Almost there: Canucks defenseman Sami Salo celebrates scoring against the Sharks on Sunday in San Jose, California.? AP PHOTOThe Canucks converted three successive 5-on-3 power plays in a span of less than 2 minutes during the second period, with Sami Salo scoring twice and Ryan Kesler adding the third, to beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Sunday in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals to take a 3-1 series lead."We kept marching to the box, they kept scoring," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said.Henrik Sedin helped set up the three goals in a span of 1:55 as the Canucks needed only 37 seconds on the three 5-on-3 situations to become the first team in NHL history to score three goals with a two-man advantage in the playoffs.He added another assist in the third period to set a franchise record for assists in a game, increasing his league-leading total to 19 points this postseason."When you give Henrik that much open time, he's going to find a way to make plays," teammate Alexandre Burrows said. "We have great shooters on that power play and it's nice to see them. He's a magical player the way he's able to hold on to that puck and make plays."Burrows added an even-strength goal off a nifty pass from Henrik Sedin in the third period as the Canucks moved to the brink of reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1994. Daniel Sedin added three assists, and Roberto Luongo made 33 saves.Vancouver had just 13 shots all game, scoring on four of their seven shots in the final two periods. The Sharks had no answer for the Sedins, who have combined for 15 points in four games this series after having just seven points and a minus-10 rating in six games against Nashville the previous round.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Canucks push Sharks closer to elimination
SAN JOSE, California — With the sharp-passing Sedin twins, plenty of players with big shots, and a gold-medal winning goalie, the Vancouver Canucks are tough enough to beat in normal situations. That task becomes nearly impossible when they have two extra skaters on the ice.Almost there: Canucks defenseman Sami Salo celebrates scoring against the Sharks on Sunday in San Jose, California.? AP PHOTOThe Canucks converted three successive 5-on-3 power plays in a span of less than 2 minutes during the second period, with Sami Salo scoring twice and Ryan Kesler adding the third, to beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Sunday in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals to take a 3-1 series lead."We kept marching to the box, they kept scoring," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said.Henrik Sedin helped set up the three goals in a span of 1:55 as the Canucks needed only 37 seconds on the three 5-on-3 situations to become the first team in NHL history to score three goals with a two-man advantage in the playoffs.He added another assist in the third period to set a franchise record for assists in a game, increasing his league-leading total to 19 points this postseason."When you give Henrik that much open time, he's going to find a way to make plays," teammate Alexandre Burrows said. "We have great shooters on that power play and it's nice to see them. He's a magical player the way he's able to hold on to that puck and make plays."Burrows added an even-strength goal off a nifty pass from Henrik Sedin in the third period as the Canucks moved to the brink of reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1994. Daniel Sedin added three assists, and Roberto Luongo made 33 saves.Vancouver had just 13 shots all game, scoring on four of their seven shots in the final two periods. The Sharks had no answer for the Sedins, who have combined for 15 points in four games this series after having just seven points and a minus-10 rating in six games against Nashville the previous round.
Almost there: Canucks defenseman Sami Salo celebrates scoring against the Sharks on Sunday in San Jose, California.? AP PHOTOThe Canucks converted three successive 5-on-3 power plays in a span of less than 2 minutes during the second period, with Sami Salo scoring twice and Ryan Kesler adding the third, to beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Sunday in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals to take a 3-1 series lead."We kept marching to the box, they kept scoring," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said.Henrik Sedin helped set up the three goals in a span of 1:55 as the Canucks needed only 37 seconds on the three 5-on-3 situations to become the first team in NHL history to score three goals with a two-man advantage in the playoffs.He added another assist in the third period to set a franchise record for assists in a game, increasing his league-leading total to 19 points this postseason."When you give Henrik that much open time, he's going to find a way to make plays," teammate Alexandre Burrows said. "We have great shooters on that power play and it's nice to see them. He's a magical player the way he's able to hold on to that puck and make plays."Burrows added an even-strength goal off a nifty pass from Henrik Sedin in the third period as the Canucks moved to the brink of reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1994. Daniel Sedin added three assists, and Roberto Luongo made 33 saves.Vancouver had just 13 shots all game, scoring on four of their seven shots in the final two periods. The Sharks had no answer for the Sedins, who have combined for 15 points in four games this series after having just seven points and a minus-10 rating in six games against Nashville the previous round.
