Yusei Kikuchi allowed four runs in five innings while not picking up a decision versus the Rangers on Monday.
In a battle of All-Star hurlers, both Kikuchi and Jacob deGrom were not terribly effective. They combined to go 10 innings while allowing seven runs, and both struggled early. In Kikuchi’s case, he allowed a two-run homer to Corey Seager in first, and two more runs were charted to the southpaw in the third. Kikuchi still has a strong 3.02 ERA, and he’ll get another chance to lower that number against the Diamondbacks on Saturday.