Yusei Kikuchi - Page 35 - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

Gets start in second game Manager Scott Servais said Kikuchi would start the Mariners' second game of the season Friday against the Giants, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Impact James Paxton was initially lined up to follow Opening Day starter Marco Gonzales in the pitching order, but Paxton will instead flip spots with Kikuchi, who had been slated to start the fifth game of the season Tuesday against the White Sox. The change is a welcome one for Kikuchi's fantasy managers, particularly in leagues with separate lineup periods for the first two weeks of the season. Not only will Kikuchi draw a more favorable matchup in swapping out the White Sox for the Giants, but he'll still line up for a Week 2 start. He tentatively lines up to make his second start of the season April 10 in Minnesota.

MARCH 31, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Puts in heavy sim game work Kikuchi threw 91 pitches in a simulated game Friday afternoon and allowed five hits and three walks while recording seven strikeouts, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Impact Kikuchi has already logged 8.1 innings of Cactus League action across three starts, and Friday's workload pushed him to the brink of regular-season readiness. The southpaw lines up to next take the ball for the Mariners' third game of the regular season against the Giants on Saturday, April 3.

MARCH 27, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

2021 Mariners Yusei Kikuchi fantasy baseball advice There has been a lot of discussions around Yusei Kikuchi's 2020 adjustments and improvements, but can he continue improving into 2021? Does...

MARCH 18, 2021 • SODOMOJO.COM

Misses plenty of bats Kikuchi allowed an earned run on two hits and a walk over 3.1 innings in a Cactus League win over the Brewers on Sunday. He struck out six.

Impact Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports Kikuchi's velocity ticked as high as 97 mph and he was able to utilize his cutter with more conviction. Kikuchi also stretched out all the way to 66 pitches, and although he's allowed an earned run in each of his first three spring starts, his Cactus League ERA sits at a solid 3.24 and he's held opposing hitters to a cumulative .179 average across 8.1 innings.

MARCH 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

14 days until Mariners Opening Day: #14 Yusei Kikuchi preview Opening day is just 14 days away which means it is time to preview Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. After a rocky rookie cam...

MARCH 14, 2021 • SODOMOJO.COM

Works through trouble Monday Kikuchi allowed an earned run on two hits and two walks across three innings in Monday's Cactus League loss to Cleveland, his second start of spring training.

Impact Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports Kikuchi needed a mound visit after a rocky start, but he subsequently settled down, inducing six straight groundouts at one point. Kikuchi's fastball velocity was also impressive for the second time in as many starts, consistently averaging between 95 and 96 mph and climbing as high as 97. "All my pitches feel great, and I was able to throw my splitter and was even able to throw one to a lefty, (Eddie) Rosario. It felt great," Kikuchi said. "One hung up there and ended up being a home run. Other than that, really good."

MARCH 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Mariners hope to have unearthed pitching gem in Chris Flexen

Chris Flexen is already being written into the Seattle Mariners' rotation despite having very little success the last time he pitched in the majors for the New York Mets

MARCH 6, 2021 • Associated Press

Looks set to deliver on promise Kikuchi, who made several offseason improvements, appeared to back up general manager Jerry Dipoto's recent proclamation that the left-hander is ready for a "breakout" during his f...

Impact Kikuchi threw 29 pitches across two innings against an Indians B squad Tuesday and allowed an earned run on a hit and walk while recording three strikeouts. The 29-year-old was able to hit 96 mph with his four-seam fastball and remained at 95 mph for the majority of his outing while also utilizing two of his secondary pitches for strikeouts. Kikuchi's velocity uptick was already evident during a 2020 season in which the gap between his expected 3.51 ERA was actual 5.17 figure was the third largest among 108 qualified pitchers, a campaign during which he also reduced his HR/9 from 2019's 2.0 to 0.6.

MARCH 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Kikuchi 'smooth' in strong Cactus debut PEORIA, Ariz. -- If 2021 is the year that Yusei Kikuchi puts it all together, his Cactus League debut on Tuesday afternoon offered a promisi...

MARCH 3, 2021 • MLB.COM

Twins newcomer Happ back on mound after positive virus test

Eager for a fresh start with a new team, J

MARCH 2, 2021 • Associated Press

Yusei Kikuchi faces most important season yet for Mariners It feels very much like Yusei Kikuchi just arrived in the majors after his highly anticipated move from Japan.

