The Buffaloes closed out Miyakoji spring camp today.

Source: Sponichi 2/22/2013

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The Buffaloes announced today that Mike Schultz passed his tryout with the team.

Source: Sponichi 2/22/2013

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Yuki Nishi is scheduled to start an exhibition game against Yokohama on the 23rd.

Source: Nikkan Sports 2/22/2013

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Shun Tono threw 1,870 pitches during spring camp.

Source: Sponichi 2/22/2013

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Mitsutaka Goto has spent time at second, third, and short during the spring.  So far, Hiroshi Moriwaki likes Goto at short.

Source: Sponichi 2/22/2013

The trade has yet to be announced so it is possible things will change, but as of this morning, the trade involves Shun Tono (26) and Kazunao Yamamoto (26) from the Yomiuri Giants for Ryota Katsuki (30) and Toru Anan (28) from the Orix Buffaloes.  Both team are expected to announce the trade some time today.

FYI: All four players reportedly said their goodbyes during workouts on Sunday.

Source: Nikkan Sports 11/5/2012, Nikkan Sports 11/5/2012

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UPDATE @ 3:49pm - Orix has announced that the trade was made: Katsuki and Anan for Tono and Yamamoto. Source: Sponichi 11/5/2012

UPDATE @ 5:45pm - The deal has been posted at the Orix team site.

UPDATE 11/6 @ 2:45pm - Tono will be assigned the number seventeen, Yamamoto the number sixty-six.  Source: Sports Hochi Osaka 11/6/2012

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According to Nikkan Sports, the Yomiuri Giants are planning to move Shun Tono (26) in a trade with the Orix Buffaloes.  Not much else is known, other than it could involve multiple players and that Ryota Katsuki (30) could be one of the players that Giants get back.  An announced is expected within the next couple of days.

Tono struggled this past season and was limited to just one Ichi-gun game.  The Buffaloes had a shortage of starting pitchers this season due to injuries.  They will also most likely lose Hayato Terahara to free agency.  The addition of Tono would fill a need.

The Giants are looking to further strengthen their bullpen.  If Katsuki is part of the deal, he could bring additional stability to the relief corp.

Source: Nikkan Sports 11/4/2012

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UPDATE 11/5 @ 12:52am - New reports are suggesting that Orix will send Katsuki and Toru Anan (28) to Yomiuri for Tono.  It is possible more names will be added before the deal is finalized.  Source: Sponichi 11/4/2012

Wednesday's Ni-gun game against the Seibu Lions at Giants Stadium (Lions 6 - Giants 3): Shun Tono started the game and gave up six runs on seven hits, including two homers. [Nikkan Sports] ... Hiroki Sanada tossed a shutout inning in relief and struck out one.  He also topped out at 140km/h. [Nikkan Sports] ... Daisuke Fujimura started at short and batted second.  He collected two hits, both singles to center. [Nikkan Sports]

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The Giants shut reporters out of their workouts on Wednesday for about fifty minutes.  Pitchers and catchers also attended a meeting.  Position players will have a meeting after practice on Thursday.

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4th round draft pick Kyosuke Takagi is the only player from the 2011 draft class that made the Giants' opening day roster.

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Sponichi and Sanspo note that Shinnosuke Abe will bat fourth this season.

The Giants held a pep rally at a hotel in Tokyo on Thursday.  About two hundred people attended.  And Tatsunori Hara announced that Tetsuya Utsumi will be the opening day starter.

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Hirokazu Sawamura's workouts at Giants Stadium on Thursday included running and long distance throwing (about 100 meters).

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Ryosuke Miyaguni worked out at Giants Stadium on Thursday.  He will likely pitch against the Oakland A's on March 25.

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Shuichi Murata and Shinnosuke Abe are still competing for the clean-up spot in the line-up.

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Shun Tono has not allowed a run in any of the four exhibition games he has pitched in (12 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 10 SO).

