Kikuchi Tinkers, But Results Stay the Same in Blue Jays Loss to Astros

Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi made adjustments to his delivery and arsenal in Friday's loss to the Astros

TORONTO— Last time Yusei Kikuchi pitched at Rogers Centre, only Brandon Drury and Randal Grichuk got hits against him.

He delivered a complete-game shutout for the Mariners in August, 2019, dominating the Blue Jays for nine innings. On Friday, during his first start in Toronto since that outing, Kikuchi looked like a different pitcher.

Yes, he was wearing a new jersey. And sure, the outcome was incomparable, with Kikuchi allowing four runs in 2.2 innings. But, so was the approach. After hard contact and control plagued his first three starts in 2022, Kikuchi made a change on Friday. So far, the results stayed the same.

From first pitch, it was clear Kikuchi had tinkered. Gone was the slight hesitation at the top of his windup, replaced with a slower but smooth push toward home. The delivery inconsistency can mess with hitters’ timing, but it also saps some repeatability from the lefty’s approach. Through his first three starts, Kikuchi struggled to consistently find the zone with all his pitches, pulling fastballs glove side and walking 7.5 batters per nine.

"We made a minor tweak with the leg kick," Kikuchi said through an interpreter. "Just more of a fluid, one motion leg kick that we began to work on a couple days ago in my bullpen. Tonight, just went out there and went with it because it did feel great."

To see the glaring difference, you need only look at the opening pitch from Friday's game (left) and from Kikuchi's start five days prior (right):

Kikuchi's first-pitch delivery on Friday (left) and last Monday (right). (Video from Sportsnet and AT&T Southwest

Kikuchi switched up how he was throwing it and what he was throwing, too. Heading into Friday, Kikuchi’s slider and cutter were havens for hard contact. Opponents rocked slugging percentages over .600 against the breakers and teams like the Yankees sat slider in his 2022 debut. So in his fourth start, Kikuchi scrapped the cutter and adjusted the slider.

"I didn't throw any cutters tonight, it was actually a more firm slider," Kikuchi said. "That's another thing that Pete [Walker] and I have talked about, increasing the velocity on that slider."

The cutter represented 25% of Kikuchi's deliveries before Friday, and against the Astros, he added almost all the lost percentage points to his four-seam fastball. Of his 66 pitches on Friday, 39 were four-seamers. Controlling the heater remained an issue for Kikuchi, but the pitch drew nine called strikes plus whiffs and was put in play just twice.

Pared down to a three-pitch mix (fastball, slider, change), Kikuchi's secondary weapons had varying success. The new slider was still hit hard and often, while the infrequent changeup was Kikuchi's best wrinkle.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo hinted at the tweaked game plan ahead of Friday's start. Not wanting to give too much away, he only alluded to a desired fastball aggression from the free-agent signing. With high heat from the left side, Toronto's manager didn't shy away from a lofty comp for the new fastball-heavy plan.

“If we can get him to do that kind of like a Robbie Ray type, that will help, because he throws 96, 97,” Montoyo said.

Despite the changes, Kikuchi was not Ray-esque on Friday, at least not the 2021 version of the now-Seattle starter. He walked three, let up four hits, and had a climbing pitch count that knocked him out before three full frames. The issues that plagued him in his other outings—hard contact and lack of control—flared once again. 

Montoyo said before Friday's start that Kikuchi is good when his command is good, like most pitchers. Changes or not, Kikuchi didn't have it on Friday and the Astros made him pay.

"I think working with Pete, continuing to work with him, will bring a lot of success," Kikuchi said.