MARCH 2, 2021 • OLEANTIMESHERALD.COM

Yusei Kikuchi faces most important season yet for Mariners Yusei Kikuchi is about to begin his third season in the majors pitching for the Seattle Mariners and it's going to be...

MARCH 2, 2021 • USATODAY.COM

Yusei Kikuchi faces most important season yet for Mariners It feels very much like Yusei Kikuchi just arrived in the majors after his highly anticipated move from Japan.

MARCH 2, 2021 • WASHINGTONTIMES.COM

Yusei Kikuchi faces most important season yet for Mariners

Yusei Kikuchi is about to begin his third season in the majors pitching for the Seattle Mariners and it's going to be the most important one because of the structure of his contrac...

MARCH 2, 2021 • Associated Press

Draws Tuesday start Kikuchi, the Mariners' projected No. 3 starter, will make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Indians, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Impact The left-hander slimmed down approximately 10 pounds during the offseason in an attempt to improve his overall mobility and mechanics on the mound. Kikuchi has a bloated 5.39 ERA through his first 41 major-league starts across two seasons after a successful career in Japan, but the Mariners are encouraged by the year-to-year change his K/9 (9.0, up from 6.5) and HR/9 (0.6, down from 2.0) exhibited in 2020.

MARCH 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Drops weight in offseason Kikuchi reported to spring camp having dropped 10 pounds over the offseason, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Impact The 29-year-old southpaw is undoubtedly looking for any edge after generating ERAs over 5.00 in his first two seasons stateside following a successful career in Japan. Kikuchi did have a better season in 2020 than his 5.17 ERA indicates, as he allowed just 41 hits over 47 innings and surrendered just three home runs while averaging a strikeout per frame. He also pitched six full innings in three of his last four trips to the mound, with two of those quality starts. The double-digit weight loss may further help his overall mechanics, although both player and team will undoubtedly monitor matters carefully to ensure it doesn't also lead to a drop in stamina.

FEBRUARY 22, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Mariners Spring Training: Justin Dunn & Yusei Kikuchi look different The Mariners are back, well sort of... Pitchers and catchers reported to Peoria, AZ a few days ago and some of the big names threw their fir...

FEBRUARY 21, 2021 • SODOMOJO.COM

AP source: Paxton returns to Mariners for $8.5M, 1-year deal

A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells he Associated Press that left-hander James Paxton is returning to the Seattle Mariners after an injury filled end of his stint wit...

FEBRUARY 14, 2021 • Associated Press

Yusei Kikuchi took a massive leap forward in 2020 2021 should be a good year for the Mariners left-hander

JANUARY 1, 2021 • BEYONDTHEBOXSCORE.COM

Seattle Mariners: Yusei Kikuchi may be on the verge of a breakthrough Yusei Kikuchi showed a number of improvements last season for the Seattle Mariners. The Seattle Mariners will soon face one of the more uniq...

DECEMBER 22, 2020 • CALLTOTHEPEN.COM

What will the Seattle Mariners do with Yusei Kikuchi? The Seattle Mariners are currently tied up with Yusei Kikuchi and his odd contract. How is Jerry Dipoto going to handle this situation? Near...

DECEMBER 2, 2020 • SODOMOJO.COM

Mariners see development, progress in truncated season

The Seattle Mariners believed they were ready to win by the end of 2020

SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 • Associated Press

Kikuchi ends '20 with scoreless gem The Mariners’ playoff hopes ended Thursday during their off-day in the Bay Area, but that didn’t mean Yusei Kikuchi didn’t have some work st...

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 • MLB.COM

Canha homers in 10th inning, rallies A's past Mariners 3-1

Mark Canha hit a two-out, two-run home run in the 10th inning, lifting the Oakland Athletics past the Seattle Mariners 3-1

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 • Associated Press

Solid in no-decision Kikuchi took a no-decision during Friday's loss despite blanking the A's across six innings. He allowed four hits and three walks while striking out five.

Impact For the second time this season, Kikuchi shut down the A's, not allowing a run over six innings of work. The southpaw has proven to be an inconsistent starter for the Mariners, though he has certainly displayed flashes of potential. Kikuchi wraps up regular season play with a 2-4 record, 5.17 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 10 appearances (nine starts).

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

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