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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — He is, by all accounts, the fun-loving dude on the Blue Jays starting rotation and as such is one of the more popular players in the team’s clubhouse.
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But you know what would really add to those Yusei Kikuchi good times?
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Some run support.
In a game starkly similar to what the Jays delivered for much of 2023, that offence gave nothing to the Japanese lefty who was shaky at times but steady enough to give his team a chance.
But with nothing doing from the Toronto bats, the Rays scored a startlingly easy 5-1 win on Saturday afternoon which guaranteed them at least a split of the four-game season-opening series which winds up here at Tropicana Field with an Easter Sunday matinee.
The sleepy Jays offence from the previous night carried over into Saturday, managing just three hits through five innings and nary a sniff of scoring a run through that stretch. After an 8-2 Opening Day win, the Jays have managed to bring just three runs across in their next two.
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“It was tough,” Jays manager John Schneider acknowledged after. “(The Rays) can pitch, you know, so it’s tough to string some hits together. Give credit to them for making good pitches and then you move on to (Sunday).”
The Rays, meanwhile, did Rays things, playing a tight game and seizing on opportunities. They opened the scoring after Kikuchi issued back-to-back walks to Rays slugger Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes, which set up an RBI single for Amed Rosario.
After his only 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon (the fourth) Kikuchi gave up an opposite-field home run to Arozarena and his outing ended after surrendering a single to the next batter, Paredes.
Overall, the Jays are confident that Kikuchi will be able to follow up on his terrific 2023 season in which he had personal highs in wins (11) and innings (167.2). His season debut was solid, though he had just the one clean inning of the 4.1 he worked, allowing six hits, three walks and three earned runs while striking out four.
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“He’s probably one of the more well-liked guys in the clubhouse,” Schneider said. “He’s such an easy guy to gravitate towards. When he’s dealing he’s excited and quietly he’s just a really, really funny guy.”
Of course, part of the reason Kikuchi has become more of a presence in the Jays clubhouse relates directly to the excellent season he turned in last year. He became a key arm in that excellent Toronto rotation after Alek Manoah’s form disappeared.
At a distance, Kikuchi’s spring training numbers this spring were a cause for concern — but not to his manager, who didn’t blink at the Japanese southpaw’s 16.43 ERA with five home runs allowed over three appearances.
Yes, the stats showed he struggled, but this time Kikuchi wasn’t fighting for a spot in the rotation and instead was looking to sharpen his arsenal.
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“I was able to work on things during spring training,” Kikuchi said. “I was working on my changeup today and I want to build on that going into my next start.”
Schneider certainly noticed the difference from the moment Kikuchi showed up to Dunedin early in the year.
“He was kind of fighting for a spot last year,” Schneider said. “I think where the numbers get a little skewed and spring he was deliberately working on something every outing and it wasn’t really how he would attack hitters in the season.
“I think we all know that he demands a really high standard (of himself). His stuff was there in the spring. It’s just a matter of executing.”
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On Saturday, Kikuchi wasn’t at his mid-season best, allowing base runners in each of his first three innings and a pitch count to run up early and clock out at 90.
“I thought he had good stuff, but he was just in and out of the zone a little bit,” Schneider said. “It was 20 pitches each of the three innings, in and out of trouble, so that’s tough.
“It’s just about carrying the zone a little more. He’s kind of living on the edges.”
That and waiting for some runs, a familiar lament for the previous version of the team.
GAME ON
The Jays sniffed at a rally in the seventh when Daulton Varsho drew a leadoff walk that was followed by a single from Ernie Clement, who was making his season debut at third base. Cavan Biggio rapped out a two-out single to get the Jays on the board. There was no George Springer to follow, however, and that was that … Clement will certainly be a candidate for increased playing time if he has more games like Saturday. Clement followed his superb spring with a pair of singles and three deft defensive plays at the hot corner … The Rays certainly don’t mind facing lefties, going 25-11 against southpaws since the beginning of last season … The Jays will bid for a series split in Sunday’s finale when Kevin Gausman gets the start in his season debut, facing the Rays’ Shawn Armstrong.
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