Wakefield's knuckler mystifies Cubs' bats
BOSTON — It wasn't the Green Monster looming over left field or the Pesky Pole in right that turned out to be the toughest adjustment for the Chicago Cubs in their first visit to Fenway Park since the 1918 World Series.
Coming up large: Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez drives in a run with an infield single against the Mets in the seventh inning on Sunday in New York. The Yankees won 9-3. AP PHOTOIt was Tim Wakefield's knuckleball.The 44-year-old Red Sox right-hander held Chicago to four hits in 6? innings to help Boston beat the Cubs 5-1 on Sunday and send them home from with another lost series.It was Wakefield's first win of the season and the 180th of his Red Sox career — third on the franchise all-time list behind only Roger Clemens and Cy Young."Boy, he was really good," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "I guess it shouldn't amaze me because he's been doing that for such a long time."Adrian Gonzalez had four hits as Boston took two out of three from Chicago. The Red Sox have now won eight of their last nine overall to all but erase the damage of their awful April and move one-half game behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.Making his third start of the season, this one because of injuries to John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Wakefield (1-1) had faced the minimum number of batters when he struck out Jeff Baker with what would have been the third out of the fifth inning.Baker reached safely when the ball got past catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. That was just the third baserunner in the first six innings against Wakefield."When you're asked to do a job and you do it well — I take a lot of pride in that," said Wakefield, who needs 12 more wins to tie Clemens and Young at 192 in a Boston uniform.Chicago leadoff man Kosuke Fukudome was 0-for-4."We just couldn't solve Wakefield," Cubs manager Mike Quade said. "He's been a wonderful guy for this organization for I don't know how many years. I've lost track. He can pitch out of the bullpen almost every day, start. His knuckleball is good; you've got to give him credit. I wish we had not allowed him to have a good night."Indians 12, Reds 4In Cleveland, Asdrubal Cabrera went 5-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs.Yankees 9, Mets 3In New York, Derek Jeter tied the score with a two-run single that sparked an eight-run rally in the seventh, and Alex Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run with yet another hit after an intentional walk to Mark Teixeira.Rangers 2, Phillies 0In Philadelphia, Matt Harrison took a five-hitter into the ninth inning and helped Texas avoid a three-game sweep.Rays 4, Marlins 0In Miami, James Shields pitched a three-hitter with a career-high 13 strikeouts and the Rays avoided a three-game sweep.Astros 3, Blue Jays 2In Toronto, Hunter Pence hit a two-run homer and Wandy Rodriguez pitched six solid innings.Orioles 2, Nationals 1In Baltimore, Vladimir Guerrero's two-run homer in the seventh inning spoiled Jordan Zimmermann's stellar outing.Tigers 2, Pirates 0In Pittsburgh, Rick Porcello allowed one hit over eight innings and Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak.White Sox 8, Dodgers 3In Chicago, Alexei Ramirez homered and drove in a career-high five runs.Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda (5-4) went 5? innings, allowing nine hits and six runs — four earned.Cardinals 9, Royals 8 (10)In Kansas City, Colby Rasmus drew a bases-loaded walk — his fifth free pass of the day — that forced in the go-ahead run in the 10th.Angels 4, Braves 1In Anaheim, Torii Hunter ended a home run drought of 28 games with a go-ahead shot off Derek Lowe.Mariners 6, Padres 1In San Diego, Felix Hernandez tied his career high with 13 strikeouts in eight dominant innings to lead Seattle over the Padres.Ichiro Suzuki was 1-for-5 for the Mariners.Giants 5, Athletics 4 (11)In San Francisco, Emmanuel Burriss singled home the winning run in the 11th inning.Pinch hitter Hideki Matsui had a run-scoring sacrifice fly for Oakland in the sixth inning.Diamondbacks 3, Twins 2In Phoenix, Juan Miranda homered and Daniel Hudson had an RBI single to go with eight strong innings on the mound.NATIONAL LEAGUEBrewers 3, Rockies 1In Milwaukee, Ryan Braun hit a two-run triple off Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez and scored on a throwing error, lifting the Brewers to a three-game sweep.
