Final line: 1 IP, 10-8 NP-S, 3 BF, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR. [Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Milwaukee Brewers 8 - New York Mets 0
Norichika Aoki (MIL) started in center and batted first.  He went 2-for-5: ground out to short, ground out to first, infield single, fly out to center, single to left (deflected by shortstop)  [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi, Daily Sports]

Baltimore Orioles 5 - New York Yankees 2
Wei-Ying Chen (BAL) started the game and allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings of work.  Final line: 7 IP, 105-65 NP-S, 26 BF, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR. [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi]

Pawtucket 8 - Durham 2 (AAA)
Hideki Matsui (DUR) was the starting DH and batted fourth.  He went 0-for-4: strikeout swinging, fly out to right, ground out to second, ground out to first. [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi]

Rochester 5 - Louisville 4 (AAA)
Tsuyoshi Nishioka (ROC) started at second and batted eighth.  He went 1-for-2: fly out to right, sac fly to center, single to left, intentional walk. [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi]

===

Takashi Saito (ARI) was cleared to toss a bullpen session on Tuesday -- he threw twenty-one pitches, including off-speed pitches.  Saito is scheduled to toss another bullpen session on May 18.

===

Yu Darvish (TEX) took some batting practice during workouts on Tuesday.  He also played some light catch in the outfield and did some sprints.

Games from May 12:

New York Yankees 6 - Seattle Mariners 2 [Daily Sports]
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 1-for-4: fly out to right, single to center, ground out to second, strikeout swinging.  Ichiro also made a nice leaping catch in the 1st inning. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) started at short and batted ninth.  He went 0-for-3: ground out to right (force), fly out to center, pop out to second. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Milwaukee Brewers 8 - Chicago Cubs 2
Norichika Aoki (MIL) entered the game as a defensive replacement in center in the top of the 8th.  He went 0-for-1: sac bunt (squeeze, RBI). [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Pawtucket 7 - Columbus 6 (AAA)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (PAW) started the game and gave up five runs (all earned) over 5.1 innings of work.  Matsuzaka topped out at 93mph (~150km/h).  Final line: 5.1 IP, 90-54 NP-S, 24 BF, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 2 HR, 2 HBP. [Sponichi]

===

Hideki Matsui (TBR) played in a minor league practice game against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday and went 3-for-5 with three RBI, including a solo homer to right in his fifth at bat of the game (and twentieth overal practice game plate appearance).  In four practice games he is now 8-for-18 with four RBI, one homer, two walks, and three strikeouts.

===

Daisuke Matsuzaka's (BOS) next Triple-A rehab start will likely come on May 17.

===

Hisashi Iwakuma (SEA) chatted with Hiroki Kuroda (NYY) during pre-game practices on Saturday.

===

Yu Darvish's (TEX) next start will come against the Oakland A's on May 16 (four days of rest).

Games from May 8:

Detroit Tigers 6 - Seattle Mariners 4
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batetd third.  He went 1-for-4: pop out to second, RBI single to right (run scored), fly out to left, fly out to second, IBB. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Chicago White Sox 5 - Cleveland Indians 3
Kosuke Fukudome (CWS) entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Dayan Viciedo in the top of the 10th inning and flied out to center.  Fukudome took over in left in the bottom of the 10th. [Nikkan Sports]

Minnesota Twins 4 - LA Angels 0
Hisanori Takahashi (LAA) entered the game in the bottom of the 8th (runner on first, two out, and the Angels down 4-0) and got Joe Mauer to ground out to second to end the inning.  Final line: 0.1 IP, 3-1 NP-S, 1 BF, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR. [Nikkan Sports]

Texas Rangers 10 - Baltimore Orioles 3
Koji Uehara (TEX) entered the game in the game in the bottom of the 7th inning (Rangers up 8-1) and tossed a shutout inning in relief.  Final line: 1 IP, 15-11 NP-S, 4 BF, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR. [Nikkan Sports]

Milwaukee Brewers 8 - Cincinnati Reds 3
Norichika Aoki (MIL) entered the game as a defensive replacement in left in the top of the 9th inning. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Round Rock 11 - Salt Lake 9
Yoshinori Tateyama (RRE) entered the game in the bottom of the 8th and gave up three runs (none earned) over an inning of work.  Final line: 1 IP, 24-17 NP-S, 6 BF, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 1 HR. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

===

Ichiro Suzuki, Munenori Kawasaki, and Hisashi Iwakuma visited an elementary school on Tuesday as part of the Seattle Mariners D.R.E.A.M. program.

