March 4, 2021 7:48 PM : Kikuchi, who made several offseason improvements, appeared to back up general manager Jerry Dipoto's recent proclamation that the left-hander is ready for a "breakout" during his first Cactus League start, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. "Everything that he was doing [in 2020] suggested that he should be experiencing more success," Dipoto said. "I don't know that we had a single pitcher that was probably more unlucky than Yusei last year. I know it's been an inconsistent couple of years, albeit one truncated season. But we love his stuff."
Analysis: Kikuchi threw 29 pitches across two innings against an Indians B squad Tuesday, allowing one earned run on a hit and walk while recording three strikeouts. The 29-year-old was able to hit 96 mph with his four-seam fastball and remained at 95 mph for the majority of his outing while also utilizing two of his secondary pitches for strikeouts. Kikuchi's velocity uptick was already evident during a 2020 season in which the gap between his expected ERA (3.51) and actual ERA (5.17) was the third largest among 108 qualified pitchers. He also reduced his HR/9 from 2019's 2.0 to 0.6 last season.