Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Navigates around poor command
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Kikuchi allowed one run (zero earned) on five hits and four walks while striking out six in 5.1 innings Sunday against the Giants. He did not factor into the decision.
Kikuchi was unable to reach six innings for the first time this season but had another solid outing. He was able to escape a scoring threat in the fourth and struck out the side in the fifth despite allowing an unearned run. Kikuchi has not won a game yet, but he's been solid thus far with a 3.38 ERA through five starts. Kikuchi lines up to face the Twins on the road in his upcoming start over the weekend.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Remains winless despite QS
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Kikuchi (0-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over six innings as the Angels were downed 4-0 by the Rangers. He struck out six.
The southpaw produced his third quality start in four outings to begin the season, but a lack of run support kept Kikuchi out of the win column once again -- the Halos have scored a total of 10 runs in his four trips to the mound. Kikuchi tossed 51 of 79 pitches for strikes before exiting, and he'll take a 4.13 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 22:10 K:BB through 24 innings into his next start, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Giants.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Gives up grand slam
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Kikuchi (0-2) took the loss in Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay. He gave up four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five across six innings.
All four of the runs Kikuchi yielded came off a Jose Caballero grand slam in the first inning. Kikuchi was able to retire 11 of the next 13 batters he faced and was able to escape the sixth frame without giving up a run after allowing two baserunners. However, the damage from Caballero's grand slam was enough for the southpaw to come away with his second loss of the season. Kikuchi has tossed 104 pitches in each of his last two outings, and he has begun his Angels tenure with a 5.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB across 18 innings. He's tentatively slated to start next week on the road against the Rangers, when he'll look to earn his first win in a Halos uniform.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Escapes with quality start
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Kikuchi came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 12-5 loss to the Cardinals, giving up three runs on four hits and five walks over six innings. He struck out six.
The southpaw battled both his control and command, tossing only 59 of 104 pitches for strikes and getting tagged for a pair of homers by Ivan Herrera. Even so, Kikuchi was briefly in line for the win when the Halos took a 5-3 lead in the top of the seventh, but the bullpen made a mess of things. Kikuchi has a 4.50 ERA and 11:5 K:BB though his first two trips to the mound for Los Angeles, both of them quality starts, and he'll look for his first win of 2025 in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week in Tampa Bay.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Takes loss in Halos debut
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Kikuchi (0-1) took the loss in Thursday's Opening Day loss to the White Sox. He allowed three runs on five hits while striking out five across six innings.
Kikuchi got off to a nice start with two first-inning strikeouts, but he gave up a solo homer to Austin Slater to open the second frame before relinquishing a two-run double to Miguel Vargas in the same inning. Kikuchi didn't allow a base runner over his last four innings of work, but the Angels weren't able to supply the 33-year-old southpaw enough runs for him to avoid the Opening Day loss. Kikuchi will look to pick up his first win of the season in his next start, which is tentatively slated for the Angels' road series against the Cardinals next week.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Concludes spring with five frames
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Kikuchi tossed five innings against Colorado in a Cactus League contest Friday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.
Kikuchi finished the exhibition slate in good form, and he was able to work up to 88 pitches. The southpaw got 13 whiffs among those offerings, including seven with his slider. Of note, Kikuchi threw only two sweepers Friday -- he's been tinkering with the pitch this spring as a potential addition to his arsenal. The veteran hurler's next time on the mound is slated for Opening Day against the White Sox.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Implementing sweeper into arsenal
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Kikuchi has added a sweeper to his pitch mix, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Kikuchi has worked with a four-pitch arsenal over the past two campaigns, but it appears he'll have another offering to attack hitters with this season. Bollinger notes that the lefty's new sweeper averages 81 mph with 16 inches of break, so it should give him a much different look than when he uses his traditional slider, which averages 87 mph with two inches of break. Kikuchi excelled in his second start of the spring Friday against the Royals, allowing one run on five hits while issuing three walks and striking out eight batters over 4.1 innings. He indicated that he'll take the mound one more time before the regular season kicks off, but the appearance will be either in a minor-league game or in a simulated setting. Kikuchi has been announced as the Angels' starter on Opening Day against the White Sox on March 27.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Rebounds after rough inning Friday
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Kikuchi pitched 2.2 innings in a Cactus League game against the Dodgers on Friday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three batters.
Kikuchi began his outing by giving up a home run to Shohei Ohtani, and then served up two straight singles that led to another run via a sacrifice fly. The veteran lefty was lifted with two outs and two runners on base in the first frame, but under spring training rules he was allowed to re-enter the contest in the second. Kikuchi looked good after that return, retiring the final six batters he faced. Despite the uneven outing, Kikuchi is penciled in to start for the Angels on Opening Day against the White Sox.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Named Opening Day starter
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Angels manager Ron Washington named Kikuchi the team's Opening Day starter for their March 27 matchup against the White Sox, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The skipper referred to the decision as "obvious" after Kikuchi was handed a three-year, $63 million contract over the offseason. With the lowly White Sox on the docket for the opener, Kikuchi will have a great chance to make a positive first impression with his new club.
