Kikuchi (2-0) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk over six innings in a 5-2 victory over Tampa Bay. He struck out nine.
The only run Kikuchi allowed was a solo blast by Taylor Walls in the fourth inning. Outside of that, the left-hander was outstanding while throwing 67 of 94 pitches for strikes. The left-hander has now allowed no more than a run in two of his three starts this year with a six-run struggle against the Angels last Sunday sandwiched between. Kikuchi has shown almost no consistency throughout his career, but he'll look to build on this start with his next outing lined up for the weekend series against the Yankees.