On a long day for the Chicago Cubs, Kosuke Fukudome is back on track after a tough 0-3 day Sunday.

Kosuke Fukudome went 3-5 and drove in one run. The Cubs pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates early, getting an early 7-0 lead. Only to see it dissapear as the Pirates came back and tied it. The game went into 12 innings before the Cubs won 10-8.

As for Fukudome, he added a two more walks and a stolen base to his numbers for the season. Entering the day, Kosuke Fukduome was tied for 6th in the NL for batting average, but after tonights games, Kosuke should be move up.

Kosuke Fukudome also continues to get one base, higher his on base percentage about .550, which has caused for rumors that Lou Piniella may move Fukudome up to the number two spot Wednesday night against lefty Zach Duke. The Cubs also faced a lefty today though and he still batted 5th and performed well. Kosuke Fukudome was second amond all NL batters for on base percentage, trailing Albert Pujols who had a .560 OBP compared to Fukudome’s .542.

Phil Valesquez

Kosuke Fukudome started out his first MLB season with a roar. On opening day the Japanese import went 3-3, with a game tying home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. In game two the Milwaukee Brewers got to him a little, and he went 0-3 despite one walk. And in game three Fukudome showed his patience. Kosuke went 1-2 with a double, steal and two walks, while scoring twice. Fukudome finished the series 4-8 with four base on balls and three extra base hits. The walks are what Lou Piniella likes, as Fukudome has been the most patient Cubs batter in awhile:

“He’s very patient,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. “He works the count very well. He’s just a professional hitter. He probably takes more pitches than anybody else on the team. He’s in a three-ball count a heck of a lot.”

Kosuke Fukudome has also won over the Chicago Cubs fans, and ended the complaints and questions of spring training.

Kosuke has left the name of a former Cubs right fielder in the past (Sammy Sosa), and given the bleacher bums of right field someone else to bow to. Although the translation of signs from English to Japanese have been “lost in translation.” Cubs.com reported that fans held up signs which read “Its going to happen” in Japanese, but there is no real translation for the phrase in Japanese and Kosuke’s translator said the signs said “Its an accident” instead. Kosuke Fukudome’s translator suggested signs say, “kotoshi koso,” which means: “They will win this year.” This was also noticed by the many Japanese reporters at Wrigley Field, something not seen their before.

Fans have also waved Japanese flags, and on Thursday, eight young men sat shirtless in the 43 degree weather with “Fukudome” painted on their chests.

The chants of “Fukudome” have already been heard in several at bats, and a curtain call has already taken place for Kosuke. This looks to be a fun summer for Kosuke Fukudome and the Chicago Cubs and their fans.

CubbiesBaseball.com

Lou Piniella has thought out loud several times over the past week about placing Kosuke Fukudome in the Chicago Cubs line up as the lead off hitter, and he does it again.

This time its only against lefties though. Piniella likes the way Kosuke Fukudome takes a lot of pitches, which is typical of lead off hitters. Fukudome is also getting on base regularly, on base percentage over .400, although struggling getting hits.

“He makes the pitcher throw a lot of pitches. He’s got a good eye. It’s good spot for him. I’ve seen him enough here against lefties. It’ll give you all something to play around with, too.” -Lou Piniella, Daily Herald.

Piniella said this is not something that is going to happen for sure, but it is something that he likes in his mind:

“I wouldn’t even mind leading Fukudome off against lefties, to be honest with you. I’m not saying we’re going to do that, but that’s in my mind, also. I like him there.

Tomorrow the Cubs play against lefty pitcher Jarrod Washburn, and it will be interesting to see if Piniella tries out Kosuke in the lead off spot.

Less than 24 hours after Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella shared his plans about trying Kosuke Fukudome out in lead off spot he has changed his mind, and is set on the opening day lineup.

Kosuke Fukudome will bat fifth, with Ryan Theriot leading off and Alfonso Soriano batting second, barring any trades. Lou believes that Fukudome provides Aramis Rameriz with the best protection.

Fukudome is batting 0-2 through 7 innings versus the White Sox today.

After Fridays game, Lou Piniella said he would make another switch to the batting order. Kosuke Fukudome will try batting in the number 1 slot Saturday. This switch will move everyone down one spot. Ryan Theriot will bat 2nd, Alfonso Soriano 3rd, Derek Lee 4th, and Aramis Rameriz will bat 5th, as reported by ChicagoSports.com.

The move from the 5th to 1st slot in the batting order is the fourth change for Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome will now have batted 3rd, 2nd, 5th, and first. ‘Fooky,’ as Piniella calls Fukudome, did not like what he saw from Kosuke batting behind Rameriz. The fact that Fukudome has an on base percentage of .357, despite the .205 batting average, means he’s still seeing the ball well.

The one this Lou Piniella does not like about this though means that Felix Pie and Kosuke, the Cubs only two lefties, will be batting in the 8th spot and 1st. Piniella does want to find the most comfortable spot in the batting order though before the season starts.

“I’m not all that pleased with the fifth spot,” he said. “We want to make it as comfortable as we can for Fukudome also.”

In the attempt to getting the 48 million dollar man charged up, Piniella will once again switch Kosuke Fukudome’s spot in the batting order.

Kosuke Fukudome had the day off Friday. The Chicago Cubs fell to the Colorado Rockies 7-3. Bring the Cubs spring training record to 10-14.

Kosuke Fukudome is not producing this spring, which has cause his batting order to change several times. After starting the spring in the number 3 spot in the Chicago Cubs batting order, Fukudome moved up from the 3 to 2 spot. His most recent change has been from the 2 spot to the 5 sport, where many originally thought he would bat. The switch has proved to have much of an effect.

For the spring, Kosuke Fukudome has a batting average of .205. The move down in the order has really only made things worse, where Kosuke has just 3 hits in 21 at bats, not two mention 5 strike outs in the last two days. Before yesterday, Fukudome had only struck out 6 times in 14 games, which could be cause for alarm.

Lou Piniella does not believe there is anything to worry about though:

“I’m not worried about anything. He face a couple tough left-handers today. They threw the ball pretty hard and they were dropping down.” -Suntimes.com

What does Kosuke Fukudome think about his play? Fukudome doesn’t see any reason for worry or concern either:

“Being productive is not a productive approach.”

As the regular season continues to draw nearer, and the Fukudome continues to struggle this may be cause for concern. But lets remember, this is only spring training.