The Los Angeles Angels might not be going anywhere this season, but that’s not stopping them from making some moves with regard to their pitching staff.
Angels veteran left-hander Yusei Kikuchi was with the club in Houston on Tuesday for the start of a three-game series against the Astros, and Kikuchi tossed a bullpen session in advance of the Angels’ 3-1 victory.
Sidelined with left shoulder inflammation since April 29, Kikuchi struggled during his rehab starts yet will make his next start with the Angels, who sit at 50-76 and are way out of contention. The date of that outing has yet to be determined.
“The results probably weren’t what (Kikuchi) wanted, but I think the velocity was there and all the other metrics looked OK,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “We know he’s probably going to get better and better; that’s what we’re assuming.”
Suzuki said the club is considering a six-man rotation whenever Kikuchi returns to action.
“Once we figure that out, hopefully over the next day or so, we’ll announce something,” Suzuki said. “There are a couple different scenarios that we’re talking through.”
Angels rookie right-hander Walbert Urena (8-8, 2.67 ERA) is scheduled to start against the Astros on Wednesday.
Urena is 1-6 with a 3.35 ERA in 10 road appearances (eight starts) this season. He earned the win in his previous start, tossing six scoreless innings and allowing two hits and two walks while recording five strikeouts in a 7-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Aug. 13.
Urena is 1-1 with a 0.71 ERA in four career appearances (two starts) against the Astros. In his previous start against Houston on July 27, he allowed one run on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six innings but did not factor into the decision of a 6-4 home loss.
Right-hander Ethan Pecko (4-6, 4.57 ERA across two levels in the minors) will make his major league debut for the Astros on Wednesday.
Pecko, 23, was a sixth-round selection by the Astros out of Towson University in the 2023 draft. He posted 86 strikeouts across 82 2/3 innings in 20 games (18 starts) this season, including 17 appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land.
“He’s taking it all in, meeting his teammates,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of Pecko. “He seems to be doing well.
“I reached out to some of my coaches in the minor leagues trying to get to know him a little bit more, some things about him. We’ll see what happens (Wednesday), how he takes the ball.”
With Pecko poised to make his debut in the middle game of the series, right-hander Tatsuya Imai (6-4, 5.29 ERA) remains locked in a relief role.
A heralded free-agent signing from Japan, Imai struggled across 15 starts before his demotion, posting a 5.83 ERA. Since recording only two outs in a start against the Angels on July 27, Imai has made two relief appearances, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out eight over six scoreless innings.
“He’s doing everything possible to help us win,” Espada said of Imai. “Right now, where we’re at, he’s going to continue to help us out of the bullpen. And we’ll see where that takes us.”
-Field Level Media
