=== 3/12/2010 1:30am JST

...It's obviously much too early to say anything definitive, but Takumi Kuriyama has done admirably since moving into the clean-up spot:

3/7: 2-for-3, RBI, SO

3/10: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, DP

3/11: 2-for-5, R, 2 SO

=== 7:18am JST

...Takeya Nakamura played some catch and also took some batting practice on Wednesday.  In all, he spent about 10 minutes practice swinging the bat and then lightly hitting some grounders.  He told reporters that he didn't feel any pain but wasn't sure if he'd be ready for the start of the season.  Based on how things are right now, Nakamura will likely begin soft-toss BP at some point in the  near future.

...Yusei Kikuchi was happy when he heard that Daisuke Matsuzaka wished he could teach Kikuchi how to pitch out of the set position.  And with that, Kikuchi has decided to go back to watching footage of Matsuzaka from his first two years to see if he can pick-up any hints on what to do.

Kikuchi actually studied footage from Matsuzaka's first two seasons when he first joined the club -- he asked the Lions to make DVDs containing the footage.

It seems Matsuzaka also sent Kikuchi a lengthy letter through the media.  Sponichi has a copy of it.

...Ginjiro apparently had an MRI on his left leg on Monday but the results came back inconclusive due to excessive swelling.  Moving forward, Ginjiro will likely work on his upper body as his lower body recovers.

...Takayuki Kishi threw 37 pitches in a bullpen session on Tuesday at the indoor training facilities at Nagoya Stadium.

...The Seibu Lions will be playing a practice game against the Orix Buffaloes on the 15, one day after their last exhibition game of the pre-season.

...Ginjiro's status for opening day appears to be up in the air.  The chief trainer Makoto Sasaki told reporters on Tuesday that the only thing the club can officially say at this point is that he'll be out for 7-10 days.

On Takeya Nakamura, Sasaki said that his right eye was functioning properly and that he could make the start of the regular season depending on how he's doing.  On Tuesday, Nakamura spent time working out at the indoor training facilities at Seibu 2 Stadium (it was the first time he worked out after fouling a ball off his face on 4/3).

...The Lions announced on Monday that the Tokorozawa police arrested two men, including a 29-year-old Tokyo company employee (Daisuke Hayasahi ?), on charges of purchasing tickets for the purchase of reselling them.  The two men allegedly purchased 15 tickets to a game in September 2009 on July 18th, 2009 at a total cost of 50,000 yen while using their fan memberships.  They apparently then turned around and sold the tickets at a profit.

The Lions started working together with the police after reports of someone purchasing large quantities of seats to some of the more popular seats at the stadium were filed.

=== 3/12/2010 1:32am JST

Daisuke Matsuzaka gave Kikuchi three main tips:

1. When pitching out of the set position, the lower body becomes very important.
2. Don't over-think, do what comes natural.
3. Have fun while pitching.

=== 3/11/2010 1:50am JST

Kikuchi threw 22 pitches from the set position, 15 of which went for balls (31 pitches and 8 balls using his normal no wind-up delivery)  And it was the during the fourth pitch to Kenji Yano in the 2nd inning that he balked.

=== 8:33pm JST

Pitching from the set position, Kikuchi threw his fastball in the 130km/h range.  Hisanobu Watanabe said that based on what he knows of Kikuchi, he might be ready for Ichi-gun some time in May or June.

=== 8:06pm JST

Despite it being a weekday, with snow outside, with temps at about 2 degrees Celsius, 3,743 fans were in attendance at Tuesday's game.

=== 3/10/2010 1:50pm JST

Some comments from Yomiuri Giant players:

Taishi Ohta via Sanspo: He looked confident out there.

Itaru Hashimoto via Sponichi (faced Kikuchi in 2008): I think he had a better fastball in high school.  His slider was also breaking a little early and didn't have a lot of velocity.

Ken Kato via Sponichi: I only saw two pitches so I can't say much, but they did get a lot of the plate.

Daisuke Fujimura via Sponichi: His pitches didn't seem very lively.  His fastball wasn't as good as I thought it would be, and his slider didn't have a lot of bit.

=== 11:29pm JST

Looks like Yusei Kikuchi already has something to start working on until his next start.  Seems he had some trouble pitching out of the set position (decrease in velocity / movement and accuracy).  And while it was fairly chilly, Kikuchi also said that he didn't want to use cold as an excuse for his sub-par outing.

