Trading places is the theme after the second four-player trade this past week.
Pacific League
Lions 11, Buffaloes 3
At MetLife Dome, Orix outhit Seibu 16-10, but the Buffaloes pitchers issued 10 walks, while Orix had three runners thrown out on the bases.
The Buffaloes-Lions highlights are HERE.
Hawks 4, Fighters 3
At Sapporo Dome, Nippon Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama’s frustrated expression has been a feature of this series as his players failed to execute pitches and routine plays and that was the case again on Sunday.
With a 3-2 lead in the eighth, setup man Bryan Rodriguez served up a couple of fat pitches that gave the Hawks a leadoff single, while a misplay in left helped Yurisbel Gracial’s double bring the runner home to tie it.
Rodriguez could have left with the game tied, but shortstop Kazunari Ishii fumbled a grounder to short with the infield in and had to settle for getting the second out at first base as the Hawks took the lead.
HIroshi Uranao gave up two runs in two innings as a “short starter,” the Fighters’ version of an opener, but Chihiro Kaneko made a game of it by allowing a hit and a walk over 3-2/3 scoreless innings.
“Making an excuse wouldn’t change anything,” Kuriyama said. “If we’re shorthanded or whatever it might be, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference. We just have to do our jobs.”
“You put things behind you, whether that’s losing six straight or winning six straight, be prepared and do your job.”
On a last note, I sure hope the term “short starter” doesn’t catch on, because that might mean a clarification was in order every time a more diminutive pitchers was slated to start.
And while we’re on the subject, here are shortest pitchers in NPB this season with more than one start:
| Pitcher | Team | 2019 Starts | Height |
| Manabu Mima | Eagles | 13 | 168 |
| Masanori Ishikawa | Swallows | 12 | 169 |
| Katsuki Azuma | BayStars | 5 | 170 |
| Yasuhiro Ogawa | Swallows | 13 | 171 |
| Kazuto Taguchi | Giants | 2 | 171 |
| Taisuke Yamaoka | Buffaloes | 13 | 172 |
| Haruhiro Hamaguchi | BayStars | 7 | 173 |
| Wataru Karashima | Eagles | 12 | 174 |
The Hawks-Fighters highlights are HERE.
Central League
Giants 4, Swallows 3
At Akita’s Komachi Stadium, the Yakult bullpen, which has been relatively solid this season blew a late lead as Yomiuri completed a two-game sweep in their Tohoku series.
Kazuki Kondo gave up three-straight singles to open the eighth as the Giants tied it, and closer Taichi Ishiyama surrendered a two-out single on a 3-2 fastball to veteran Yoshiyuki Kamei and Hayato Sakamoto doubled on the next pitch to put the visitors ahead for good.
Dragons 1, Tigers 0, 11 innings
At Nagoya Dome, Yuya Yanagi struck out 10 without a walk over eight innings, and Chunichi got past Hanshin with a manufactured run in the 11th off closer Rafael Dolis.
A Ryosuke Hirata leadoff walk, a sacrifice, a groundout and a wild pitch handed the Dragons a walk-off win.
Carp 2, BayStars 2, 12 innings
At Yokohama Stadium, Hiroshima’s Geronimo Franzua was unable to protect a 2-1 lead for a two-inning save as Yamato Maeda had yet another late double and scored in the ninth on Keita Sano’s two-out RBI single.
Over the span of six games, Maeda has had a pair of sayonara walk-off doubles and now scored the tying run after doubling with one out in the ninth.
Both of the Carp’s runs came on Alejandro Mejia’s two-run, seventh-inning home run.
News
Buffaloes, Dragons join trade frenzy
The Chunichi Dragons on Sunday sent a trio of players to the Orix Buffaloes in exchange for two players and cash. The deal sent 28-year-old lefty Takahiro Matsuba and 25-year-old reserve outfielder Kengo Takeda to the Dragons in exchange for 31-year-old catcher Masato Matsui, 31-year-old outfielder Yusuke Matsui, and slugging 27-year-old outfielder Steven Moya.
With the Dragons struggling on the mound Raidel Martinez and Joely Rodriguez keep the bullpen above water, and Enny Romero provides innings in the rotation, while last year’s batting champ Dayan Viciedo is holding down the other of Chunichi’s four foreign player slots. That has left Moya to bide his time in the Western League, and the Chunichi deal should open him up for more playing time with Japan’s worst offensive team.
“That Meneses business has happened, and we just don’t have time to go to the States and look for another player,” Orix general manager Junichi Fukura said. “We think Moya’s batting has a strong upside and on top of that he has experience in Japan, so that’s big. We are grateful to Chunichi for their generosity.”
The Buffaloes are without their No. 2 catcher, Torai Fushimi, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during interleague play, while outfielder Stefen Romero is out with an oblique muscle strain and first baseman Joey Meneses has received a one-year doping ban.
Technically, it’s one, four-player trade and a “cash trade” for Moya, because that’s how Japanese baseball does things.
