August 12th, 2009
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3
Streak: Lost 1 Last 5: LLLWL
(Jingu Stadium)
Much like last week’s series, the birds opened this one with a win last night. Would they be able to make it two in a row?
Just to make things interesting, Ichiba was in for his second start since reappearing in the first team clubhouse last week.
The lineup featured the usual suspects. Aoki seems to be back in center field for good while also staying in the number three spot quite regularly.
Tokyo’s lineup:
1. Fukuchi (LF)
2. Tanaka (2B)
3. Aoki (CF)
4. D’Antona (1B)
5. Guiel (RF)
6. Miyamoto (3B)
7. Aikawa (C)
8. Kawashima (SS)
9. Ichiba (P)
Ichiba started well, actually, and he got through the first three innings without giving up a hit (although he walked two.)
The only thing of consequence to occur early on was D’Antona getting injured. He left the game after lunging to reach a throw to first and appeared to pull a muscle in his leg. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.
The Baystars finally got to Ichiba in the fourth care of some good base-running and hitting. 2-0 Yokohama.
Kawashima came up with an RBI groundout in the fifth to get the score to 2-1, but the BayStars added another run in the top of the sixth when Ishikawa notched his second rbi of the evening. 3-1 BayStars. Hagiwara got the earned run on that one.
The birds pulled level in the seventh when Guiel’s leadoff single was followed 
by a Miyamoto home run (his fifth of the season.) 3-3.
The rally was cut short after Aikawa drew a walk (which only happens once in a very long while these days), and Kawashima bunted to move him over. As we’ve seen a lot lately, no runs scored after that.
Both teams got out of jail free a couple of time between the eighth and the 11th, but no more runs scored. Many, many more pitchers came to the mound for both teams.
Here’s who pitched for the Swallows:
Inning(s) – Pitcher – (ERA) – earned runs
1-5 Ichiba (7.01) 2
6 Hagiwara (4.41) 1
7 Lee (3.13)
8 Igarashi (2.70)
9 Lim (0.40)
10 Matsuoka (2.86)
11 Oshimoto (3.09)
12 Kamada (1.80) 1
Kamada, fresh off of his call-up to the first team yesterday, had the pleasure of facing Uchikawa in that fateful 12th. With two outs, Uchikawa launched one over the wall in left to put the BayStars up 4-3.
And unlike yesterday, the birds weren’t able to make a comeback. With one out and first and second occupied by Tanaka and Fukuchi, Aoki wasn’t able to replicate last night’s heroics and hit into a game-ending double play.
Tokyo’s offensive player of the game was definitely Miyamoto who went 3-5 with two RBIs and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Tanaka, Aoki, Noguchi, and Guiel had two hits each as well.
But Tokyo hit into three double plays tonight, and that never helps. All three of them were inning-enders for the birds, so that definitely hurt.
Kamada took the loss in his first appearance back on the first team.
Game three of this series is tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
See you tomorrow night for Muranaka’s (?) next attempt to stay in a game longer than five innings.
About Christopher Pellegrini