Coming up large: Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez drives in a run with an infield single against the Mets in the seventh inning on Sunday in New York. The Yankees won 9-3. AP PHOTOIt was Tim Wakefield's knuckleball.The 44-year-old Red Sox right-hander held Chicago to four hits in 6? innings to help Boston beat the Cubs 5-1 on Sunday and send them home from with another lost series.It was Wakefield's first win of the season and the 180th of his Red Sox career — third on the franchise all-time list behind only Roger Clemens and Cy Young."Boy, he was really good," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "I guess it shouldn't amaze me because he's been doing that for such a long time."Adrian Gonzalez had four hits as Boston took two out of three from Chicago. The Red Sox have now won eight of their last nine overall to all but erase the damage of their awful April and move one-half game behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.Making his third start of the season, this one because of injuries to John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Wakefield (1-1) had faced the minimum number of batters when he struck out Jeff Baker with what would have been the third out of the fifth inning.Baker reached safely when the ball got past catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. That was just the third baserunner in the first six innings against Wakefield."When you're asked to do a job and you do it well — I take a lot of pride in that," said Wakefield, who needs 12 more wins to tie Clemens and Young at 192 in a Boston uniform.Chicago leadoff man Kosuke Fukudome was 0-for-4."We just couldn't solve Wakefield," Cubs manager Mike Quade said. "He's been a wonderful guy for this organization for I don't know how many years. I've lost track. He can pitch out of the bullpen almost every day, start. His knuckleball is good; you've got to give him credit. I wish we had not allowed him to have a good night."Indians 12, Reds 4In Cleveland, Asdrubal Cabrera went 5-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs.Yankees 9, Mets 3In New York, Derek Jeter tied the score with a two-run single that sparked an eight-run rally in the seventh, and Alex Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run with yet another hit after an intentional walk to Mark Teixeira.Rangers 2, Phillies 0In Philadelphia, Matt Harrison took a five-hitter into the ninth inning and helped Texas avoid a three-game sweep.Rays 4, Marlins 0In Miami, James Shields pitched a three-hitter with a career-high 13 strikeouts and the Rays avoided a three-game sweep.Astros 3, Blue Jays 2In Toronto, Hunter Pence hit a two-run homer and Wandy Rodriguez pitched six solid innings.Orioles 2, Nationals 1In Baltimore, Vladimir Guerrero's two-run homer in the seventh inning spoiled Jordan Zimmermann's stellar outing.Tigers 2, Pirates 0In Pittsburgh, Rick Porcello allowed one hit over eight innings and Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak.White Sox 8, Dodgers 3In Chicago, Alexei Ramirez homered and drove in a career-high five runs.Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda (5-4) went 5? innings, allowing nine hits and six runs — four earned.Cardinals 9, Royals 8 (10)In Kansas City, Colby Rasmus drew a bases-loaded walk — his fifth free pass of the day — that forced in the go-ahead run in the 10th.Angels 4, Braves 1In Anaheim, Torii Hunter ended a home run drought of 28 games with a go-ahead shot off Derek Lowe.Mariners 6, Padres 1In San Diego, Felix Hernandez tied his career high with 13 strikeouts in eight dominant innings to lead Seattle over the Padres.Ichiro Suzuki was 1-for-5 for the Mariners.Giants 5, Athletics 4 (11)In San Francisco, Emmanuel Burriss singled home the winning run in the 11th inning.Pinch hitter Hideki Matsui had a run-scoring sacrifice fly for Oakland in the sixth inning.Diamondbacks 3, Twins 2In Phoenix, Juan Miranda homered and Daniel Hudson had an RBI single to go with eight strong innings on the mound.NATIONAL LEAGUEBrewers 3, Rockies 1In Milwaukee, Ryan Braun hit a two-run triple off Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez and scored on a throwing error, lifting the Brewers to a three-game sweep.Blatter reaffirms support for Japan
Visiting FIFA president Sepp Blatter told Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday that he hopes the Club World Cup in December will boost Japan's morale and aid in rebuilding efforts of the disaster-hit country.
