Yusei Kikuchi throws season high 12 strikeouts in Angels sweep over Red Sox

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- As good as Yusei Kikuchi's been this season, he was even better on Wednesday afternoon.

Kikuchi had a season high of 12 strikeouts Wednesday afternoon in the Angels' 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Today marked the fourth time in his career that he has thrown 12 or more strikeouts in a game. It was his first since August 31, last season, when he did it against the Kansas City Royals while playing for the Houston Astros.

"It's never good to go into a game thinking like 'I'm going to have to have to rack up the strikeouts," Kikuchi said through an interpreter. "The one thing I'm doing well is limiting the walks and getting the strikeouts."

Kikuchi finished the day throwing 105 pitches with two unearned runs, one walk, and giving up three hits to earn his third win of the season.

His slider proved to be a difference maker for him this afternoon, striking out 7 batters with it. Three were from his curveball, and his changeup struck out one. 10 of them were also swings and misses, five of them from his slider. According to Baseball Savant, his WHIFF% is now at 23.7%.

Kikuchi's performance today resulted in not only the Angels sweeping the Red Sox, but it also put them at .500 with a record of 40-40 and also has the team 2 games out of a wild card spot.

"There's just a good vibe. I think the guys are loose. They're having fun. They don't feel like they're out of any game and you can kind of feel it in the dugout like just keep playing. Keep grinding." Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said..

The first inning has been a trouble all season for Kikuchi, having a 5.82 ERA in the first. Today started out in similar fashion.

"Obviously that first inning could be a battle for not just me but for any pitcher. Just try to find your footing right?" Kikuchi said. "The biggest thing is getting through five, six innings and just keep the team in the game. So yeah it's a little bit unfortunate giving up runs in the first inning but just gotta forget about that and focus on the rest of the game."

After Jarren Duran reached base from an error by Scott Kingery at shortstop, Kikuchi quickly ran into an early jam following a missed strike three call against Wilyer Abreu resulting in a bases-loaded walk. Trevor Story was the next batter up at the plate with two outs, and he got the Red Sox an early lead following a 2-RBI single towards left, scoring Duran and Romy Gonzalez.

Once the second inning came, Kikuchi bounced back and never looked back. He threw 14 pitches in the inning, striking out three straight batters by mixing up his curveball, changeup and slider. He struck out the side once more later in the game during the fifth all three strikeouts in that inning were courtesy of his slider.

Dominating on the mound after the first, Kikuchi kept the Red Sox hitless from the third inning and beyond. The Angels got him the run support he needed in the fourth and fifth innings.

Jo Adell and Travis d'Arnaud hit back-to-back homers to tie the game at two. It was the third time this season the Angels hit back-to-back homers since May 31. when Taylor Ward and Yoán Moncada did so.

Adell and d'Arnaud came through once again in the fifth. Adell got things started by hitting a single towards center, scoring Christian Moore. d'Arnaud then drew up a single towards left, scoring Mike Trout from second, giving Kikuchi an extra insurance run.

"It's huge," d'Arnaud said. "Anything I can do to help the team win is obviously what every baseball player looks for and Kikuchi and (Ryan Zeferjahn) did a tremendous job of limiting that offense and I think those two had the bigger part today."

Following Adell's homer in the fourth, he has now joined Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson, Albert Pujols, Shohei Ohtani, and Mike Trout as the only players in Angels history to hit 10 homers in June.

d'Arnaud finished the day a triple shy of hitting for the cycle after hitting a double in the seventh.

Kikuchi also put his name in the record books with Ohtani and John Lackey after being the third Angels pitcher to throw 9 or more strikeouts in three consecutive starts.

Kikuchi kept the Red Sox blank in the sixth and seventh inning today. His final strikeout was in the seventh by getting Ceddanne Rafaela to strike out swinging from an 86 MPH curveball.

"To go through the first inning like that and I know we didn't counter in the bottom half. But to get him to rest obviously after we didn't catch the ball. That happens," Montgomery said. "To come back and go seven innings. Punch out 12 and I think he did 65? 70 pitches over the last six innings was great."

The Angels got him one more run in the sixth inning following an RBI by Trout.

Postgame Notes

Following today's game, Montgomery informed reporters that shortstop Zach Neto suffered zero structural damage on his shoulder after leaving Tuesday's game in the ninth inning from slding head first into second base. It was the same shoulder Neto had surgery on over the offseason.

"Sigh of relief. Finding out that nothing was structurally messed up. It was a good way to come into the field today. I was available today if anything were to happen. But it's something that we're gonna take day-to-day and see where I'm at. You know it's pretty sore right now but it's getting better."