Kikuchi K's Votto, impresses Servais in ST debut

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Yusei Kikuchi will no doubt have a lot of strikeouts in his Major League career, but the first one figures to be memorable as the Mariners' prize Japanese free agent fanned six-time All-Star Joey Votto with a curveball in the first inning of Monday’s 11-3 win over the Reds.

The 27-year-old lefty wound up allowing two unearned runs in his two-inning debut, with one walk and one hit in a 29-pitch outing.

“Pretty good,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais. “Better than pretty good. That was outstanding. First time out there, he had a little nerves, no doubt about it. But his fastball was really good, he was up to 95 [mph], the breaking pitches we know are outstanding. I thought he handled it really, really well.”

Kikuchi’s fastball hovered between 92-95 mph and his offspeed offerings proved effective, getting a double-play grounder in the second and a checked swing groundout by Yasiel Puig in addition to his 2-2 curve to Votto, a former National League MVP Award winner.

“It’s Spring Training, so I’m sure he’s tuning up his swing as well,” Kikuchi said through translator Justin Novak. “But to strike out a hitter of Votto’s caliber, I’m really happy about the result today.”

Votto issued some lofty praise in his initial observation of the newcomer.

“Very good curveball,” Votto said. “It's very surprising. In the league right now, there are not many pitchers that throw a curveball like that. [Hyun-Jin] Ryu for the Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw from the Dodgers. Maybe a couple of others that throw a very traditional curveball like that from the left-hand side. It has lots of potential.”

Kikuchi zipped through a 1-2-3 first on 13 pitches. The second wasn’t quite as clean, though he’d have escaped unharmed if not for errors on shortstop Tim Beckham and center fielder Dom Thompson-Williams that allowed the two unearned runs.

“He’s pitched a lot of professional baseball,” Servais said. “You certainly saw that out there today. We didn’t play great defense behind him, though we got the big double play that one inning that kind of helped him out. Really good first outing. I liked the life on his pitches, the curveball, the lateness, the break to it. Joey Votto is about as good as it gets and Yusei went right after him.”

Kikuchi acknowledged some butterflies for his opener as he continues adjusting to the slicker MLB baseballs and a whole new environment.

“I’ve been pitching in Japan for the last nine years and I wanted to test what I was doing in Japan against Major League hitters and see how they reacted,” Kikuchi said. “So I was kind of excited and nervous about that.

"What I got from today is Major League hitters are very powerful. That’s something I learned today and will take home and see how I feel my next start.”

Lewis homers in spring debut

It’s been a long wait for 2016 first-round Draft pick Kyle Lewis to get healthy, but the 23-year-old made the most of his first Cactus League opportunity as he went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer on a blast to center field off Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen.

Lewis missed the past two springs while recovering from right knee surgeries, then had this year’s Cactus League debut delayed by a dislocated right pinkie finger before getting the start Monday in right field.

“I was just really excited, just being able to get out here and run around and play,” he said. “The fans came with good energy. It was just fun to be out here.”

Lewis singled to right in his first at-bat on a blooper that Puig couldn't quite come up with on a diving attempt, then followed with his deep shot up the center-field berm at Peoria Stadium.

As for the delayed start this spring, after jamming his finger sliding into second in a simulated game situation the day before last week’s Cactus League opener?

“It’s part of life,” he said. “At this point, I don’t stress too much about setbacks and things like that. It’s just what can you do to fix it and keep moving. When I get out here, I’m going to give my best effort, play hard and let the rest take care of itself.”

Encarnacion provides some pop

Veteran slugger Edwin Encarnación made his Mariners debut as well and ripped an RBI double in the first in a 1-for-2 day. The 36-year-old designated hitter said he just needed a couple extra days in the cage to work on his timing.

“Especially at the beginning of Spring Training, you’re a little late on the fastball,” said the three-time All-Star. “So that’s what I want to keep focused and be on time with the fastball. I felt great.”

Whalen announces retirement

Rob Whalen, who pitched in the Mariners system from 2017-18, announced his decision to retire on Monday at age 25, after dealing with depression and anxiety issues over the last two years.

"This might be a shock to some but I have ultimately decided to officially retire from professional baseball this morning," Whalen wrote in a statement on Twitter. "I've publicly shared my battle with depression/anxiety over the last two years, and in that time, I've been able to learn a lot about myself -- but most importantly I learned that I can have a fulfilling life outside of baseball. Despite having a lot of moments in my career that I'm not proud of, I've also been extremely blessed with some of the greatest memories of my life because of this game."

Whalen pitched three Major League seasons for the Braves and Mariners, notching his one career win in his big league debut on Aug. 3, 2016, for Atlanta. He pitched eight career games with a 5.75 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 36 innings. The right-hander was drafted by the Mets in the 12th round in the 2012 Draft before being traded to the Braves in July 2015. After pitching one season in Atlanta, Whalen was traded to Seattle in November 2016.

Up next

Marco Gonzales makes his second start of the spring on Tuesday when the Mariners host the Rangers in a 12:10 p.m. PT game at Peoria Stadium. The lefty will be extended to three innings, if all goes well, with free agent additions Zac Rosscup and Cory Gearrin among the relievers slated to follow. Former Mariner Adrian Sampson is scheduled to start for Texas.