There was no blog Friday as the wife and I went to see the new Hayao Miayazaki movie, “The Boy and the Heron,” and didn’t get back till late. On Saturday we had two day games, one at Tokyo Dome and one in Hokkaido, where it’s still cool enough to play in the daytime with the roof open. Meanwhile, the Marines have recruited a utility infielder for their stretch run.
Meanwhile, I shared my thoughts on the Angels’ decision not to trade Shohei Ohtani, why I like that decision and why it probably won’t help the team re-sign their superstar.
Saturday’s games
Buffaloes 4, Fighters 3: At Kitahiroshima Taxpayers Burden Field, Kotaro Kiyomiya homered to make it a one-run game but offered at a borderline 3-2 forkball from Yoshihisa Hirano with one out and the bases loaded and grounded into a game-ending double play as Orix snapped a three-game losing streak.
James Marvel worked two scoreless innings for the Fighters and Bryan Rodriguez worked another.
Swallows 5, Deniers 3: At Jingu Stadium, Yasuhiro Ogawa (5-7) pitched out of three jams to allow two runs over seven innings, Yasutaka Shiomi and Munetaka Murakami homered to give Yakult a 2-1 fourth-inning lead. Shugo Maki singled and scored in the second to tie it 1-1, and homered in the sixth to tie it 2-2.
Shingo Onuki (3-2) left with two outs in the seventh and a runner on third, but Edwin Escobar couldn’t get the third out until after Taiki Hamada’s sixth-inning pinch-hit infield single put Yakult in front for good. With the Swallows leading 4-2 in the eighth, Maki singled and scored, but Murakami doubled in his second run in the home half, and Kazuto Taguchi worked the ninth for his 23rd save.
Swallows-DeNA highlights
Giants 6, Dragons 3: At Tokyo Ugly Dome, Yoshihiro Maru had a pair of RBI singles as Yomiuri scored five runs, three earned, off Hiroto Takahashi (3-7). Iori Yamasaki (8-2) allowed three runs over 6-2/3 innings to pick up the win.
Chunichi’s Yuki Okabayashi singled twice and scored twice, and Seiya Hosokawa doubled and drove in two runs. Kota Nakagawa worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the Giants to get his third save.
Carp 2, Tigers 2: At Koshien Stadium, Hiroshima survived the loss of pitcher Masato Morishita, who developed a blister and left the game trailing 2-1 after Teruaki Sato’s 12th home run with one out and one on in the sixth, as seven relievers kept the Tigers from scoring again and Kaito Kozono’s third hit, an eighth-inning double, drove in his second run to tie it.
Hanshin’s Koyo Aoyagi appeared to be really back, striking out seven while allowing a run on four singles and a walk over seven innings.
Tigers-Carp highlights
Lions 3, Eagles 1: At Miyagi Stadium, Tatsuya Imai (6-2) struck out six over seven scoreless innings. Aito Takeda doubled in the fifth, Kakeru Yamanobe singled him home and scored on a David Mac˚Kinnon sac fly. Takeda singled in a sixth-inning insurance run, and Itsuki Murabayashi homered to put the Eagles on the board in the eighth. Tatsushi Masuda recorded his 18th save for the Lions.
Marines 4, Hawks 1: At Fukuoka Dome, first-year Marine Luis Castillo (2-2) pitched out of a no-out bases-loaded predicament in the first inning with a strikeout of Yuki Yanagita, Castillo’s only K of the game, and a double play, and then found his groove, allowing one run over five innings.
A pair of light-hitting Marines, Koshiro Wada and Shingo Ishikawa, homered off Tomohisa Ozeki (4-6), and Koki Yamaguchi doubled in two more runs in the sixth.
Marines recruit all-rounder Brosseau
Reports surfaced Friday that Lotte has signed 29-year-old utility infielder Mike Brosseau, who has split his season so far between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville. Brosseau hasn’t hit for average but he does have some pop from the right side, rarely strikes out, draws some walks and has played first, second and third this season while also pitching three times. In 10 career games on the mound, he’s allowed three runs in 9-2/3 innings, so he’s hardly the worst option there could be.