All smiles: FIFA president Sepp Blatter meets Prime Minister Naoto Kan in Tokyo on Monday. KYODO PHOTOBlatter told Kan at the outset of their meeting at the premier's office that he and FIFA were "happy" the Club World Cup will return to Japan after the tournament was staged in the United Arab Emirates the last two years.Blatter, who said FIFA is considering pledging another $1 million to $3 million in emergency aid to the Japan Football Association, wished to send a message to the victims of the twin natural disasters on March 11 that "through football, there is hope."FIFA has already donated $1.5 million to the JFA for the rebuilding of a sports medical facility in Fukushima Prefecture.Kan, for his part, thanked world soccer's governing body for its assistance to Japan."Everything is ready to organize FIFA's Club World Cup. We will do it, and we will do it in December as scheduled," Blatter said during an evening press conference at JFA House."I wanted to address Naoto Kan, the prime minister, for his courage because he had to stand there with the nation and before the nation. I was very happy to meet with the officials of football but also the officials and leadership in politics to express the support of the whole (football) family in such a difficult situation."Blatter, who also met with sports minister Yoshiaki Takaki, said hosting the Club World Cup laid proof the sports world was uniting to rally Japan.The world gymnastics championships in October has been green-lighted, while the volleyball World Cup in September is also set to be held according to original plans."I am glad to see all the international federations are going in the same directions, the volleyball federation and gymnastics," Blatter said. "So there is again a solidarity between the sports organizations."Said JFA president Junji Ogura, "We're very happy President Blatter took the time to come out all the way out here even with the FIFA Congress coming up.""It was our wish for key government officials to explain to Mr. Blatter in person the situation of our country, so that he could decide on the organization of the Club World Cup."Blatter's one-day trip to Japan came in the wake of foreign concerns over the nation's safety in hosting events following the earthquake and tsunami in March, and the ongoing nuclear power plant crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.
All smiles: FIFA president Sepp Blatter meets Prime Minister Naoto Kan in Tokyo on Monday. KYODO PHOTOBlatter told Kan at the outset of their meeting at the premier's office that he and FIFA were "happy" the Club World Cup will return to Japan after the tournament was staged in the United Arab Emirates the last two years.Blatter, who said FIFA is considering pledging another $1 million to $3 million in emergency aid to the Japan Football Association, wished to send a message to the victims of the twin natural disasters on March 11 that "through football, there is hope."FIFA has already donated $1.5 million to the JFA for the rebuilding of a sports medical facility in Fukushima Prefecture.Kan, for his part, thanked world soccer's governing body for its assistance to Japan."Everything is ready to organize FIFA's Club World Cup. We will do it, and we will do it in December as scheduled," Blatter said during an evening press conference at JFA House."I wanted to address Naoto Kan, the prime minister, for his courage because he had to stand there with the nation and before the nation. I was very happy to meet with the officials of football but also the officials and leadership in politics to express the support of the whole (football) family in such a difficult situation."Blatter, who also met with sports minister Yoshiaki Takaki, said hosting the Club World Cup laid proof the sports world was uniting to rally Japan.The world gymnastics championships in October has been green-lighted, while the volleyball World Cup in September is also set to be held according to original plans."I am glad to see all the international federations are going in the same directions, the volleyball federation and gymnastics," Blatter said. "So there is again a solidarity between the sports organizations."Said JFA president Junji Ogura, "We're very happy President Blatter took the time to come out all the way out here even with the FIFA Congress coming up.""It was our wish for key government officials to explain to Mr. Blatter in person the situation of our country, so that he could decide on the organization of the Club World Cup."Blatter's one-day trip to Japan came in the wake of foreign concerns over the nation's safety in hosting events following the earthquake and tsunami in March, and the ongoing nuclear power plant crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.Yamasaki plays hero for Buffs again
Koji Yamasaki got a hero interview out of his game-winning hit against the Yomiuri Giants in the first game of their interleague series.
