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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Concludes spring with five frames
Yusei 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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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Implementing sweeper into arsenal
Yusei 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 Los Angeles Angels' starter on Opening Day against the White Sox on March 27.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Rebounds after rough inning Friday
Yusei 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 Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day against the White Sox.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Named Opening Day starter
Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington named Yusei 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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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Angels' Yusei Kikuchi: Three-year, $63M deal with Angels
The Los Angeles Angels signed Yusei 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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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: In line for Game 3 start
Yusei 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 Houston 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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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Tough-luck loser in quality start
Yusei 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 Houston 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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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Fans nine in quality start
Yusei 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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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Remains unbeaten with Houston
Yusei 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 Houston 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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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Carried to eighth win by offense
Yusei 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 Houston 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.
Yusei Kikuchi
#16 SP / L.A. Angels / EXP: 6YRS Height: 6-0 Weight: 210 lb Age: 33 College: None Bats/Throws -/-Fantasy Points by Week
- Rost
- 92%
- Start
- 75%
- SP Rank
- 44