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Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Three-year, $63M deal with Angels
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The Angels signed Kikuchi to a three-year, $63 million contract Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
The Angels have been aggressive early in the offseason, adding around $100 million in payroll via signings and trades. Kikuchi is their biggest get so far and adds some much-needed rotation help. The southpaw collected a 4.05 ERA and 206:44 K:BB over 175.2 innings between the Blue Jays and Astros in 2024. He was particularly good down the stretch after landing in Houston at the trade deadline with a 2.70 ERA and 76:14 K:BB across 60 frames.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: In line for Game 3 start
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Kikuchi is slated to start Thursday in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Tigers, assuming he's not needed in relief in Game 2 on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Kikuchi has been told to be ready in relief for Game 2 with the Astros having all hands on deck as they try to avoid elimination. If Houston wins and doesn't have to use Kikuchi on Wednesday, he'll take the ball Thursday. The left-hander was outstanding after being acquired by the Astros at the trade deadline, putting up a 2.70 ERA and 76:14 K:BB over 60 innings.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Tough-luck loser in quality start
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Kikuchi (9-10) took the loss Wednesday against Seattle, allowing two unearned on four hits and one walk while striking out eight in six innings.
Kikuchi was excellent Wednesday, shutting out the Mariners through five innings before an unfortunate error in the sixth resulted in two unearned runs crossing the plate, giving Kikuchi his first loss since he was acquired by the Astros in late July. The 33-year-old veteran has been a revelation since coming over from Toronto at the All-Star break, posting a 5-1 record with an elite 2.70 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 76:14 K:BB in 60 innings (10 starts). The southpaw will close out the regular season with a 4.05 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a career-best 206 strikeouts in 175.2 innings (32 starts).
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Fans nine in quality start
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Kikuchi did not factor into the decision in a win over the Angels on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over six innings while striking out nine.
Kikuchi held the Angels' lineup in check after surrendering a leadoff home run to Taylor Ward, allowing just one batter to reach second base from the second inning on. The veteran southpaw induced 14 whiffs on the night while posting at least six strikeouts for the fourth consecutive outing. However, he was unable to come away with his fourth straight win despite his valiant effort. Kikuchi has gone at least six innings in each of his last four outings, logging quality starts in three of them.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Remains unbeaten with Houston
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Kikuchi (9-9) picked up the win Friday, giving up three runs on three hits and two walks over seven innings in a 5-3 victory over the Angels. He struck out six.
The lefty is now 5-0 over eight starts with the Astros with a 3.19 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 59:12 K:BB through 48 innings, and he's proven to be one of the most astute acquisitions any team made at this year's trade deadline. Kikuchi's quality start Friday was his 10th of the season, and he'll look to stay locked in when he gets a rematch with the Angels back in Houston next week.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Carried to eighth win by offense
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Kikuchi (8-9) picked up the win Saturday, giving up four runs on seven hits over six innings in an 11-5 victory over the Diamondbacks. He struck out six without walking a batter.
The lefty served up solo homers to Kevin Newman in the fourth inning and Eugenio Suarez in the sixth, but Kikuchi got more than enough run support to cover for his lapses. He has yet to be tagged with a loss since being traded to the Astros, going 4-0 in seven starts for his new club with a 3.07 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 53:10 K:BB through 41 innings. Kikuchi will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the Angels.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Racks up 12 punchouts in victory
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Kikuchi (7-9) earned the win over Kansas City on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings.
Kikuchi racked up 20 swinging strikes on his way to a season-high 12 punchouts, falling just one K shy of his career-high mark. The southpaw kept the Royals off the board for six frames before allowing a run on a pair of singles and a fielder's choice in the seventh, but he was able to get through that frame with no additional damage to complete seven innings for the first time since July 9. The Astros' trade for Kikuchi at the deadline didn't generate much buzz, but the hurler has been excellent since joining Houston, posting a 2.57 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB over six starts covering 35 frames.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Allows just two hits in no-decision
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Kikuchi allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings in Sunday's win over the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.
Kikuchi cruised through four innings but allowed a leadoff single and then a walk in the fifth before Ramon Urias tied the game up with a three-run homer. Kikuchi went on to strike out the next three batters he faced but was pulled after a two-out walk in the sixth. Walks have been an issue for the lefty, as he's issued multiple walks in six of his last eight starts and hasn't reached six innings in any of them. Still, he's been a quality deadline addition for the Astros and now owns a 4.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 165:40 K:BB in 143.2 innings. Kikuchi lines up to face the Royals in his next start over the weekend.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Fans seven in no-decision
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Kikuchi allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings in a no-decision against Boston on Monday.
Kikuchi fell behind early, giving up a leadoff homer to Jarren Duran on the first pitch of the contest. The Red Sox added an unearned run in the frame but managed only one more run -- again unearned -- before Kikuchi's exit with two outs in the sixth inning. Though he hasn't been able to complete six frames in any of his four outings in August, the southpaw has worked into the sixth on each occasion and hasn't given up more than two earned runs. Kikuchi also continues to pile up strikeouts -- he has 31 over 22.1 innings during the four-start stretch and is up to 161 across 138 frames on the campaign.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Another strong outing
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Kikuchi (6-9) earned the win Tuesday over the Rays, allowing one run on three hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.
Kikuchi allowed a lone run in the second inning before rebounding to retire 12 of the final 14 batters he faced en route to a 3-2 Astros win. The 33-year-old Kikuchi has allowed just five runs in three starts (16.2 innings) since joining Houston after struggling to a 7.75 ERA in his final eight outings with the Blue Jays. Overall, the left-hander sports a 4.49 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and 154:36 K:BB through 132.1 innings this year. Kikuchi is currently lined up to face the Red Sox at home early next week in his next start.
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Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Strikes out 11 in Astros debut
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Kikuchi did not factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 win over the Rays. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Kikuchi gave up a double and home run to the first two batters he faced as a member of the Astros and then proceeded to get 17 outs while giving up one hit. The 11 strikeouts were the most by an Astros pitcher in his team debut since Gerrit Cole in 2018 and tied for the fourth most in a debut in team history. Kikuchi now has 43 strikeouts in his last five starts (26.1 innings), but he's also allowed 20 runs in that stretch.