===

Kosuke Fukudome's (CWS) single to center in the 7th inning of Monday's game against the Cleveland Indians (Game 1) was the 7,000th hit collected by a Japanese player.  Masanori Murakami collected the first hit on June 29, 1965.

Japanese players are also three homers away from 500.

===

Hideki Matsui (TBR) wore the number fifty-five during practice on Tuesday.  During situational batting practice, Matsui was the starting DH and batted third -- he collected a two-run double to right-center in his first at bat, grounded out to first in his second at bat, and flied out to center in his third at bat.

Matsui faced Bryan Augenstein during batting practice on Monday and collected two hits (eight swings) on fourteen pitches.

===

WEEI's Alex Speier provides the following update on Daisuke Matsuzaka (BOS):

While Matsuzaka reported no problems in the neck issue that delayed his latest outing by a few days, he acknowledged that his rebuilt elbow varies on a day-to-day basis. That being the case, he did not exude certainty about whether he might be ready to return to the majors with another couple of starts.

"Overall, my body feels good, so that's fine, but my elbow, depending on the day — some days it feels better than others. Right now, I'm hoping when I start, it hits the day I'm feeling good," he told reporters. "Regarding being ready in two more games, it's hard to say because it's a step-by-step process, a game-by-game process. I'll just go see how I pitch my next outing and see how that goes and see where I stand then."

===

Tomochika Tsuboi will continue his playing career with the San Rafael Pacifics (North American Baseball League).  Tsuboi will head to the States last this month.

Games from May 7:

Seattle Mariners 3 - Detroit Tigers 2 [Daily Sports]
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 1-for-3: double to right, line out to short, pop out to second, walk (run scored). [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) entered the game as a pinch-runner for Jesus Montero in the bottom of the 9th and came around to score the walk-off run. [Nikkan Sports]

Hisashi Iwakuma (SEA) entered the game in the top of the 4th, with Seattle down 1-0, and allowed a run over three innings of work.  Final line: 3 IP, 48-35 NP-S, 12 BF, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Cleveland Indians 8 - Chicago White Sox 6 (Game 1)
Kosuke Fukudome (CWS) started in left and batted eighth.  He went 1-for-2: ground out to short, sac fly to left, single to center.  Fukudome was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Cleveland Indians 3 - Chicago White Sox 2 (Game 2)
Kosuke Fukudome (CWS) started in left and batted sixth.  He went 0-for-3: strikeout swinging, ground out to second, ground out to second.  Fukudome was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th. [Sponichi]

LA Angels 8 - Minnesota Twins 3
Hisanori Takahashi (LAA) entered the game in the 7th, with the Angels up 5-1, and retired the side in order.  Final line: 1 IP, 9-7 NP-S, 3 BF, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Cincinnati Reds 6 - Milwaukee Brewers 1
Norichika Aoki (MIL) started in center and batted first.  He went 0-for-4: fly out to left, ground out to first, strikeout looking, fly out to right. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Pawtucket 4 - Rochester 0 (AAA)
Daisuke Matsuzaka (PAW) started the game and did not allow a run over 4.2 innings of work.  He topped out at 92mph (~148km/h).  FInal line: 4.2 IP, 87-49 NP-S, 20 BF, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi, Daily Sports, Nikkan Sports]

Las Vegas 7 - Salt Lake 6 (AAA)
Ryota Igarashi (LV) entered the game in the top of the 8th and retired the side in order.  He got the win and is now 1-1 on the year.  Final line: 1 IP, 16-12 NP-S, 3 BF, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

===

Hideki Matsui's (TBR) workouts on Monday included fielding practice in left, base-running, and batting practice (fourteen pitches, eight swings).

===

Daisuke Matsuzaka (BOS) could return to the Majors for a start against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 17, which would be ten days ahead of schedule.

===

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (MIN) might be able to play in his first rehab game some time this week.

===

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) caught Kevin Millwood's bullpen session on Sunday (about fifteen minutes, worked signs in partway through).

===

Tsuyoshi Wada (BAL) was shifted over to the sixty-day DL.

===

Yu Darvish (TEX) kept his workouts on Monday light (running, playing catch).  His next start will likely come against the LA Angels on May 11.

