Nippon Ham Fighters

Yuki Saito is scheduled to toss batting practice on the 13th.  He will face two hitters and throw thirty to forty pitches.

Source: Sanspo 6/11/2013

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The PL started using the DH rule in 1975.  Since then, Nippon Ham designated hitters have slugged 989 home runs.  Only nine players have hit forty or more home runs as a DH -- seven in the 1980s and one each in the 1990s and 2000s.  Charlie Manuel set the NPB high for home runs in a season by a DH with forty-eight in 1980.  Highs from the last three years: nineteen by Takeshi Yamasaki in 2010, twelve by Jose Fernandez in 2011, and eighteen by Wily Mo Pena in 2012.  The last player to hit forty or more was Nobuhiko Matsunaka with forty in 2005.

At fourteen home runs as a DH so far this year, Michel Abreu has a shot at becoming the first DH to hit forty or more since Matsunaka.

Source: Sponichi 6/11/2013

Seibu Lions

Tatsuya Oishi was taken off the active roster today because he has not been pitching well.

Source: Sponichi 6/11/2013

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The Lions decided to promote 1st round draft pick Tatsushi Masuda after Hisanobu Watanabe had a chance to watch him toss thirty-four pitches in the bullpen today.

Source: Sponichi 6/11/2013, Nikkan Sports 6/11/2013

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Ikusei player Abner Abreu is a candidate to join the seventy-man roster.  The Lions currently have sixty-four players on the seventy-man roster and need to bump that to sixty-five before the end of July.

Source: Daily Sports 6/11/2013

Softbank Hawks

Wily Mo Pena joined the Ichi-gun team for workouts today.  He took forty swings during batting practice and hit eight over the fence.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/11/2013

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Sho Iwasaki was fined 200,000 yen for arriving about twenty minutes late to workouts today.

Source: Sanspo 6/11/2013

Orix Buffaloes

Kei Igawa worked out at Hotto Motto Kobe using pitching coach Nobuyuki Hoshino's first baseman's mitt and a pair of Dae-Ho Lee shoes.  When reporters asked what happened, he jokingly replied, "I might have to play some first.  I could always lose my job as a pitcher.  These shoes?  They are special."

What really happened: the team has been on the road and before returning, he had his equipment shipped to Kyocera Dome and forgot to prepare for practices at Hotto Motto.

Source: Daily Sports 6/11/2013, Sports Hochi 6/11/2013

Orix Buffaloes vs Yokohama Bay Stars @ Yokohama Stadium - 14:00
Starters: Nishi, Yuki (ORI) 5-2, 2.33 - Mishima, Kazuki (YOK) 1-2, 3.59

Attendance: 22320 | Time: 3h38m | Orix leads series, 3-1-0

(continue reading...)

Nippon Ham Fighters

Hisashi Takeda threw forty-seven pitches to a squatting catcher in the bullpen at Kamagaya on Friday.  It was his first session since he started feeling tightness in his right elbow.  Takeda is hoping to make it back to the active roster in the minimum amount of time.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/8/2013

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After throwing eighty-two pitches in the bullpen on Friday, 1st round draft pick Shohei Otani took fifty-four swings during batting practice and hit five over the fence.

Source: Sports Hochi 6/8/2013

Seibu Lions

Hisanobu Watanabe told reporters on Friday that he plans to move Hideaki Wakui back to the starting rotation after Inter-league play ends.

Source: Sponichi 6/8/2013

Softbank Hawks

Tadashi Settsu could return to the active roster in time for one last Inter-league start on the 13th against Yakult at YafuOku Dome.  The Hawks were thinking about getting through the remaining games on the IL schedule without the help of Settsu, but may allow him to pitch depending on how he is feeling.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/8/2013

Orix Buffaloes

Hiroshi Moriwaki is not satisfied with how the catchers are handling the pitching staff and may issue signs from the dugout in key situations.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/8/2013

Orix Buffaloes vs Yokohama Bay Stars @ Yokohama Stadium - 14:00
Starters: Kaneko, Chihiro (ORI) 4-4, 1.82 - Fujii, Shugo (YOK) 4-1, 2.85

Attendance: 22796 | Time: 4h8m | Orix leads series, 2-1-0

(continue reading...)

Nippon Ham Fighters

1st round draft pick Shohei Otani worked out as both a pitcher and position player at the Kamagaya facilities today -- he threw eighty-two pitches in the bullpen before taking batting practice.

Hideki Kuriyama spoke to reporters about the possibility of Otani pitching and hitting in the Hiroshima make-up game on the 18th and said, "There is a chance, but he does look a little tired when swinging the bat.  There is no need to push him and make him pitch as well."

Source: Sanspo 6/7/2013

Softbank Hawks

A ball hit by Yuki Yanagida slipped through a protective net and struck batting practice pitcher Akio Mizuta during batting practice today.

"[I got hit] in the lower back on the right side.  I had a hard time breathing, but it is just a bruise," said Mizuta.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/7/2013

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Koji Akiyama took twenty-nine swings during bating practice today and hit two over the fence.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/7/2013

Rakuten Eagles

Andruw Jones is twenty-three hits away from 2,000 MLB (1,933) + NPB (44) hits.  In anticipation of hit 2,000, the Rakuten Eagles have set up a countdown board in front of the Coka-Cola Box Seats on the first base side at Kleenex Stadium.  Fans sitting in the first row (temporarily name AJ 2,000 Hits Countdown Box Seats, five per game, between June 12 and July 14, from 12,00 yen to 25,000 yen) will be allowed to update the board as needed.

