Yusei Kikuchi
Breakdown
Performance
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April 1, 2026
Crumbles in third inning Wednesday
Kikuchi (0-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out five.
Analysis
Although Kikuchi managed to keep the ball in the yard, the four free passes he piled up came back to haunt him a bit. Two of which came in the third inning, when the Cubs strung together five hits and tagged the left-hander for each of his five runs allowed. Kikuchi's next start is scheduled for next week at home against Atlanta, and he'll be aiming to get back on track after yielding seven runs across his first 9.2 innings of 2026.
March 28, 2026
Settles for no-decision Friday
Kikuchi didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-2 win over the Astros, giving up two runs on eight hits and a walk over 4.1 innings. He struck out three.
Analysis
The Angels grabbed a 4-1 lead in the top of the second inning and never trailed the rest of the way, but Kikuchi couldn't last long enough to qualify for the win, getting lifted after 86 pitches (53 strikes) after Yordan Alvarez led off the Houston half of the fifth with a solo homer, following by a one-out Jose Altuve single. Kikuchi has become a reliable innings-eater over the last few years, making at least 32 starts in each of the last three seasons split between the Blue Jays, Astros and Halos with a 3.97 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9, so better days should be ahead for the left-hander. Kikuchi is set to make his next start on the road next week against the Cubs.