Three homers not enough for Japan

PHOENIX -- Team Japan couldn't have done less with three home runs.

Japan hurler Shunsuke Watanabe fires a pitch during the first inning of an exhibition game against a split squad from the Brewers in Phoenix.

And the son of former Hanshin Tiger Cecil Fielder showed the Japanese how run production was done, as Prince Fielder drove in three runs in the Milwaukee Brewers' 5-4 win over Team Japan in a World Baseball Classic exhibition game at Maryvale Baseball Park on Friday night.

Fielder, a touted prospect who will be Milwaukee's everyday first baseman this season, was 3-for-3 with a two-run home run against Toshiya Sugiuchi in the sixth inning.

"Prince got a couple balls he can drive," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "The people in Japan know his daddy, and he's going to be just like him."

Japan threatened early, but after stranding three in the first inning, runners were harder to come by, as Japan stranded only three other runners in the next eight innings.

Yovani Gallardo threw two scoreless innings to pick up the win, striking out three.

"We had a couple of young guys, including Gallardo, who really threw the ball well," Yost said.

Japan is off until Sunday, when it begins Round 2 of the WBC against the United States in Anaheim, Calif. Going back to last Sunday's 3-2 loss to Korea, Japan has won only once in four games.

"We don't have any more warmups, so we have to get things going right now," Japan manager Sadaharu Oh said.

Two of Japan's homers came in the sixth inning, as Kosuke Fukudome hit an inside-the-parker and Hitoshi Tamura crushed one to left-center field.

Tamura was 3-for-4, getting a chunk of Japan's seven hits.

"Oh told us before the game that it would be our last warmup and that we needed to bring the intensity," Tamura said. "We wanted to be motivated out there, and it worked for me tonight."

Unfortunately for Team Japan, Oh's pregame hurrah didn't manifest in the same way.

Ichiro Suzuki, who seemingly had emerged from his WBC slump over the last two days, and Tsuyoshi Nishioka were deadweight atop the batting order, going a combined 0-for-9.

Ichiro reached base once Friday, on an infield error. He had a combined four hits in Japan's previous two games.

"We saw Ichiro in interleague a couple years ago, so we had an idea of some things he could do," Yost said. "But he was the only guy over there we knew."

And once again, ignorance is bliss.

Shunsuke Watanabe had a strong start for Team Japan, quieting concerns after his somewhat undisciplined outing against the Koreans, in which he hit three batters.

On Friday, Watanabe threw three innings, allowing two hits and no runs.

"I had so many things to try out today," Watanabe said. "I know that my pitching is effective when I change speeds and locations, I realized that today."

Oh was pleased with Watanabe's effort.

"Shunsuke did well," he said. "I don't have any problems with him. He threw so well tonight."

Sugiuchi, who came in relief of Watanabe, was a bit more problematic.

Japan led 1-0 after Michihiro Ogasawara's second-inning homer, and the lead stood when Sugiuchi came in during the fourth.

Sugiuchi gave up singles to the first three batters he faced, and the third, Fielder, drove in a run that knotted the score and wrote Watanabe out of the decision.

Milwaukee's single run was all it got that inning, and after retiring the side in order during the fifth, Sugiuchi got into trouble again in the sixth.

The Brewers' first four batters all got hits against Sugiuchi that inning, including Prince's homer -- which scored J.J. Hardy, who had doubled.

A ground-rule double and single followed, and when Sugiuchi walked Brad Nelson to load the bases, Oh went to the bullpen, bringing out Yasuhiko Yabuta.

Yabuta struck out the first two batters faced, and then he got Tony Gwynn Jr. to fly out to end the inning.