Two starting launchers seeking to break long sequences without victory take the mound on Saturday evening when athletics face the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California.
The right-hander JT Ginn (2-6, 5.17 ERA), the last victory of which came to Houston, 7-1, on July 27, will face the left-hander of the Angels Yusei Kikuchi (6-10, 3.83 ERA), which won a victory for the last time on August 9 in Detroit, 7-4.
Kikuchi has a 0-3 file in four departures for Los Angeles (66-75) since this victory over the tigers and manages on Monday in Houston who saw him grant five points in eight strokes in 5 2/3 rounds while removing six.
“I think I had very good things today,” said Kikuchi through an interpreter afterwards. “Probably the selection of pitch made me. I think the things are there. I think I’m close to where I want to be.”
Kikuchi needs a stick withdrawn to reach the milestone of 1,000 time in his big league career. He has much better at home this season, compiling a file of 5-2 and 2.30 MPM in 14 departures at the Angel Stadium. This includes a 7-4 victory against the A on June 9 which saw Kikuchi grant a single blow and one march in 7 1/3 laundry rounds while removing five.
Kikuchi has a 3-4 file with an MPM of 3.41 in 13 career starts against athletics.
Ginn has a 0-4 file with an MPM of 7.24 in six starts since a 7-1 victory against Astros on July 27. He made a start against the angels in his career, a defeat of 4-3 in West Sacramento, California, on May 19, who saw him grant four points, including a two-round Homer at Taylor Ward and a solo drawn in Nolan Schanuel, six strokes in four rounds.
Athletics (65-77), behind the best seven points of the season in the third round, won the opening match of the series, 10-4, Friday evening to improve at 23-15 since July 24.
JJ Bleday struck a three-point circuit and Lawrence Butler went 3-in-5 with a home run, two points scored and two points produced to lead the A, who made six strokes, three balls and a successful striker in seven-sleeves and an advance of 9-4.
Mason Barnett, despite four points in the first round, including a pair of walks loaded with Ward and Jo Adell, rebounded to make five rounds and withdraw eight to win his first victory in the major league at his second beginning of his career.
“To bounce back this way, has shown a lot,” said the manager of A Mark Kotsay. “Once he settled down, you saw him better execute throws, you saw him use the rupture ball for Swing and Miss (and) he made his ball play at the top of the area, which is a force for him.”
“Certainly not the first round I wanted, but sometimes it’s just baseball,” said Barnett. “For me, it’s just going pitch by pitch and trying to execute the next one. That’s all I can do.”
The start of the Angels, Jose Soriano, who entered out of the consecutive goal outings which saw him reach only five strokes and four walks in 12 2/3 innings while withdrawing 14, granted eight points on six strokes, five goals on balls and a successful striker in just 2 1/3 rounds during the defeat of Friday. Fourteen of his first 16 throws were bullets while walking the basics loaded to start the match. Only 39 of the 80 locations he launched in the competition were strikes.
“It seemed to be just a little distant,” said the acting manager Ray Montgomery. “Many, excuse me.”
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