Yusei Kikuchi pitched six scoreless innings to earn his first win of the season as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 on Saturday night.
Kikuchi allowed five hits and three walks while striking out six in his third start since returning from left shoulder inflammation. Josh Lowe homered, Zach Neto collected three singles, and Wade Meckler drove in two runs as the Angels pulled away with three runs in the seventh.
The Pirates managed their only run on Bryan Reynolds’ eighth-inning homer. Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft struck out nine but allowed three runs over five innings.
Kikuchi Works Through Six Scoreless Innings
Kikuchi entered the game still looking for his first win of 2026 after missing nearly four months because of his shoulder injury.
The 35-year-old left-hander had not pitched in the majors from late April until returning on Aug. 23. He looked sharp enough Saturday to keep Pittsburgh off the scoreboard for six innings.
Kikuchi scattered five hits and issued three walks. He also recorded six strikeouts while repeatedly preventing the Pirates from putting together a productive inning.
His biggest challenge came in the sixth.
Esmerlyn Valdez walked to begin the inning before Reynolds singled, putting two runners aboard with nobody out.
Kikuchi responded by striking out Oneil Cruz. He then got Nick Gonzales to hit into a forceout before Rafael Flores Jr. flied out to center to end the threat.
The escape completed Kikuchi’s scoreless outing and preserved a 3-0 Angels lead.
Kikuchi improved to 1-5 and earned his first win since Sept. 24, 2025, when he allowed one run in five innings during a 3-2 victory over Kansas City.
Angels Break Through Against Ashcraft
Ashcraft dominated the Angels early.
The Pittsburgh right-hander struck out seven and surrendered only one hit through the first 3 1/3 innings. Los Angeles finally started to solve him in the fourth.
Meckler hit a one-out double into shallow left field. After Ashcraft recorded another out, Moisés Ballesteros sent a sharp single under the glove of second baseman Gonzales.
Meckler scored from second to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.
The Angels added two more runs in the fifth.
Lowe opened the inning by driving a 410-foot home run to center field. It was his 11th homer of the season and increased the lead to 2-0.
Denzer Guzman followed with a single to the left. Adam Frazier moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt before Neto brought him home with a single.
Neto’s hit made it 3-0 and was one of his three singles in the game.
Ashcraft finished after five innings. He allowed seven hits and three runs while striking out nine. The loss dropped him to 14-6.
Angels Add Three Runs in Seventh
Los Angeles gave its bullpen more breathing room with another productive inning in the seventh.
Mike Trout drove an RBI single through the left side of the infield to extend the Angels’ advantage to four runs.
Meckler then delivered his second extra-base hit of the night.
His double into right-center brought home two more runs and pushed the lead to 6-0.
Meckler played an important role in two of the Angels’ scoring innings. His fourth-inning double helped create the first run before his seventh-inning hit provided two insurance runs.
The Angels combined timely hitting throughout the middle innings with Kikuchi’s scoreless performance to take control of the game.
Reynolds Ends Shutout Bid
Pittsburgh struggled to turn its baserunners into runs against Kikuchi and remained scoreless after he left the game.
Reynolds finally ended the shutout in the eighth inning.
With two outs, he drove a pitch 421 feet over the right-field wall for a solo home run.
It was Reynolds’ 16th homer of the season and his first since July 28.
The Pirates could not produce another run, leaving the Angels with a comfortable five-run advantage.
Pittsburgh had opportunities earlier in the game, particularly during the sixth-inning threat against Kikuchi. His ability to escape that situation helped prevent the Pirates from cutting into what was then only a three-run deficit.
Kikuchi Secures Long-Awaited First Win
Saturday’s outing marked an important step for Kikuchi after his extended absence.
The two-time All-Star had gone nearly a year since his previous winning decision. His last win came in his final start of the 2025 season.
Shoulder inflammation then limited his availability this year and kept him out from late April until late August.
In his third start since returning, Kikuchi delivered six shutout innings and received enough offensive support to finally earn his first win of 2026.
Los Angeles scored in three different innings and finished with contributions throughout the lineup.
Lowe provided the game’s first home run, while Neto consistently reached base with his three singles. Trout added an RBI, and Meckler contributed two doubles while driving in two runs.
The Angels also made Ashcraft work after his dominant opening stretch. The Pirates starter recorded nine strikeouts, but Los Angeles collected seven hits against him and scored three times before adding three more runs against the Pittsburgh bullpen.
Up Next
The teams conclude the series Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes is scheduled to start with a 9-11 record and a 3.97 ERA.
The Angels will counter with right-hander Walbert Ureña, who enters the series finale at 9-9 with a 2.85 ERA.