Kikuchi didn't factor in the decision Tuesday in Miami after he allowed just two hits across six scoreless innings. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter.
The left-hander surrendered only a pair of singles but missed out on a victory since Toronto wasn't able to break a scoreless tie until the eighth inning. The dominant outing ends a streak of seven straight starts in which Kikuchi failed to pitch beyond the fifth frame. He had a 5.40 ERA and gave up 11 home runs during that stretch. The 32-year-old tentatively lines up to next take the mound this weekend versus Oakland, which is a favorable matchup to build on Tuesday's performance.