...Tetsuya Matsumoto struggles against left-handed pitching.  In exhibition games this year, he is batting 4-for-14 against right-handed pitchers and 0-for-5 against left-handed pitchers.  It was the same deal last season when he finished with a .299 batting average against right-handed pitchers and a .277 batting average against left-handed pitchers.

The one exhibition game Matsumoto missed this year was against the Softbank Hawks with Toshiya Sugiuchi on the mound.  It was the same game that Tatsunori Hara test Hisayoshi Chono in the number 2 hole in the line-up.

On Thursday, Matsumoto went 0-for-3 in a simulated game.

...Beginning on the 16th, when the Giants' current road trip end, catchers and pitchers will hold meetings on a daily basis to go over strategies on how to pitch against other Central League teams (one team per day).  Their advanced scouts will also be at the meetings, providing information they have managed to gather over the last few weeks.

...The Giants are testing a new batting practice machine that "floats" a ball in the strike zone (tee-batting without the tee) at the Kawasaki indoor training facilities on Thursday.

...The two opening day starter hopefuls will be pitching during the weekend: Dicky Gonzalez on the 13th against the Orix Buffaloes and Tetsuya Utsumi against the Hanshin Tigers on the 14th.  On Thursday, Utsumi tossed 54 pitches in the bullpen in preparation for his start on Sunday.  These two starts will likely go a long way towards determining who will be the 2010 opening day starter.

...Marc Kroon will likely pitch in his first simulated game on Friday.  Kroon originally told reporters after his BP session on Wednesday that he wasn't sure if he'd be able to pitch in a simulated game until he found out how his elbow felt on Thursday.  With no reported problems, it appears he got the green light.  Kroon is expected to throw about 30-40 pitches.  If he's feeling fine after the outing, he'll likely rejoin the Ichi-gun team on the 16th.

...The Giants made some history when they borrowed the Naruohama training facilities on Thursday.  It had been the first time the club had ever worked out at Naruohama since the facilities opened in 1994.  The stadium where the Giants worked out for about 3 hours (they held a simulated game) was shut off from the public.

I'm guessing die-hard Tigers' fans weren't exactly pleased.

...The Giants announced that Seth Greisinger had his elbow cleaned out at a hospital in Los Angeles on the 11th (US time 10th).  Greisinger will require about three weeks of rest before he can start playing catch.  His current ETA places his return sometime in or after May.

=== 3/12/2010 12:55am JST

...Tatsunori Hara told reporters on Thursday that the opening day start is now between Dicky Gonzalez and Tetsuya Utsumi.

...The Giants worked on the outdoor field at the Hanshin Tigers' Naruohama facilities on Thursday.  They were originally supposed to use the indoor facilities but got permission to use the outdoor field since their last two games were rained out.

=== 10:02pm JST

...Daisuke Ochi faced 8 batters (including Hayato Sakamoto, Hisayoshi Chono, and Seung-Yeop Lee) in a simulated game on Thursday and did not give up any hits but did walk Edgar Gonzalez.

...The Giants announced on Thursday that Seth Greisinger will be having surgery on his right elbow.  It will likely be three weeks after surgery that he'll be able to start playing catch again.  The Giants have now basically given up on Greisinger for the start of the regular season.

...Marc Kroon could rejoin the Ichi-gun team as early as the 16th, obviously dependent on how he's feeling.

...The Giants started the regular season with 5 starters in 2009.

=== 7:36am JST

...Marc Kroon threw 33 pitches while facing three Ikusei players (Atsushi Fukumoto, Yukinori Momiyama, and Takahiro Ijuin) during BP on Wednesday and gave up one could-be hit and broke two bats.  It seems he also told the batters what was coming before throwing his pitches.

Prior to the BP session, he also tossed 34 pitches in the bullpen.  Kroon managed to mix in his fork and slider as well.

...Yoshinobu Takahashi will apparently be using a Flex Cushion in the dugout to help ease his back pains by making him sit in proper form.  He's been using the cushion during exhibition games and feels that it has made a difference.

...Seems Tatsunori Hara will go with 6 starters and 6 relievers for a total 12 pitchers on the opening day roster.

=== 3/11/2010 12:55am JST

...After the game on Wednesday was called, the Giants spent some time working out at the indoor training facilities at Koshien Stadium.

...Tatsunori Hara told reporters on Wednesday that things didn't look very good for Seth Greisinger.  But the new was brighter for Marc Kroon as Hara said that he expected him to be ready.

...4th round draft pick Tomoya Ichikawa was set to be the starting catcher on Tuesday, but that game was rained out.  He was set to be the starting catcher on Wednesday as well, but that games was also rained out.

=== 3/10/2010 1:41pm JST

...The Giants could head into the 2010 season with three rookies on the active roster: Hisayoshi Chono, Kyohei Tsuchimoto, and Tomoya Ichikawa.  It would be the first time since at least 1985 (the year the NPB started publicly announcing opening day rosters).

...Tetsuya Yamaguchi's next appearance could come on the 16th against the Hanshin Tigers.  He could end up throwing 6-7 innings depending on how he's feeling.

=== 8:23pm JST

...Tetsuya Yamaguchi's line from Tuesday's Ikusei League game against the Seibu Lions: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R.  Yamaguchi had tossed two no-hit innings before giving up a 3-run homer to Hisashi Takayama in the third (the two runners reached on a hit and an error).  He threw 50 pitches.

...Hayato Sakamoto is just 3-for-26 over 7 games.  He spent some time on Tuesday working on his hitting.

=== 3/9/2010 2:51pm JST

...Tetsuya Yamaguchi's next start could come against the Hanshin Tigers on the 16th at Tokyo Dome, the first home exhibition of this year.

...The Giants apparently have two more spots open in the starting rotation behind Tetsuya Utsumi, Tetsuya Yamamguchi, Dicky Gonzalez, and Shuno Tono.

...Edgar Gonzalez new bat (a 920 gram maple bat with a thick barrel) arrived on the 8th.

...If Masumi Hoshino is added to the regular roster (he's currently an Ikusei player), his supporters in Sendai (specifically, his former employer Vital-Net) could end up throwing a party for him.

...Olympic speed skater Keiichiro Nagashima will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to their opening day game on 3/26 vs the Yakult Swallows.

=== 9:09pm JST

...Shugo Fujii is scheduled to start Tuesday's exhibition game against the Hiroshima Carp.

=== 3/8/2010 12:19pm JST

...Masahide Kobayashi appears to be struggling a bit.  He has now given up 6 runs (all earned) on 8 hits over 2 innings of work.  He has faced a total 14 batters and thrown 46 pitches.

...Kyohei Tsuchimoto continues to impress the coaches with his fastball (topped out at 148km/h on Sunday) and fork.  Head coach Haruki Ihara told reporters that he's likely to make the opening day roster.

...The adjustments Tetsuya Utsumi was working on with Ni-gun pitching coach Tadakatsu Kotani on the third appear to be helping -- he ended up striking out 8 over 5 innings of work on Sunday.  The two apparently worked on how he threw his fastball and change.

...With men in scoring position, Hisayoshi Chono is batting 6-for-10 with 9 RBIs and 8-for-20 overall.  According to TV Asahi's Get Sports program on Sunday, the Giants really worked Chono had during Spring camp, completely taking apart his swing and working on how he shifts his weight, particularly with the balance on his back leg.  At one point, the coaches even had Chono stand on one leg (his right) from on top of a big crate in order to build muscle memory.

...Despite making an error on a grounder in the 2nd on Sunday, and having trouble getting on the same page with Utsumi during pick-off plays, Takahashi Yoshinobu appears to have a slight edge over Seung-Yeop Lee for the starting job at first base.

...Tetsuya Yamaguchi has been working his way back from tonsillitis.  He'll have a chance to pitch in an Ikusei League game against the Seibu Lions on Tuesday.  That also happens to be the game that Yusei Kikuchi will be starting.

...TBS's J-Spo interviewed Tatsunori Hara for a segment on their Sunday program.  During the interview, he basically said that Alex Ramirez, Michihiro Ogasawara, and Shinnosuke Abe all had starting jobs.  Hara also spoke extremely highly of Tetsuya Matsumoto.  That could mean there's only one more outfield spot available in an extremely crowded outfield that includes players like Chono, Yoshiyuki Kamei, Yoshitomo Tani, and Takahiro Suzuki.

=== 10:42pm JST

...The opening day starter may be down to either Tetsuya Utsumi and Dicky Gonzalez.

=== 8:31pm JST

...Between holding a bullpen session and throwing BP, Satoshi Fukuda tossed about 100 pitches on Sunday at the Kawasaki training facilities.

...Shun Tono is coming off a start on Thursday (3/4) against the Chunichi Dragons.  On Sunday, he threw 153 pitches in a bullpen session.  Tono told reporters that he overthrew a little but also managed to make a  few necessary adjustments.

...Hisayoshi Chono was back in the 8 hole on Sunday.  He finished the day 2-for-3 with a double, triple, a run scored, and 2 RBI.  Back in the 2 hole, Tetsuya Matsumoto went 0-for-3.

Chono had another chance to meet Sadaraharu Oh before the game on Sunday.

=== 3/7/2010 2:09pm JST

...The Giants were impressed with Masumi Hoshino's perfect inning on Saturday (3 batters, 3 outs, 9 pitches, 1 strike out).  Hoshino returned to Tokyo after the game, but could make a return for another outing (they want to see how he handles situations with runners on base).  But that likely won't happen up the 16th (it'll be easier to call him up when the team is in Tokyo).

