Kikuchi Returns, Falters To Dodgers, Umps

After a thirteen-day dismissal, punctured by a rattling start due to neck spasms, Yusei Kikuchi took the mound up against future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. Despite Kikuchi’s striking rust, it was adapted to quite the pitching duel between Kikuchi and Kershaw. That is, until family doctor Adrian Johnson did the fray in the third inning.

After an Enrique Hernandez single and Matt Barnes walk, the Dodgers were threatened without outs and runners on first and second. Kikuchi came forward after a 0-2 count and threw in a cutter at the bottom of the zone:

Oof. That looks a lot like a strike. In honesty, the stretch zones on the screen are not always completely precise. however. What do you say, Baseball Savant?

It’s not the most outrageous call ever, but it seems that Beaty got away with what should have been a so-called third strike. Beaty then goes back to the fight in a 2-2 count, and Kikuchi turns to his slider to put him away:

Beaty starts to run away from the plate, given that he swung through a slide in a two-strike count, but Adrian Johnson mentions a foul tip.

Here it is again, this time, in slo-mo:

It was decided net a foul tip, and serves as the second pitch that Beaty should put away. After leaving with a missed so-called third strike and what can only be described as a minor offense, Beaty gets a mid-range cutter, which he turns to record a run.

The Dodgers are a tough enough opponent. Add a few call calls, and you’ll probably be toasting. But what if we could make Kikuchi’s first game as difficult as possible? What if his catcher also joined in the fun?

Joseph Odom obliges, with a passing ball:

Hernandez comes in to score from third, and Beaty goes over to third. But the Mariners are still wavering from the effects of Johnson’s missed talks. Due to the presence of Beaty on the third, the Mariners are forced to play their field, and AJ Pollock grabs an RBI single by the left which is probably not a hit when the infield is in its normal position.

Kikuchi deserves this game a lot better. Sure, he wrestled with fastball command – he just had a 13% CSW, which is less than half the league average – but his cutter and shovel picked up the snail and put the leg in last night. And hey, maybe his numbers look different and he’s making the necessary adjustments if he does not miss dozens of pitches to rot due to a few iffy calls. Who is there to say?

However, the third inning obviously destroyed any chance the Mariners had to win:

In any case, against the Dodgers, you have no exchange room. At least not if you have Sam Haggerty on top of your lineup. Kershaw? He does not need this pillow. He went on with innings of cruise 7.0, hitting 11 hitters, with his lone abuse as a home game to the revitalized Kyle Seager.

However, it was not all bad. Ljay Newsome made his debut, and he looked like a pitcher who in some ways will be a participant at the premier class level.

Here he is, he looks incredibly sweaty:

He did not look like the pitcher who had one of the most elite K / BB ratios in the minor leagues in 2019, but despite body fluids, Newsome certainly looked the part of a pitcher for major leagues. He threw his fastball for strikes, mixed in a fringe change, and flaunted a curveball that seemed like a plus offer might be. Combined with his fastball being armed in the past, you can see why he overwhelmed hitters in the minors last year.

Here he is, blowing through Barnes with a 2-2 fastball:

Not just overwhelming by speed, but a lot of riding on that fastball, and that will play – especially in the zone.

Another forgivable loss, but the Mariners are one step closer to securing a draft pick that will (hopefully) net them a player like Kumar Rocker – I think we should call this at this point – and it has another data point for guys like Kyle Lewis, Newsome, Dylan Moore, and Shed Long. After all, this is what we are reporting on this year. Lots of fun, lots of talent, and lots of laughter. (Okay, mostly angry.) We at least witnessed Kershaw brave his slow speed and peripheral devices. Plus, with these, we can calm down on time.