Kikuchi (3-4) earned the win Thursday over Tampa Bay, striking out eight in six innings while allowing a run on four hits and a walk.
Kikuchi struck out seven of the first 13 batters he faced. The lone run against him came on Isaac Paredes' fourth-inning solo homer. It was a much-needed quality start for the lefty as he hadn't pitched more than five innings in a game since May 16. He closed out June on a high note, improving his numbers for the month to 7.17 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in 21.1 innings across six starts.