Cometh the hour: Koji Yamasaki hits a tie-breaking three-run home run in the ninth inning as the Buffaloes beat the Giants 4-1 on Monday. KYODO PHOTOAfter his latest star turn, the Orix Buffaloes might starting fitting him for a cape.Yamasaki was the hero again, hitting a tie-breaking three-run home run in the ninth inning, and Hayato Terahara tossed a complete game to help the Buffaloes sweep the two-game series against the Yomiuri Giants with a 4-1 win on Monday night at Tokyo Dome."I can't believe I won the game with a home run," Yamasaki, a .220 hitter going into the game, said.Yamasaki's first homer made a winner out of Terahara (3-4), who turned in a gritty performance, going the distance on 133 pitches.It wasn't quite a vintage performance by the 10-year veteran, but he had good velocity throughout the game, located his pitches well and made good use of his entire arsenal.Terahara allowed one run on seven hits, striking out six and walking two."Thanks to Yamasaki, we can enjoy this victory," Terahara said. "It's especially sweet coming against the Giants. I felt really strong later in the game and appreciate the manager staying with me."To the surprise of the majority of the 39,857 in attendance, Terahara stepped into the batter's box with two outs and none on in the ninth inning of a 1-1 game, despite having already thrown 120 pitches."I decided to leave him in the game to hit because he was pitching well and seemed to get better in the second half of the game," Orix manager Akinobu Okada said. "He's not a bad hitter either."Terahara squeezed a walk out of a nine-pitch at-bat, then advanced to second after reliever Daisuke Ochi gave up an infield single to Tomotaka Sakaguchi.That brought Yamasaki to the plate, and he brought the Buffaloes supporters in the crowd to their feet with his blast to left.Yamasaki helped win the series opener on Sunday by breaking a 1-1 tie with a two-run infield single in the 10th. The Buffaloes also won that game 4-1.Giants rookie starter Hirokazu Sawamura struck out 11, allowing one run on six hits. He did not factor into the decision.Ochi (3-1) was charged with the loss.Dragons 6, Eagles 1At Nagoya Dome, lefty Yudai Kawai (2-1) pitched one-run ball over 6? innings, Tony Blanco drove in two runs on 2-for-4 hitting and Chunichi downed Tohoku Rakuten for the second night in a row.BayStars 2, Fighters 0At Yokohama Stadium, Hichori Morimoto hit a solo homer in support of Clayton Hamilton (1-3), who tossed six shutout innings in Yokohama's win.Hawks 0, Swallows 0 (5)At Jingu Stadium, Sho Iwasaki and Shohei Tateyama each pitched five shutout innings in a game that ended in a scoreless draw due to incessant rain.Marines at Carp — ppd.Lions at Tigers — ppd.
Cometh the hour: Koji Yamasaki hits a tie-breaking three-run home run in the ninth inning as the Buffaloes beat the Giants 4-1 on Monday. KYODO PHOTOAfter his latest star turn, the Orix Buffaloes might starting fitting him for a cape.Yamasaki was the hero again, hitting a tie-breaking three-run home run in the ninth inning, and Hayato Terahara tossed a complete game to help the Buffaloes sweep the two-game series against the Yomiuri Giants with a 4-1 win on Monday night at Tokyo Dome."I can't believe I won the game with a home run," Yamasaki, a .220 hitter going into the game, said.Yamasaki's first homer made a winner out of Terahara (3-4), who turned in a gritty performance, going the distance on 133 pitches.It wasn't quite a vintage performance by the 10-year veteran, but he had good velocity throughout the game, located his pitches well and made good use of his entire arsenal.Terahara allowed one run on seven hits, striking out six and walking two."Thanks to Yamasaki, we can enjoy this victory," Terahara said. "It's especially sweet coming against the Giants. I felt really strong later in the game and appreciate the manager staying with me."To the surprise of the majority of the 39,857 in attendance, Terahara stepped into the batter's box with two outs and none on in the ninth inning of a 1-1 game, despite having already thrown 120 pitches."I decided to leave him in the game to hit because he was pitching well and seemed to get better in the second half of the game," Orix manager Akinobu Okada said. "He's not a bad hitter either."Terahara squeezed a walk out of a nine-pitch at-bat, then advanced to second after reliever Daisuke Ochi gave up an infield single to Tomotaka Sakaguchi.That brought Yamasaki to the plate, and he brought the Buffaloes supporters in the crowd to their feet with his blast to left.Yamasaki helped win the series opener on Sunday by breaking a 1-1 tie with a two-run infield single in the 10th. The Buffaloes also won that game 4-1.Giants rookie starter Hirokazu Sawamura struck out 11, allowing one run on six hits. He did not factor into the decision.Ochi (3-1) was charged with the loss.Dragons 6, Eagles 1At Nagoya Dome, lefty Yudai Kawai (2-1) pitched one-run ball over 6? innings, Tony Blanco drove in two runs on 2-for-4 hitting and Chunichi downed Tohoku Rakuten for the second night in a row.BayStars 2, Fighters 0At Yokohama Stadium, Hichori Morimoto hit a solo homer in support of Clayton Hamilton (1-3), who tossed six shutout innings in Yokohama's win.Hawks 0, Swallows 0 (5)At Jingu Stadium, Sho Iwasaki and Shohei Tateyama each pitched five shutout innings in a game that ended in a scoreless draw due to incessant rain.Marines at Carp — ppd.Lions at Tigers — ppd.Lotte's Kim suffering from power outage
The curious case of Kim Tae Kyun's power outage began on Sept. 18, 2010. That night in Sendai, the Chiba Lotte Marines slugger homered off Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ace Hisashi Iwakuma in the sixth inning of a 4-3 Lotte loss.