Games from May 3:

Tampa Bay Rays 4 - Seattle Mariners 3 [Daily Sports, Daily Sports]
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 1-for-4: line out to right, ground out to short, RBI double to right, ground out to short. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) started at short and batted ninth.  He went 1-for-3: bunt single, fly out to center, ground out to second. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Cleveland Indians 7 - Chicago White Sox 5
Kosuke Fukudome (CWS) started in left and batted seventh.  He went 0-for-1: line out to short, walk (run scored), walk, walk. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Toledo 6 - Pawtucket 4 (AAA)
Junichi Tazawa (BOS) entered the game with a runner on second and two out in the bottom of the 6th.  Tazawa retired all seven of the batters he faced over 2.1 innings of work.  Final line: 2.1 IP, 31-22 NP-S, 7 BF, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

===

Hideki Matsui (TBR) took forty swings during batting practice on Thursday and hit seven over the fence (on his first day of workouts on Wednesday, he took thirty-four swings and hit none over the fence).  He also took twenty swings against a pitching machine and hit five over the fence.

Matsui is slated to wear the number fifty-five, at least during extended spring training and most likely during his stint at Triple-A.

Nikkan Sports mentions that the Rays may give Matsui six to ten plate at bats a day during practice games next week.  And Sasnpo notes his schedule could look something like this: situational batting practice against Double-A pitchers on May 5, five or so at bats during a practice game on May 7, addition of defense on May 8.

===

Daisuke Matsuzaka's (BOS) Triple-A rehab game start on Friday was pushed back to May 7 because of weather conditions (forecast calls for rain).

Games from May 2:

Tampa Bay Rays 5 - Seattle Mariners 4
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 2-for-3: walk (run scored), strikeout swinging, single to center, bunt single. [Sponichi, Daily Sports, Nikkan Sports]

Cleveland Indians 6 - Chicago White Sox 3
Kosuke Fukudome (CWS) entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Brent Morel in the bottom of the 9th inning and flied out to left to end the game. [Nikkan Sports]

Toronto Blue Jays 11 - Texas Rangers 5
Koji Uehara (TEX) entered the game in the bottom of the 8th and retired the side in order.  Final line: 1 IP, 10-8 NP-S, 3 BF, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi, Daily Sports, Nikkan Sports]

Las Vegas 12 - Reno 4 (AAA)
Ryota Igarashi (LV) entered the game with no out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th inning. Igarashi gave up a two-run double to the first batter he faced before retiring the next three in order.  He faced and retired two more batters in the bottom of the 8th before getting replaced by Chad Beck.  Final line: 1.2 IP, 35-24 NP-S, 6 BF, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi]

===

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) suited up in catcher's gear during pre-game practice on Wednesday.  The Seattle Times' Larry Stone has more:

With Miguel Olivo's injury, the Mariners' catching corps is down to Jesus Montero and John Jaso. And considering that Montero is still going to see a lot of time at designated hitter, and is also a candidate to be removed for a pinch-runner late in games, manager Eric Wedge feels compelled to identify an emergency third catcher.

Brendan Ryan lobbied for the job, but the manager settled on reserve infielder Munenori Kawasaki.

"He's the first guy that came to mind," Wedge said. "I guess that covers about everything. He has good hands, he's a good athlete. He's more than willing and able to do anything."

===

The latest on Tsuyoshi Wada (BAL), from MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli:

Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, who had an MRI exam and a CT scan on his left elbow during a visit to Dr. Lewis Yocum, has decided to undergo Tommy John surgery. The procedure will be performed May 11 in Los Angeles by Yocum.

"I am very disappointed," Wada said. "I will work hard for the rehab and try to recover to be as strong as I can to help the team win. I appreciate the support from the Orioles through this process."

Wei-Ying Chen (BAL) offered the following comments on Wada, via Sponichi: "This is sad.  I think rehab will be difficult.  I want him to get better and return to the team as soon as possible. ... The training in the US is different from Japan so if you get hurt, it can not be helped. ... Getting hurt overseas and going under the knife can can make things a lot more difficult than if you have surgery in your own home country."

===

Yu Darvish (TEX) was named Rookie of the Month for April.  A snip from MLB.com:

...right-hander Yu Darvish was named Rookie of the Month in voting by writers and broadcasters.

... Darvish became just the sixth rookie starter since 1957 to win at least four games without a loss in April. He was 4-0 in five starts in his first Major League action, tying for the league lead in wins. He was also among the league leaders in ERA (sixth, 2.18) and strikeouts (tied for fifth, 33). Darvish is just the third Rangers player to win AL Rookie of the Month since it was first awarded in 2003. Gerald Laird won in 2004 and Neftali Feliz took home honors in 2010. Hamilton has won a club-record four Player of the Month awards: in April and May of 2008 and June 2010. Rafael Palmeiro and Alex Rodriguez both won three.

Darvish's next start will be against the Cleveland Indians on May 6.

Habikino City, Osaka mayor Tsuguo Kitagawa told reporters that the mayor of Arlington, Texas mayor Robert Cluck sent him an invitation to visit the city some time during the season.

