Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Navigates around poor command
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
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
Rotowire
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.
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Concludes spring with five frames
Rotowire
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.
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Implementing sweeper into arsenal
Rotowire
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.
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Rebounds after rough inning Friday
Rotowire
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.
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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