That was his 21st home run of season. The thing is, he has yet to hit another one. Stranger still is that there doesn't really seem to be a good reason either.Of Kim's 21 homers last year, his first season in Japan, 18 came prior to July 1, and it's been nearly a year since he's produced any consistent power numbers.Which is troubling because the Marines are having problems scoring runs and could use a power bat in their lineup.Kim's last big month came in June, when he hit six homers, four doubles and ended the month with a .591 slugging percentage.In 396 at-bats from July 1, including the postseason, Kim has just three home runs, 15 doubles and a slugging percentage of .316 to go with a .265 batting average.His isolated power (ISO) value, which removes singles to get a more accurate gauge of power, is a minuscule .051 over that span. To give that a bit more perspective, the PL average last season was .133 according to data compiled by the website SMR-Baseball Lab.Normally, you'd pinpoint pitching as the reason for Kim's troubles, figuring it just took half a season for Japanese hurlers to get a handle on the Korean import.That's not such a clear cut explanation since he's still getting on base at a fairly normal pace. In 22 games this year, before being removed from the roster with an injury, he was hitting .282 with a .364 on-base percentage.It's not a case of venues either, as the slugger hit eight homers at home and 13 on the road last season. Kim has homered in every Pacific League park except Sapporo Dome (45 career at-bats) and Seibu Dome (46 at-bats) during his time in Japan.What can be noted is that he just isn't getting the ball into the air as often, which to an extent can be traced to how he's being pitched.Through nine seasons in Korea, Kim had a fly-ball percentage of 38.4 percent (taking into account both fly outs and home runs), in the neighborhood of what you would expect from a power hitter.Just for comparison's sake, Orix Buffaloes star Lee Seung Yeop is in his eighth year in NPB. Once a prolific home run hitter, he has a 41.1 fly-ball percentage in Japan, including lean years from 2009-10 and a slow start this season.Kim's fly-ball percentage last year was 37.1. So far this season, he's clocking in at 25.9, while most of the NPB's big hitters are at 30 percent and above.Among regular cleanup hitters, Kim is the only one without a home run this season.He matches up favorably with the rest in few areas, though his numbers do outpace Fukuoka Softbank Hawks slugger Alex Cabrera's in batting average, slugging and on base percentage.Cabrera, however, does have four homers this season.With few dramatic changes in his swing, and no real health issues until recently, it seems Kim has just lost his mojo.Yes, pitchers have figured out how to attack him in order to maximize ground balls, but the book is out on a number of players who are still knocking in runs with regularity.The Lotte slugger just isn't getting the job done.Which can't sit well with the Lotte brass, who aren't getting a lot of value from their second-highest paid player.Kim's ?15 million salary is a hefty price tag for a player who isn't hitting for power or driving in a lot of runs and isn't particulary fast or a real threat on the basepaths.Granted, Kim's power drain hasn't seemed to hold the Marines back too much seeing as how the team did just win the Japan Series.Still, run production is becoming a major issue for Lotte. So getting Kim back on track would be a major boost for the team's currently underwhelming attack at the plate.
