Kikuchi aggressive but 'out of sync' in SD
The Mariners looked like a team trying to find their way home on Friday night. And Yusei Kikuchi? Seattle's lefty was just trying to find home plate.
Playing their third straight “home game” on the road due to lingering air quality issues in Seattle from the West Coast wildfires, the Mariners lost, 6-1, to the Padres at Petco Park.
The Mariners’ lone run came on a 403-foot home run by rookie first baseman Evan White in the eighth. Seattle’s only other two hits came on infield singles, and White was the only runner the Mariners advanced past second base.
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Kikuchi gave up five runs and lasted just four innings, as the 29-year-old lefty walked a career-high six and threw three wild pitches in an 89-pitch struggle. Kikuchi allowed just four hits, but one was a three-run blast by Padres MVP candidate Manny Machado in the fourth.
“I didn’t feel there was any problem with starting in San Diego,” Kikuchi said through translator Kevin Ando. “The first inning, I felt great out there. But today, [there were] too many walks. It was very frustrating because I dug myself in a hole. I kind of beat myself today.”
Kikuchi beat the Padres on Aug. 27 in San Diego when the Mariners played in Petco Park as the visiting team. He didn’t walk any batters in that contest and had issued just one walk in 17 innings over his past three starts.
But the former Japanese standout acknowledged that he got out of rhythm in the second inning and never was able to solve the issue.
“He was really was out of sync mechanically,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “You say all that, and I thought he looked great in the first inning and was really aggressive. But he was really yanking a lot of fastballs and cutters and sliders to the glove side. They were never really competitive pitches at all. I know he’s frustrated by it. You get in these ballgames and you need starting pitching. Obviously, the Padres have a good club. We gave them too much early on.”
Walks definitely hurt Kikuchi, but Machado has been hurting the Mariners all season, as he added a solo shot in the ninth off reliever Walker Lockett and improved to 10-for-17 with five homers, a triple, a double and nine RBIs in four games vs. Seattle.
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The Mariners, meanwhile, managed just an infield single by White and two walks in six innings against Padres starter Chris Paddack. White finished 2-for-3 with his sixth home run of the season, but the only other hit was an infield single by former Padre Ty France in the seventh.
“Paddack threw the ball really well,” Servais said. “He’s got a really good changeup and you know it’s in there. He just executed it really well tonight. Evan White got the home run there late. It was nice to see him pick it up, and hopefully he can continue down the stretch. But there was not a lot else to write home about tonight.”
The Mariners’ home will remain on the road two more days, however. Even though air quality in Seattle finally has started improving with rain moving into the area, the final two games of this series against the Padres will remain at Petco Park. The Mariners will return to T-Mobile Park to close out their aborted homestand with three games against Houston starting on Monday.
Seattle is now 22-29 after four straight losses, though the clubs still sits three games back of the Astros with nine games remaining in the chase for the No. 2 playoff spot in the American League West, as Houston lost to Arizona, 6-3, on Friday.