Where Eagles Dare A Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Fansite

Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 5 Preview

© www.rakuteneagles.jp

.
With the season hanging in the balance, the Eagles will look to rookie left-hander Hiromichi Fujiwara to keep their slim hopes alive in an afternoon game in Sapporo today.  Game 5 was going to be the wildcard game in the series for Rakuten anyways; after their top three pitchers the quality of their starters is questionable at best.  Facing elimination though means the stakes will be even higher, so we'll truly get to see just what this 24-year-old is made of.

Pitching Matchup

It's rookie versus veteran, as Fujiwara faces fellow left-hander Shugo Fuji.  It's an intriguing matchup, and one that might actually benefit the Eagles for a couple of reasons.  Rakuten has feasted on left-handed pitching in the postseason thus far, putting up big numbers against the the three lefty starters they've faced.  Also, after feeding the Fighters a steady diet of right-handed pitching so far in the series (Nagai, Iwakuma, Tanaka), they'll finally be up against a lefty to start a game.  We'll see how the Nippon Ham lineup adjusts to the change.

© Yahoo! Japan #15 Hiromichi Fujiwara Throws: Left Age: 24 NPB Seasons: 1 ERA W L S Season 4.04 5 4 0 vs. Nippon Ham 8.74 0 1 0 Last 3 Starts W/L IP ER R 10/9 vs. Orix W 8 3 3 10/1 vs. Softbank ND 4.1 4 4 9/23 vs. Orix W 8 1 1

© Yahoo! Japan #18 Shugo Fuji Throws: Left Age: 32 NPB Seasons: 10 ERA W L S Season 3.53 7 5 0 vs. Rakuten 6.00 1 1 0 Last 3 Starts W/L IP ER R 10/7 vs. Seibu W 8 3 3 10/1 vs. Orix ND 4 4 4 9/25 vs. Softbank ND 6 0 0

Neither pitcher has a strong record against their opponent's teams this year, so after the past two low scoring games, expect things to open up a little at the Sapporo Dome this afternoon.

Who's Hot

The top of the lineup, Takasu and Watanabe, combined to go 3 for 7 last night, capped off by Watanabe's solo home run that got the rally started in the 4th inning.  Any chance of stretching this series out will hinge on their continued production.  Teppei had an off night Friday (1 for 4, 1 run scored) but still remains Rakuten's hottest hitter.

Who's Cold

After beginning the playoffs on fire, Yamasaki has cooled off considerably, collecting just one hit in the last two games.  With most of the lineup stagnating as well, Rakuten is going to need some sort of production from the big designated hitter.  He appears to have fallen into his old habit of getting too far under the ball, resulting in infield and shallow outfield fly balls.  Even if he can't get on base, he's got to be able to drive the ball deeper in order to move runners along the basepaths.

First pitch is at 2pm local time, 10pm PST.

Related posts:

1. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 3 Preview
2. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 4 Preview
3. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 2 Preview
4. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 2 Postgame: Paradise Lost
5. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 4 Postgame: Not over yet

About Andrew

Andrew has lived in Japan since 2006, spending time exploring the Tohoku region. He frequently attends Rakuten Eagles games in Sendai. You'll find him sitting along the 3rd base line drinking Guinness wearing a #46 Teppei jersey, next to a Japanese girl in a #5 Seguignol jersey.          You can follow him on Twitter if that makes you happy.