Kikuchi (2-2) took the loss Friday as the Blue Jays got thumped 9-3 by the Twins, giving up four runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- over 4.2 innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.
The two teams combined for seven homers in total, and Kikuchi's slight lack of command within the strike zone proved costly. It was a big step back for the southpaw, who served up only one home run in 26.2 innings over the entire month of May. Kikuchi still tossed 48 of 67 pitches for strikes in this outing, and he'll take a 3.91 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 50:24 K:BB through 46 innings into his next start on the road versus the Royals next week.