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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.

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