J.T. Ginn, Yusei Kikuchi look to end skids as A's face Angels

Two starting pitchers looking to snap long winless streaks take the mound Saturday night when the Athletics face the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Right-hander J.T. Ginn (2-6, 5.17 ERA), whose last win came at Houston, 7-1, on July 27, will face Angels All-Star left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (6-10, 3.83 ERA), who last picked up a victory on Aug. 9 at Detroit, 7-4.

Kikuchi is 0-3 in four starts for Los Angeles (66-75) since that win over the Tigers and comes off an 8-3 loss at Houston on Monday that saw him allow five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings while striking out six.

"I think I had really good stuff today," Kikuchi said through an interpreter afterward. "Probably pitch selection did me in. I think the stuff is there. I think I'm close to where I want to be."

Kikuchi needs one strikeout to reach the 1,000-strikeout milestone in his big-league career. He has pitched much better at home this season, compiling a 5-2 record and 2.30 ERA in 14 starts at Angel Stadium. That includes a 7-4 win over the A's on June 9 that saw Kikuchi allow just one hit and a walk over 7 1/3 shutout innings while striking out five.

Kikuchi is 3-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 13 career starts against the Athletics.

Ginn is 0-4 with a 7.24 ERA in six starts since a 7-1 win over the Astros on July 27. He has made one start against the Angels in his career, a 4-3 loss in West Sacramento, Calif., on May 19, that saw him allow four runs, including a two-run homer to Taylor Ward and a solo shot to Nolan Schanuel, on six hits in four innings.

The Athletics (65-77), behind a season-best seven runs in the third inning, won the series opener, 10-4, on Friday night to improve to 23-15 since July 24.

JJ Bleday hit a three-run homer and Lawrence Butler went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs to lead the A's, who parlayed six hits, three walks and a hit batter into seven third-inning runs and a 9-4 lead.

Mason Barnett, despite allowing four runs in the first inning, including a pair of bases-loaded walks to Ward and Jo Adell, rebounded to go five innings and strike out eight to pick up his first major-league win in his second career start.

"For him to bounce back in that way showed a lot," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. "Once he settled in you saw him execute pitches better, you saw him utilize the breaking ball for swing and miss (and) he had his fastball playing at the top of the zone which is a strength for him."

"Definitely not the first inning I wanted but sometimes that's just baseball," Barnett said. "For me, it's just going pitch by pitch and trying to execute the next one. That's all I can do."

Angels starter Jose Soriano, who came in off back-to-back scoreless outings that saw him allow just five hits and four walks over 12 2/3 innings while striking out 14, gave up eight runs on six hits, five walks and a hit batter in just 2 1/3 innings in Friday's loss. Fourteen of his first 16 pitches were balls as he walked the bases loaded to start the game. Only 39 of the 80 pitches he threw in the contest were strikes.

"It seemed like he was just a little bit off," interim Angels manager Ray Montgomery said. "A lot off, excuse me."

-Field Level Media