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PEORIA Zach Duke Jersey , Ariz. (AP) — Yusei Kikuchi felt the nerves Monday that would normally accompany taking the mound in front of tens of thousands of fans in a major ballpark, not the few thousand who showed up for a spring training game in the desert.“I’ve been pitching in Japan for the last nine years and I wanted to test what I was doing in Japan against major league hitters and I wanted to see how they reacted,” Kikuchi said through an interpreter. “So I was really kind of excited and also nervous about that.”Kikuchi made his debut for the Seattle Mariners throwing two innings against the Cincinnati Reds in a start that featured a little bit of everything, from moments of dominance to Kikuchi working out of a jam.The Mariners were pleased with what they saw.“He had a little nerves, no doubt about it, but fastball was really good, he was up to 95 (mph), the breaking pitches we know are outstanding. Thought he handled it really, really well,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “He’s going to take a little time to get his routine. You saw him throwing outside the dugout before, there’s a few adjustments there, but really happy for him getting that first outing under his belt.”Kikuchi’s most notable at-bat was his lone strikeout, when he tied up Joey Votto on a deceptive 2-2 curveball that left the veteran slugger waving unsuccessfully. While Kikuchi has a fastball in the mid-90s, his breaking pitches and the ability to hide the ball in his windup add to the challenges of facing the lefty.“It’s spring training and I’m sure he’s tuning up his swing as well but to strike out someone the caliber of Joey Votto, a hitter of that caliber http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-max-kepler-jersey , I’m really happy about the result of today,” Kikuchi said.The rest of the outing forced Kikuchi to do a little bit of everything. He had to scamper off the mound to cover first base on a groundout by Yasiel Puig. He faced the challenge of traffic on the bases after a rough second inning that featured a leadoff walk, two errors and giving up two runs — although both were unearned.Kikuchi threw 29 pitches with 19 strikes, the first step in a transitional season.“Obviously, when you’re up on the mound you want to shut them down one, two, three when you’re up there but after I let some guys on today I think I was able to keep my pitch count low and get some double play balls so I’m happy with what I did,” Kikuchi said.One of the biggest adjustments will be Kikuchi’s pregame routine. Servais noted Kikuchi was on the field nearly an hour before first pitch and still figuring out the timing led to Kikuchi playing catch in front of the dugout several minutes before the team took the field.“What we wanted to do is let him go through his normal routine,” Servais said. “He was out here probably 50, 55 minutes before the game started. That’s what he normally does and over time, that’s why we’ve got the four, five outings through spring to tighten up that routine and as the season goes on it will be a learning curve for him as well.”The first outing for Kikuchi was documented from all angles by Asian photographers following his every move, from his warmup in the bullpen to the scrum after his outing with dozens of reporters.Seattle wants to limit Kikuchi’s innings during the regular season and make the first-year transition from pitching in Japan less arduous. But the Mariners also need to build up Kikuchi so he is ready to take on a starter’s load when his innings won’t be limited.Kikuchi said he hadn’t been told what comes next, but he’s likely to get his second start sometime this weekend.“It’s my first start and I felt really good throwing the ball. Going into the game I was a little nervous, obviously Fernando Rodney Jersey , but it ended up well,” Kikuchi said. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — For nearly three years, Johnny Cueto pitched with a stabbing pain in his right elbow. He won 18 games for San Francisco in 2016 and started the All-Star game that year dealing with the discomfort.How he did so, Cueto isn’t sure. And the animated right-hander can now envision how great it will be once he’s back on the mound and pain-free following Tommy John reconstructive surgery.“It was a lot for me to deal with. It was almost three years with pain in the elbow, and strong pain,” said Cueto, who turns 33 on Friday. “It’s not easy. Last year I started well, but it’s a mental pain, it’s a pain that felt like someone stuck a knife in my elbow and stabbed it over and over again. It was unbearable and I don’t know how I was able to pitch and block the pain.”Cueto arrived in Arizona a couple of days behind the Giants pitchers and catchers because of personal reasons and had his physical Thursday. He is scheduled to throw next week for the first time since his August operation.The Giants’ rotation was plagued by injuries for a second straight year in 2018 with Cueto, ace lefty Madison Bumgarner and right-hander Jeff Samardzija all missing significant time.Cueto is down about 20 pounds to 226 thanks to regular meals of salad and fish. Yet he expects to be back at 230 or more once he’s ready to return — hopefully before season’s end around Sept. 1, to which Cueto noted, “If that’s the case I’ll be very happy.”“We would love to see Johnny start. That means we probably are sitting in a pretty good position,” manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday following a successful workout after one rainstorm, before it began pouring again. “But we’re not going to do something that doesn’t make sense with our medical staff and where he’s at. Because you get through that then you have another offseason to really heal up. We’ll see where he’s at when we get to August.”Cueto acknowledged he will let the experts guide him when it comes to a timeline and taking each important step along the way to come back.“Right now I feel like I’m ready but I know I’m not http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-max-kepler-jersey ,” he said. “My frustration was at the beginning when I couldn’t move the arm to take a shower, but right now I feel normal and like any other pitcher. I know what my problem is. The only thing I have to do is take it easy and continue with my rehab.”He begins the fourth season of a $130 million, six-year contract he signed before the 2016 season.Cueto did his offseason rehab back home in the Dominican Republic, where one of his half-dozen horses, Popeye, just died.He made 25 starts in 2017 then just nine with 53 innings last year before surgery. On Friday, he plans to throw a plastic ball against a trampoline-like screen.When appropriate, he will embrace the chance to mentor the young pitchers, particularly those from Latin America who look up to Cueto’s example in training and his accomplishments on the mound.“I feel really good. I’m working out and conditioning,” Cueto said. “I’m working hard to return strong to help my team. … I just want to make sure that my rehab is coming along well, that’s my main concern right now.”