Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Racks up 12 punchouts in victory
Rotowire
Kikuchi (7-9) earned the win over Kansas City on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings.
Kikuchi racked up 20 swinging strikes on his way to a season-high 12 punchouts, falling just one K shy of his career-high mark. The southpaw kept the Royals off the board for six frames before allowing a run on a pair of singles and a fielder's choice in the seventh, but he was able to get through that frame with no additional damage to complete seven innings for the first time since July 9. The Astros' trade for Kikuchi at the deadline didn't generate much buzz, but the hurler has been excellent since joining Houston, posting a 2.57 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB over six starts covering 35 frames.
Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Allows just two hits in no-decision
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Kikuchi allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings in Sunday's win over the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.
Kikuchi cruised through four innings but allowed a leadoff single and then a walk in the fifth before Ramon Urias tied the game up with a three-run homer. Kikuchi went on to strike out the next three batters he faced but was pulled after a two-out walk in the sixth. Walks have been an issue for the lefty, as he's issued multiple walks in six of his last eight starts and hasn't reached six innings in any of them. Still, he's been a quality deadline addition for the Astros and now owns a 4.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 165:40 K:BB in 143.2 innings. Kikuchi lines up to face the Royals in his next start over the weekend.
Kikuchi allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings in a no-decision against Boston on Monday.
Kikuchi fell behind early, giving up a leadoff homer to Jarren Duran on the first pitch of the contest. The Red Sox added an unearned run in the frame but managed only one more run -- again unearned -- before Kikuchi's exit with two outs in the sixth inning. Though he hasn't been able to complete six frames in any of his four outings in August, the southpaw has worked into the sixth on each occasion and hasn't given up more than two earned runs. Kikuchi also continues to pile up strikeouts -- he has 31 over 22.1 innings during the four-start stretch and is up to 161 across 138 frames on the campaign.
Kikuchi (6-9) earned the win Tuesday over the Rays, allowing one run on three hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.
Kikuchi allowed a lone run in the second inning before rebounding to retire 12 of the final 14 batters he faced en route to a 3-2 Astros win. The 33-year-old Kikuchi has allowed just five runs in three starts (16.2 innings) since joining Houston after struggling to a 7.75 ERA in his final eight outings with the Blue Jays. Overall, the left-hander sports a 4.49 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and 154:36 K:BB through 132.1 innings this year. Kikuchi is currently lined up to face the Red Sox at home early next week in his next start.
Kikuchi (5-9) picked up the win Wednesday against the Rangers, allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out eight in 5.1 innings.
Kikuchi was sharp Wednesday, tallying eight strikeouts while allowing just one extra-base hit -- a solo home run by Marcus Semien in the sixth inning. The southpaw has been excellent in his first two starts in an Astros uniform, pitching to a 3.27 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with an impressive 19 strikeouts in 11 innings. Kikuchi remains somewhat volatile due to his high walk rate -- the 33-year-old has issued multiple free passes in each of his past five starts, failing to pitch six innings in any of those appearances -- but overall he's one of the more underrated arms in the league. He is currently scheduled for a road start in Tampa Bay early next week.
Astros' Yusei Kikuchi: Strikes out 11 in Astros debut
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Kikuchi did not factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 win over the Rays. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Kikuchi gave up a double and home run to the first two batters he faced as a member of the Astros and then proceeded to get 17 outs while giving up one hit. The 11 strikeouts were the most by an Astros pitcher in his team debut since Gerrit Cole in 2018 and tied for the fourth most in a debut in team history. Kikuchi now has 43 strikeouts in his last five starts (26.1 innings), but he's also allowed 20 runs in that stretch.