=== 3/9/2010 3:08pm JST

Yusei Kikuchi started an Ikusei League game against the Yomiuri Giants on Tuesday, March 9, 2010.  It was his first "pro" start.  Kikuchi went 2 innings while giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and and 3 walks.  He threw a total 54 pitches and topped out at 144km/h.  Kikuchi also balked in the second inning.

Sanspo has some pictures from the game.

Inning recap (via Nikkan Sports)

1st Inning

Itaru Hashimoto single to center.  Thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.  The first pitch was a fastball clocked at 135km/h.  He threw a total 11 pitches to Hashimoto.

Daisuke Fujimura grounded out to short.

Taishi Ohta grounded out to short on the third pitch.

2nd Inning

Ryuichi Kajimae grounded out to short.

Masakuni Odajima singled to left.

Kenji Yano walked.  Runners on first and second, 1 out.

Hiroki Nakazawa walked to load the bases.

Ken Kato hit a 2-run single into left.  Odajima and Yano scored.

Takahiro Suzuki walked to re-load the bases.

Hashimoto hit a sac fly to center.  Nakazawa scored.

Fujimura grounded out to second.

=== 11:43pm JST

...Yusei Kikuchi actually threw 85 pitches off the Seibu Dome mound on Monday.

=== 8:49pm JST

...Takayuki Kishi is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Chunichi Dragons.  He told reporters he'll be especially careful when facing Tony Blanco.

=== 3/8/2010/7:12pm JST

...Yusei Kikuchi will be facing Tetsuya Yamaguchi during his start against the Yomiuri Giants on the 9th.  Kikuchi threw a few pitches off the Seibu Dome mound on Monday in preparation of the start (he had a coach stand in the batter's box for him).

On Sunday, Kikuchi also happened to be wearing the t-shirt Ryo Ishikawa gave him back in Janauary.  He told reporters that he looks up to Ishikawa and hopes to become like him some day (in terms of how he handles himself in front of the media and how he handles himself as a professional athlete).

...The Lions plugged Takumi Kuriyama in the four hole during Sunday's game against the Hanshin Tigers.  Kuriyama ended up coming through with the game's only RBI and went 2-for-3.  Not really sure why they don't just move all the hitters up a spot and bat Kuriyama further down in the line-up.  I suppose they could do worse.

=== 10:35pm JST

...Hisanobu Watanabe told reporters after Sunday's game that he informed the pitcher he selected of his opening day pitcher assignment on Saturday.  He wouldn't tell them media whom he selected, but did say that it might not be Hideaki Wakui.

...Yusei Kikuchi threw 118 pitches in the bullpen on Sunday.  He's still scheduled to throw 2-3 innings in an Ikusei League game against the Yomiuri Giants on the 9th.  Kikuchi told reporters he'll likely keep his workouts light on Monday.

...Ginjiro was tagged hard while trying to run out a grounder to short during Sunday's game against the Hanshin Tigers.  He was carried off the field and taken to an area hospital to get checked out -- Ginjiro was diagnosed with a bruise on his left thigh bone (左ひざ大腿骨骨挫傷).  He'll have his leg checked out again on the 8th.

=== 3/7/2010 6:06pm JST

...The Lions batted Takumi Kuriyama in the four hole on Sunday against the Hanshin Tigers, a possible first for Kuriyama (he told reporters he may have batted fourth during a Phoenix League game but doesn't remember).  He ended up going 2-for-3 and driving in the lone run of the game (for either team).

...Hideaki Wakui was set to start Saturday's game against the Hanshin Tigers.  But with the rain cancellation, he ended up throwing 4 shutout innings in relief on Sunday.

...About 100 members of the media showed up at Hanamaki Higashi to cover Yusei Kikuchi's high school graduation.  That doesn't include the 500 or so fans from the area that also showed up at the entrance of the school.

Kikuchi also received a letter from his former high school manager, Hiroshi Sasaki, advising him not to fear failure and not to fear giving up lots of hits during his first year.  Sasaki told reporters that Kikuchi is the type of player that learns from his mistake.