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The Giants decided to demote Daisuke Fujimura and Tetsuya Matsumoto due to their struggles at the plate.

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Yuya Kubo tossed a bullpen session at Giants Stadium today and could pitch in a Challenge Match game on March 20.

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Shun Tono tossed a bullpen session today for the first time since he felt some tightness in his right shoulder during his last start against the Hiroshima Carp on March 6.  Tono told reporters he felt a little tightness after the session, but no pain.

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Yoshihito Ishii is currently working his way back from lower back pains at Ni-gun.  He kept his workouts light at Giants Stadium today and told reporters that he was feeling much better and a little more rested.

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Scott Mathieson worked out for about two hours at Giants Stadium today (running, bullpen).  Mathieson will most likely 

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D.J. Houlton's next start will likely be against the Seibu Lions at Seibu Dome on March 17.

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The Giants would ideally like to go with a five-man rotation pitching on five days of rest up until the start of Inter-league play instead of a six-man rotation pitching on six days of rest.  In other words, have their best pitchers start as many games as possible to put their team as many games above 500 as possible before the start of Inter-league play.

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Veteran players took part in extra batting practice at Kyocera Dome before tonight's game the Orix Buffaloes.

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D.J. Houlton tossed some live batting practice today and appears to be closer to being ready to pitch again after taking a batted ball off his right hand during an exhibition game against the Seibu Lions on March 4.

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Shun Tono was scratched for an exhibition game start against Chunichi on March 15.  Ryosuke Miyaguni was supposed to start a Kyoiku League game against Seibu today but will instead take Tono's start on the the 15th.  The Giants will test Miyaguni's stamina by having his toss about eighty pitches.  Depending on how the start goes, he could win himself a chance to pitch in the season opener against the Yakult Swallows (at Tokyo Dome).

Scott Mathieson is also a candidate for the starting rotation.

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Tono told reporters that he was not too concerned about the tightness in his right shoulder and that he was going to be ready for the start of the season.  He worked out at Giants Stadium with Tetsuya Utsumi, Toshiya Sugiuchi, and Hirokazu Sawamura on Monday.

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Shuichi Murata and Kazunari Sanematsu watched some sumo on Monday.

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The Giants will be hosting Mosugu Orange Day Nighter on April 12.

What is Orange Day?  Ehime Prefecture is trying to set up a new day like Valentine's Day where people give each other something orange.

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Hirokazu Sawamura is apparently having a hard time adjusting to his bigger frame -- he added seven kilograms during the off-season.

The Giants announced today that marathon runner Arata Fujiwara will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day.

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Shigeyuki Furuki returned to Tokyo on Sunday after suffering a contusion to his left shoulder on a defensive play at second on the 8th inning of Saturday's game against the Softbank Hawks.

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Shun Tono has been scratched from his next outing on March 15 (vs Chunichi) because of tightness in his right shoulder.

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Shuichi Murata does not have a hit in his last sixteen trips to the plate (span of five games).

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Ikusei pitcher Kyohei Odachi has pitched well enough to make the Giants consider adding him to the seventy-man roster and using him as another lefty option out of the bullpen.

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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Tatsunori Hara spent about an hour working with Taishi Ota on his hitting today.  He also personally threw him ninety-three pitches.

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With the exhibition game against the Chiba Lotte Marines canceled due to the rain, Takayuki Takaguchi ran onto the field, introduced himself as a player that arrived from the Chiba Lotte Marines, and proceeded to run and slide across the tarp on the field.  Kenji Yano and Chiba Lotte Marine Shota Ishimine also joined in.

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Hirokazu Sawamura was scheduled to start Sunday's exhibition game against the Chiba Lotte Marines but the rain out pushed his outing to Monday (practice game vs SK Wyverns).

Ryosuke Miyaguni is also scheduled to pitch on Monday.

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General pitching coach Kazuhisa Kawaguchi told reporters on Saturday that at this point, Shun Tono will likely make the starting rotation.