...Hisayoshi Chono told reporters on Saturday that he doesn't recall ever batting in the two hole in his entire baseball career.  Head coach Haruki Ihara said that Chono could see some more time in the two hole when there's a left-handed pitcher on the mound (Tetsuya Matsumoto would bat second with right-handed pitchers on the mound).

...Marc Kroon threw 43 pitches to a squatting catcher in a bullpen session on Saturday.  He also threw his fork for the first time this year.  Kroon apparently wanted to know how his arm would hold up to the pitch.

Assuming everything is ok, Kroon could face live hitters at some point this month.

=== 3/7/2010 1:27am JST

...Tetsuya Utsumi worked out in the bullpen at Giants Stadium on Saturday in preparation for his start against the Softbank Hawks on Sunday at Yahoo Dome.  Ni-gun pitching coach Tadakatsu Kotani was on hand to watch over his session.

=== 3/6/2010 4:21pm JST

...Tetsuya Yamaguchi threw some pitches in the bullpen for the first time on Friday since missing some time due to tonsillitis.  Yamaguchi had been working out at Kawasaki since Wednesday but did not hold any bullpen sessions until Friday.  He told reporters that he was fully recovered.

...Kyohei Tsuchimoto told reporters on Friday that it currently takes him about 40 pitches to get ready before his outing and that he's aiming to drop that down to about 30 pitches.

...Hayato Sakamoto finally picked up his first hit in 18 trips to the plate during his at bat in the third on  Friday.

...As of Friday night, Hisayoshi Chono was 5-for-13 with 7 RBIs over 5 exhibition games.  On Saturday, he batted second in the lineup and went 1-for-4 with 2 strike outs.

...Yoshinobu Takahashi was hit by a pitch in his first at bat (near his lower back) on Friday, but was apparently alright.  He stayed in the game and ultimately went 0-for-2 with two strike outs.  Takahashi started the game at first and later moved out to right in the 4th.

...Kentaro Nishimura started a game against the Chiba Lotte Marines on Friday -- it was the first start since 3/17/2009 (an exhibition game against the Yakult Swallows.  Nishimura is working his way back from right elbow surgery he had in June 2009.

...Shun Tono told reporters after his outing on Thursday that he worked on spotting his off-speed pitches during the game.  While he was happy with his off-speed pitches, he wasn't quite as happy with his fastball.  Tono will now spend some time working on brushing up his fastball and will test things out (hitting the inside and outside corners) during his next outing.

...According to Dicky Gonzalez, the best way to attack the Chunichi Dragons' offense is to throw the slider up and in.

=== 3/5/2010 12:17am JST

...The Giants announced on Thursday that Shun Tono filed marriage papers on Wednesday with a 27-year-old office worker named Anna Miura.

=== 3/4/2010 8:47pm JST

...Tatsunori Hara suggested on Thursday that Daisuke Nakai could be the hottest Giant right now.  He extended his hitting streak to four games and is now 5-for-6.

...Shugo Fujii suggested Genki Kawano try to talk things up in the bullpen a bit more.  Even if pitchers aren't making their best pitches, shouting out "Nice ball!" could help them get into their sessions.

...The Giants announced that Hanwha Eagles' Jin-Woo Sung (ソンジンウ) and Samsun Lions' Young-Suk Kim (キムヒョンウク) will be pitching coaches in training at Ni-gun.

=== 3/4/2010 12:35am JST

...Daisuke Nakai has a modest 3-game hitting streak going and is 4-for-5 over three exhibition games.

...Tetsuya Yamaguchi rejoined the Ichi-gun team for practice on Wednesday.  He had been out with tonsillitis since 2/28.  Yamaguchi did not work on the same training menu and instead did some walking and played some catch.

=== 3/3/2010 4:50pm JST

...Going into Wednesday's game, Hayato Sakamoto did not have a hit over his last 8 at bats.  On Wednesday, he went 0-for-3 with walk and is now 0-for-11 with 4 strike outs and 2 walks.

...Tatsunori Hara told reporters that he might try hitting Hisayoshi Chono in the number 1 or 2 hole at some point during exhibition play.  The point is to create more options when / if Sakamoto and Tetsuya Matsumoto need breathers, go down with injuries, or hit prolonged slumps.  Chono wouldn't be a prototypical lead-off hitter since he tends to swing a lot, but he could be an interesting option if he continues to make contact.

On Wednesday, Chono started in left and batted out of the 9 hole and went 0-for-3 with a strike out.

...On Tuesday, Hara suggested that Kentaro Nishimura try picking up a cutter.  To that end, Nishimura ended up working with BP pitcher Shintaro Yoshitake, a pitcher that was known for his cutter.  This would be a pitch Nishimura could use against left-handed batters.

...Tetsuya Utsumi threw 80 pitches in a bullpen session on Tuesday.  During the session, Ni-gun pitching coach Tadakatsu Kotani offered Utsumi some advice that apparently gave his pitches a little something extra.  Utsumi later told reporters that he's now focusing more on his balance and that he feels he's making better pitches.