That was his 21st home run of season. The thing is, he has yet to hit another one. Stranger still is that there doesn't really seem to be a good reason either.Of Kim's 21 homers last year, his first season in Japan, 18 came prior to July 1, and it's been nearly a year since he's produced any consistent power numbers.Which is troubling because the Marines are having problems scoring runs and could use a power bat in their lineup.Kim's last big month came in June, when he hit six homers, four doubles and ended the month with a .591 slugging percentage.In 396 at-bats from July 1, including the postseason, Kim has just three home runs, 15 doubles and a slugging percentage of .316 to go with a .265 batting average.His isolated power (ISO) value, which removes singles to get a more accurate gauge of power, is a minuscule .051 over that span. To give that a bit more perspective, the PL average last season was .133 according to data compiled by the website SMR-Baseball Lab.Normally, you'd pinpoint pitching as the reason for Kim's troubles, figuring it just took half a season for Japanese hurlers to get a handle on the Korean import.That's not such a clear cut explanation since he's still getting on base at a fairly normal pace. In 22 games this year, before being removed from the roster with an injury, he was hitting .282 with a .364 on-base percentage.It's not a case of venues either, as the slugger hit eight homers at home and 13 on the road last season. Kim has homered in every Pacific League park except Sapporo Dome (45 career at-bats) and Seibu Dome (46 at-bats) during his time in Japan.What can be noted is that he just isn't getting the ball into the air as often, which to an extent can be traced to how he's being pitched.Through nine seasons in Korea, Kim had a fly-ball percentage of 38.4 percent (taking into account both fly outs and home runs), in the neighborhood of what you would expect from a power hitter.Just for comparison's sake, Orix Buffaloes star Lee Seung Yeop is in his eighth year in NPB. Once a prolific home run hitter, he has a 41.1 fly-ball percentage in Japan, including lean years from 2009-10 and a slow start this season.Kim's fly-ball percentage last year was 37.1. So far this season, he's clocking in at 25.9, while most of the NPB's big hitters are at 30 percent and above.Among regular cleanup hitters, Kim is the only one without a home run this season.He matches up favorably with the rest in few areas, though his numbers do outpace Fukuoka Softbank Hawks slugger Alex Cabrera's in batting average, slugging and on base percentage.Cabrera, however, does have four homers this season.With few dramatic changes in his swing, and no real health issues until recently, it seems Kim has just lost his mojo.Yes, pitchers have figured out how to attack him in order to maximize ground balls, but the book is out on a number of players who are still knocking in runs with regularity.The Lotte slugger just isn't getting the job done.Which can't sit well with the Lotte brass, who aren't getting a lot of value from their second-highest paid player.Kim's ?15 million salary is a hefty price tag for a player who isn't hitting for power or driving in a lot of runs and isn't particulary fast or a real threat on the basepaths.Granted, Kim's power drain hasn't seemed to hold the Marines back too much seeing as how the team did just win the Japan Series.Still, run production is becoming a major issue for Lotte. So getting Kim back on track would be a major boost for the team's currently underwhelming attack at the plate.Sports Betting Basics
Americans tend to love different sports just as much as they have grown to love gambling. So, what could be more brilliant than the revolution of sports betting. Since the beginning of sports, fans have found much enjoyment in predicting who they think will be the victors, and picking their overall favorite teams. With every single sport, there will be games that all the fans and sports buff talk about endlessly. When sports buffs place bets on who they think will win a particular game, instead of just speculating, it is known as the knew evolution of sports gambling.
Although it can become somewhat addicting, sports gambling is intended for fun and entertainment, as well as a way to build stronger bonds with friends with similar interests in sports. There is no minimum betting amount when you are betting with friends on a certain sporting event, so there is no danger of spending, or losing, all of your money. You can spend very little money this way, and still have a great time while having a chance to win some money. Sports gambling can make the outcome of a sporting game more exciting, while adding thrill to the duration of the entire sporting event or game. The following paragraphs will discuss some of the basics involved in sports gambling.
In regards to sports gambling, in order to place a bet, you have to locate a sports book, or an establishment that accepts bets on sports or sporting events. There are only four states in the United States that can legally place sports bets, so if you do not live in these states, you may want to place all your sports bets online via the internet. As long as you are of legal age, which is over 21, you can also find a bookie to place all your sports bets for you. Most sports bets are placed on professional and college sports teams, although there are other sports people commonly bet on. These sports include:
* horse races * dog races * bowling * boxing
You can bet on anything involving sports teams, events, or athletes - from the combined score of the participants in a game, to who you predict will win a sporting event, or game. All you have to do is consider the statistical odds of who will win, then place your bet accordingly.
In reference to sports gambling, there are different kinds of bets that can be placed. These types of bets include:
* straight bets * parlays * teasers * over/unders
When placing sports bets, the most common type of sports bet is a basic straight bet. This is simply where you pick a team or person to win or lose, and place a monetary bet. To mix things up a bit, and to make sports betting more interesting, combinations of factors are combined to establish the grounds for all other types of sports betting.
Most Americans have a favorite sports team, or a sporting event that they totally enjoy watching. By adding sports betting into the mix can not only add some excitement to watching the game or event, it also enables you to have the chance to win some money on the outcome. Check out more tips at [http://www.casinoandsportstalk.com/]
Mario J Ricci writes to us with over thirty years of casino and sports Betting experience. You can read more of Mario at http://www.casinoandsportschat.com/blog/
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Mobile Media Wealth System
Mobile Media Wealth System: Discover the Brand New System of making Money through the Mobile phone Media.
Check it out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)