Yusei Kikuchi News: Takes tough-luck loss Wednesday

Kikuchi (1-5) took the loss against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and five walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Kikuchi struggled with his control throughout the outing, throwing just 51 of 93 pitches for strikes and tying a season high with five free passes -- though two of the walks were intentional (both to Aaron Judge). Still, the veteran hurler was able to mostly avoid damage, as he surrendered just a first-inning run. Kikuchi finished his outing on a high note by retiring the final eight batters he faced, but the Angels were unable to provide him with any run support, resulting in his fifth loss of the season. Despite a 1-5 record, Kikuchi has been solid as the ace of the Angels' staff, allowing two or fewer earned runs in each of his past six starts and registering a 3.06 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 58:35 K:BB over 64.2 innings on the campaign.