Things aren't getting any better (or easier) for Daisuke Miura at Ni-gun.  Miura started a Ni-gun game against Yakult on the 28th and gave up 3 runs (all earned) on 9 hits over 4 innings of work.  He also walked three and struck out two.

Incidentally, his opponent on the mound, Shohei Tateyama, tossed 5-shutout innings while giving up 4 hits and 2 walks.  Tateyama also struck out 6 batters.

Shun Yamaguchi had his left ankle examined at an Osaka hospital yesterday and was diagnosed with a contusion on his left ankle.  Yamaguchi took a batted ball off the ankle during game 2 of the All-Star Series on Saturday.

In other Bay Stars' news:

Stephen Randolph will likely start tomorrow's game against the Hanshin Tigers.

And Shinji Niinuma joined the Ichi-gun roster for practice today and will likely be added to the active roster tomorrow.

As of now, it seems Daisuke Miura will be returning to the Ichi-gun rotation for a start against the Yakult Swallows on 8/6.  But before that happens, Miura will likely start a Ni-gun game against Yakult on either the 27th or 28th.  Assuming everything goes well in that start, Miura will be back on the active roster for that start on 8/6.

...Terrmel Sledge was held out of the starting line-up last night due to tightness in both thighs.  The trainer apparently caught the problem during a regularly scheduled morning check-up and suggested he stay out of the starting line-up in order to avoid a serious injury (he was cleared for a pinch-hit at bat if needed).

...Brett Harper can add another "fun" thing to his NPB resume: stopping the Dragons' consecutive scoreless innings streak at 50 with a 2-run homer off Kazuki Yoshimi in the fourth inning.

...The Bay Stars were shutout last night for the 10th time this season.  They also recorded their 6th walk-off loss of the season.

...Shuichi Murata has four multi-hit games under his belt so far this month, but he's also been held hitless in six games.  His latest mini-slump has him at 0 hits over his last 10 trips to the plate (that includes 4 strikeouts).  Regardless of the inconsistency, it seems the Bay Stars don't have any plans of moving Murata from his clean-up spot in the line-up, even versus teams he hasn't played well against this season (like their current opponent, the Chunichi Dragons).

...Takehiro Ishikawa stole three bases last night and now leads the CL in stolen bases with 29.

...Seems Brett Harper is just the third foreign player in franchise history to hit a walk-off grand slam to overcome a 3-run defect.  The other two foreign players: Frank Bolick on 7/9/2001 (3rd season) and Tyrone Woods on 8/11/2004 (2nd season).  Harper is, however, the first foreign player to do it in his first year.

For the Bay Stars, this was their NPB leading 4th walk-off grand slam (Orix is in second with 3).

...The Bay Stars won their first series against the Giants since 5/2008.

11:24pm JST

...It's only 11 games, but Brett Harper has injected some life into the Bay Stars' line-up.  So far, he's 19-for-39 (.487) with 5 HR, 8 R, and 13 RBI.  He also has a 1.472 OPS.  That hasn't necessarily translated into more wins (the Bay Stars are 5-6 in those 11 games Harper has played in), but he has certainly made their games a little more interesting.

1:13pm JST

...Shun Yamaguchi helped himself yesterday when he drove in two runs in the bottom of the 8th.  Yamaguchi joins Naoyuki Shimizu as the only pitchers on the team that have driven in runs as the winning pitcher on record (Shimizu did it on both 4/29 and 7/10) this year.  However, Yamaguchi  is the first reliever since Kazuhiro Sasaki on 4/21/1995.  Yamaguchi and Shimizu are also the first pitchers on Yokohama to accomplish the feat in the same month since Iori Sekiguchi and Hiroki Nomura did it in 9/1996.

...Takehiro Ishikawa injured his left pinky while sliding into third base in the 3rd inning of last night's game.  He was taken out of the game and sent to a hospital for tests.  Ishikawa was apparently diagnosed with a sprained left pinky.

Ishikawa was in the starting line-up today and has so far gone 0-for-1 with a sac hit.

...Daisuke Miura has struggled mightily this yearly.  And after another bad start and his 5th loss since his last victory on 5/21 (vs Nippon Ham), a stretch of 7 starts, the Bay Stars have finally decided to give Miura a bit of a break by sending him down to Ni-gun to work out his problems.

...Assuming no further setbacks, Hayato Terahara (out with right elbow discomfort) will likely play in a Ni-gun game some time after the All-Star break.  Terahara has been playing catch at a distance of about 27 meters.

...The coaches got together on their day-off yesterday.  They split up into two groups (pitchers and position players) and spent time working with players during practice at Yokohama Stadium.  According to Nikkan Sports, it was 6 position player coaches working with 8 young players and 1 veteran (Takahiro Saeki).

...Team owner Kiyoshi Wakabayashi told reporters that Takao Obana will be returning next season and that at this point, the team has no reason to cut short his 3-year contract.