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PEORIA http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-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 http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , a hitter of that caliber, 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 Sandy Koufax Jersey , 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, but it ended up well,” Kikuchi said. Texas recalled prize outfield prospect Willie Calhoun from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday at the end of the minor league season, but Calhoun’s at-bats will be limited by his limitations defensively to left field and the Rangers‘ glut of young corner outfielders and veteran designated hitters.Calhoun will be in Arlington on Tuesday when the Rangers continue a three-game series versus the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park. The Angels took the first game 3-1 on Monday as Texas was held to six hits a day after scoring 18 runs in a win over Minnesota.The Angels will send left-hander Andrew Heaney (8-8, 4.09 ERA) to the mound for the middle game of the series and Texas will counter with left-hander Mike Minor (10-7, 4.33).Article continues below ...Calhoun, 23, has hit .275 with a .716 OPS for 69 major league at-bats this year. After a slow start at Round Rock, he finished the season hitting .294 with a .782 OPS. Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo will receive the lion’s share work in the corner outfield spots. The Rangers have too many bats for the DH spot between Adrian Beltre and Shin-Soo Choo for Calhoun to fill that spot with any regularity.“There won’t be regular at-bats for Willie as we’re constructed right now,” Texas general manager Jon Daniels told the Dallas Morning News on Monday. “We want him to come up here and continue to do the work he’s been doing. He really got after it last time.”Meanwhile, the Angels are confident that prized two-way player Shohei Ohtani came out of his first pitching performance in nearly three months in good stead despite a dip in fastball velocity from 96-97 mph in the first inning to 91-92 mph in the third. A Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament kept the Japanese phenom off the mound since June 6.The Angels said after Sunday’s game that Ohtani was dealing with some back stiffness and a sore finger after attempting to barehand a comebacker, leading to the dip in velocity.“Naturally, a red flag goes up http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , especially with what happened last time,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com. “But Shohei said he felt great. He had no apprehension about what was happening in his elbow. His delivery was a little out of whack. He wanted to make sure he could get the ball into decent zones, so he wasn’t really jumping on it.”Ohtani said his back and finger both feel fine and that he’ll “hopefully” be able to make his next scheduled start on the mound on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox.Heaney will head to hill for the 26th time this year and for his 14th start on the road. Tuesday’s game will be his second start of the year versus Texas (in which he did not get a decision). In five career starts against the Rangers, Heaney is 1-2 with a 7.88 ERA.Heaney won his most recent start on Thursday at Houston after tossing six scoreless innings and allowing five hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He is seeking first his winning decision against Texas since July 26, 2015. In three starts at Globe Life Park, Heaney is 0-3 with a 10.38 ERA, his highest ERA of any ballpark.Minor will make his 25th start of the season, and will be working on five days’ rest after suffering the loss Wednesday in the Rangers’ 3-1 defeat at home against the Dodgers. He has gone 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA in his past five outings.Minor is without a decision with a 5.68 ERA in three career games, one of them starts, against the Angels. He will make his first start against the Angels this season and has not started against the Los Angeles since June 15, 2014, when he played for Atlanta. Minor made two relief appearances versus the Angels last season with he was with Kansas City, going 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA.