CHICAGO -- Angels lefty Yusei Kikuchi exited his start with left shoulder tightness after throwing a warmup pitch before the third inning of Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the White Sox at Rate Field.
Kikuchi threw two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk before coming out of the game. He was met at the mound by manager Kurt Suzuki, pitching coach Mike Maddux and head athletic trainer Mike Frostad before the start of the third and was replaced by lefty Mitch Farris.
Kikuchi, 34, has struggled this year, posting a 5.81 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 14 walks in 31 innings. He’s worked to lower his arm angle in recent starts, as he experimented with a higher arm slot earlier in the season but found that it didn’t work for him.
He was much better last year, when he was an All-Star for the second time in his career and posted a 3.99 ERA with 174 strikeouts in 178 1/3 innings. He joined the Angels on a three-year deal worth $63 million before last season.
If Kikuchi misses any time it would be a big blow for the Angels, who have been scuffling lately and had lost nine of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s series finale.