Habikino City is where Darvish grew up.

Games from May 1:

Tampa Bay Rays 3 - Seattle Mariners 1 [Daily Sports, Nikkan Sports]
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 2-for-4: double to right, fly out to left, single to right, ground out to second. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Casper Wells in the top of the 9th inning and struck out swinging. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

San Diego Padres 2 - Milwaukee Brewers 0
Norichika Aoki (MIL) started in center and batted second.  He went 0-for-3: reaches on fielding error (E6), ground out to the pitcher, ground out to the pitcher, walk. [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi]

Round Rock 6 - New Orleans 3 (AAA)
Yoshinori Tateyama (RRE) entered the game in the top of the 8th and tossed two shutout innings for his first save of the year.  Final line: 2 IP, 34-27 NP-S, 8 BF, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

===

Sponichi mentions that Matt Moore might consider giving up the fifty-five if Hideki Matsui (TBR) asks him to.  Until then, he does not plan to think about.

A separate Sponichi article provides the following quotes from former team mate John Flaherty on Matsui:

I saw Hideki running sprints at a public field while driving around in the afternoon. ... [I was in a rush] so I could not stop and talk to him. ... But it made me happy to see a former team mate working hard. ... He is not young anymore, but once he steps into the batter's box, he will do his job.  He will probably have to spend a few weeks in the minors, but once he shows he is ready, he will have another shot at the Majors.  And that will be good news.

The Tampa Bay Rays were pleasantly surprised when about fifty reporters (mostly Japanese) showed up for Matsui's press conference on Tuesday.

===

Junichi Tazawa (BOS) was optioned to Pawtucket on Tuesday.

===

The latest on Tsuyoshi Wada (BAL), from the Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly:

Yocum, the Los Angeles Angels’ team doctor, confirmed the tear and has recommended surgery, according to Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette. Ultimately, the course of action will be determined by the 31-year-old Japan native.

The Orioles' Dr. John Wilckens had recommended only that Wada seek a second opinion. If he has elbow surgery, Wada will be shelved for roughly a year.

Games from April 30:

Tampa Bay Rays 3 - Seattle Mariners 2 [Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started in right and batted third.  He went 3-for-6: infield single, pop out to third, pop out to short, single to left, single to center, ground out to first. [Sponichi]

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) entered the game as a pinch-runner for Kyle Seager in the top of the 9th inning.  He remained in the game (took over at short) and went 0-for-1: ground out to third (bunt). [Sponichi]

New York Yankees 2 - Baltimore Orioles 1
Hiroki Kuroda (NYY) started the game and gave up one run on four hits over seven innings of work.  He won the game and is now 2-3 on the year.  Final line: 7 IP, 87-52 NP-S, 24 BF, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO,  0 HR, 1 WP, 1 HBP. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Boston Red Sox 11 - Oakland A's 6
Junichi Tazawa (BOS) entered the game in the top of the 7th with no one on, two out, and the Red Sox up 11-6.  Tazawa faced three batters and could not get anyone out: single, HBP, E5 (fielding error). Final line: 0.0 IP, 13-7 NP-S, 3 BF, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 1 HBP. [Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Texas Rangers 4 - Toronto Blue Jays 1
Yu Darvish (TEX) started the game and gave up one run (solo homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the bottom of the 4th) on four hits over seven innings of work.  He got the victory and improved to 4-0.  Final line: 7 IP, 97-62 NP-S, 27 BF, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR, 1 HBP. [Sponichi, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Nikkan Sports, Daily Sports]

Las Vegas 8 - Reno 7 (AAA)
Ryota Igarashi (LV) entered the game in the bottom of the 9th and tossed a shutout inning for his first save of the year.  Final line: 1 IP, 14-10 NP-S, 4 BF, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR. [Nikkan Sports, Sponichi]

===

The Tampa Bay Rays signed Hideki Matsui to a minor league contract.  A snip:

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui to a minor league contract.  The left-handed hitter will report to extended spring training at the Charlotte Sports Park complex in Charlotte County, Fla.

===

Bobby Valentine told reporters on Monday that Daisuke Matsuzaka's (BOS) next rehab start will likely take place at AAA Pawtucket on May 4 (dependent on the weather).

===

The Journal Sentinel's Todd Rosiak has the following quote from Milwaukee Brewers' manager Ron Roenicke on Norichika Aoki (MIL), taken on April 28:

"We've got three guys right now that I'd like to get in there a lot, and it's going to be tough to do it," Roenicke said. "I want to give (Aoki) more games, too. This guy is really growing on us. It's just trying to figure out how to do it isn't easy."