TORONTO — The reality for the Toronto Blue Jays and Yusei Kikuchi is that their marriage will be coming to an end. And with the trade deadline quickly approaching, the official split could come at any time.
That was the context looming over Kikuchi’s start on Saturday. It could very well have been his last in a Blue Jays uniform. He’s got one more scheduled start before July 30 but if he’s dealt before then, the left-hander will have departed on a flat note.
Kikuchi was dominant at times but unravelled during the sixth inning as the Detroit Tigers earned a 7-3 win over the Blue Jays in front of 38,583 at Rogers Centre.
It was the Blue Jays’ second-straight loss and came on a day when the organization was awaiting news on the immediate future of shortstop Bo Bichette.
Kikuchi, who signed a three-year, $36-million contract in 2022, is set to become a free agent at season’s end. He could slot nicely into the rotation of a contending team and, as a result, figures to be the Blue Jays’ best shot at landing a strong return before the deadline.
However, Saturday marked his second straight rough outing.
The 33-year-old left-hander racked up eight strikeouts over the first five frames, allowing just one run via Andy Ibanez’s run-scoring double down the left-field line. In the sixth inning, though, Kikuchi surrendered a lead-off single to Matt Vierling, walked Mark Canha and then hit Wenceel Perez to load the bases with none out.
Kikuchi was removed from the game and received a warm ovation from the crowd but was followed by right-hander Trevor Richards, who promptly allowed a grand slam to Jake Rogers that pushed the score to 5-0 and closed Kikuchi’s line.
In total, the left-hander allowed four runs on five hits over five-plus innings. He’s now given up 11 runs over his past two starts while his season ERA has ballooned to 4.54.
A collection of Tigers pitchers mostly held down the Blue Jays offence with the exception of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who blasted a two-run homer off Kenta Maeda to straightaway centre-field in the sixth inning. It was his second homer in as many days and team-leading 16th on the season.
Bichette, meanwhile, was placed on the 10-day injured list before the game with a right calf strain. The shortstop underwent an MRI on Saturday morning and once the results from that are in, the Blue Jays will have a better understanding of the timeframe for the shortstop’s recovery. He was removed from Friday’s contest after limping out of the batter’s box.
This marks the third time since June that Bichette has been sidelined by his bothersome right calf. Given that, and the club’s last-place position in the American League East, it stands to reason he won’t be back anytime soon.