...The Lions decided on Friday to have Alex Graman begin his training at Ni-gun.  Graman participated in Ichi-gun practice on Friday and threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session.  Hisanobu Watanabe watched Graman and wasn't convinced that he was ready and decided it would be best for him to return to Ni-gun.  It also seems as though he won't be ready for the start of the regular season.

...Takeya Nakamura is hoping that he'll be ready for the start of the regular season.  He's currently taking time away from practice and is scheduled to have his right cheek examined sometime early next week.  According to the chief trainer, it all depends on the amount of swelling in his face.

...Yusei Kikuchi headed to his high school (Hanamaki Higashi) after practice on Friday.  On Saturday, Kikuchi attended his graduation ceremony.  He will be back at Ni-gun camp in time for practice on Sunday.

Here's a list of players that the Lions added to their roster during the off-season.

Kimiyasu Kudo, P

Played for the Yokohama Bay Stars in 2009. Signed on November 16.

Brian Sikorski, P

Played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2009.  Signed on December 28.

Dee Brown, OF

Played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009. Signed on December 28.

Masahiro Abe, INF

Received Abe in a trade with the Orix Buffaloes for Shogo Akada on February 18.

Ikusei Pickups

• None

2009 Draft

• Yusei Kikuchi, P
• Masaru Misawa, INF
• Toshihiro Iwao, P
• Mitsugu Ishikawa, INF
• Kenta Matsushita, P
• Yosuke Okamoto, P

=== 10:01pm JST

...Yusei Kikuchi pitched in a simulated game on Friday.  He faced 15 batters and gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 3.  Kikuchi threw a total 52 pitches, of which only one went over 140km/h on the radar gun (he hit 143km/h).  He told reporters after his outing that he felt much better on the mound.

Kikuchi will be attending his high school's graduation ceremonies on Saturday.

=== 3/5/2010 3:44pm JST

...Hideaki Wakui will start Saturday's game against the Hanshin Tigers.  He told reporters that he need to work on his mechanics (balance) when pitching from the set position.

...Kimiyasu Kudo joined the Ni-gun team for practice on Thursday.  He played catch with Yusei Kikuchi (25-30 meters) and told reporters that he'll probably see how he feels over the next 2-3 days before throwing a bullpen.  There's a possibility he could be ready to pitch in an exhibition game on the 13th or 14th (both against the Chunichi Dragons at Seibu Dome).

...Kikuchi acted as ball boy during an Ikusei League game on Thursday.  It's all part of his plan for getting back to the basics.  He also threw 104 pitches in the bullpen in preparation for his BP session on Friday.

Oh, and his Ikusei League start against the Giants on the 9th...  The game was set to take place at Seibu 2 Stadium, but it now appears that it'll take place at Seibu Dome.  This actually won't be the only game the Lions are moving to the dome -- they're also moving another Ikusei League game against the Rakuten Eagles on the 12th to the dome as well.  Their biggest concern is the chance for more rain, as well as the number of fans that might attend Kikuchi's start.

...Fumiya Nishiguchi is trying to make his way into the starting rotation.  He threw three perfect innings during his start on Thursday against the Hiroshima Carp.  The rotation at this point probably consists of Hideaki Wakui, Takayuki Kishi, Kazuyuki Hoashi, and Kazuhisa Ishii.

...Takeya Nakamura returned to Tokyo after being released from an area hospital in Fukuoka on Thursday (a final check-up revealed no major problems to his right eye).  He told reporters that he currently can't open his eye due to swelling and that there's some pain in the area.  Nakamura will likely require a week's worth of rest before he'll be ready to start playing again.

...Takeya Nakamura doesn't seem to have much luck when it comes to his face.  He was hit in the face by a pitch on 5/11/2008 and suffered a fractured cheekbone.  He did miss much time though, returning to the field 2 days later (he was told 4 weeks for a full recover).  On 2/25/2010, Nakamura caught Dee Brown's back swing on the left side of his nose.  And on Wednesday, he took a foul ball of his face and was diagnosed with a bone fracture in the right orbital floor.

...Yusei Kikuchi's workouts on Wednesday lasted about 6 hours (from 9:30am - 3:40pm).  He also told reporters he wants to get back to the basics by remembering what got him into the pros (like toilet cleaning).  Kikuchi feels that if he can grasp those feelings from before, he'll have an easier time re-focusing his energies on baseball.

...Ohmiya Stadium finished updating their scoreboard to display the count, balls to strikes.