To say that 2022 has not been the year of the Tigers is a gross understatement. Besides the losses piling up, injuries and health have been major issues as well. Take this series, for example. The Dragons had their weekend tilt against the Baystars called due to a Covid outbreak in the Yokohama camp. The result is that they had a well-rested two-headed monster in Ohno and Yanagi to throw at the Tigers. Who, by the way, had two of their scheduled starters (Masashi Itoh and Shintaro Fujinami) for this series de-activated because they tested positive for Covid. Throw in the Nagoya Dome disadvantage, plus a severely mentally beaten-down Tigers team, and you have yourself a sweep on your hands. Maybe, just maybe, the weekend series against the first-place Giants will be the start of something better… Koyo Aoyagi and Aaron Wilkerson are slated to start in the first two games!