Source: official announcement

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Nikkan Sports recounts a story about Casey McGehee from April 5...   Some children were let onto the field before the game for group exercises and McGehee happened to spot a boy in a wheelchair.  Perhaps moved by the kid, McGehee grabbed a ball, signed it, and asked team staff to give the ball to the boy with the following message: "Work hard at everything you do!!  You can do it!"

That same day, McGehee got his right foot caught in the turf and had a hard time getting up.  He got the foot taped and played in the game, collecting two hits and an RBI.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/7/2013

Orix Buffaloes

Kei Igawa is 2-10 in fifteen starts at Nagoya Dome over his career (middle of a six-game losing streak).

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/7/2013, Daily Sports 6/7/2013

Orix Buffaloes vs Chunichi Dragons @ Nagoya Dome - 18:00
Starters: Igawa, Kei (ORI) 1-0, 5.06 - Yamai, Daisuke (CHU) 0-2, 9.72

Attendance: 24834 | Time: 3h8m | Series tied, 2-2-0

(continue reading...)

Nippon Ham Fighters

Yuki Saito threw eighty-one pitches in the bullpen on Tuesday.  There is a good chance he will be able to toss batting practice before the end of the month.

Source: Sponichi 6/5/2013

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1st round draft pick Shohei Otani may get a chance to pitch in relief since his next start will probably not come until at least the 18th -- there is a good chance he will start the make-up game against Hiroshima.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/5/2013

Softbank Hawks

The Hawks announced that their San-gun team will play practice games against the Japan national university team at Botchan Stadium on July 2 and 3.  Both games will start at 13:00.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/5/2013

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Tadashi Settsu likely will not return to the active roster until after Inter-league play ends -- the coaches want to make sure he is fresh for the second half and are worried about his workload, especially since he also participated in the WBC this year.

The Hawks will most likely let Kazuyuki Hoashi, Nagisa Arakaki, Vicente Padilla, and Hiroki Yamada handle the remaining eight Inter-league games on the schedule.

Source: Sports Hochi 6/5/2013

Orix Buffaloes

Brandon Dickson was taken off the active roster today with a minor strain in his right adductor muscle.  Dickson was examined at a hospital in Kobe on Tuesday because he complained of pain in his leg after his start against Hiroshima on Monday.  There is no timetable for his return.

Source: Daily Sports 6/5/2013, Sponichi 6/5/2013

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Kei Igawa is not a big fan of the announced starting pitchers.  He also thinks that if teams have to announce starting pitchers one day in advance, they should also be forced to announce starting line-ups so pitchers and hitter begin on equal footing.

It should be noted that Igawa may have been speaking a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Source: Daily Sports 6/5/2013, Sports Hochi 6/5/2013, Nikkan Sports 6/5/2013

Orix Buffaloes vs Chunichi Dragons @ Nagoya Dome - 18:00
Starters: Matsuba, Takahiro (ORI) 3-1, 3.20 - Cabrera, Daniel (CHU) 4-2, 3.14

Attendance: 24905 | Time: 3h54m | Orix leads series, 2-1-0

(continue reading...)

Nippon Ham Fighters

Haruki Nishikawa hurt his left heal while running the bases in the 6th inning of Monday's game against Yokohama and was removed from the game on defense in the 7th.  According to reports, he suffered what appears to be a minor bruise.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/4/2013

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Hokkaido Police and stadium officials performed an anti-terror drill at Sapporo Dome on Monday.

Source: Sponichi 6/4/2013

Seibu Lions

Yosuke Okamoto will be sent to Ni-gun for more work.  Yusuke Kawasaki will be called up to take Okamoto's spot on the active roster.

Source: Sanspo 6/4/2013

Softbank Hawks

The Hawks connected for four consecutive doubles in the 5th inning of Monday's game against Hanshin (Nobuhiro Matsuda, Yuya Hasegawa, Bryan LaHair, and Yuki Yanagita).  This tied a PL record set on eight other occasions, the last by Nippon Ham on July 29, 2009.  The Nankai Hawks also recorded four consecutive doubles on September 20, 1984 (not consecutive hitters since one batter hit a sac bunt and a second walked).

The NPB record of five consecutive doubles was set by Hiroshima in 1983 and 1986.

Source: Sponichi 6/4/2013

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In three games against the Hanshin Tigers, Hiroki Yamada has allowed just one run (unearned) over twenty-four innings of work.

Source: Sponichi 6/4/2013

Orix Buffaloes

Takahiro Okada (coming back from a left hamstring injury) played in a Ni-gun game against Hiroshima today.  He started in left, batted fourth, and went 0-for-4.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/4/2013

Through 6/11/2013

===

June 5 - Matsuba [announced]
June 6 - Igawa [announced]
June 8 - Kaneko [announced]
June 9 - Nishi [announced]
June 12 - Matsuba [Nikkan Sports 6/10/2013, announced]
June 13 - Igawa [Daily Sports 6/11/2013, announced]
June 15 - Kaneko [announced]
June 16 - Nishi [announced]
June 22 - Igawa [Daily Sports 6/18/2013]
June 23 - Igawa [Daily Sports 6/18/2013]

Last update: 6/18/2013 @ 4:14pm

===

Notes

The chart at the top will be updated at least once a week and can be useful for predicting future probable starters.  Dates beneath numbers indicate date of last start for that day of the week.  More concrete information will be added as it becomes available.