Kikuchi threw three scoreless innings Thursday against the Padres, giving up no hits while walking two and striking out five. His velocity was up to 96 mph in his final frame, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com.
He started the game in the 92-94 mph range with his fastball before it started humming at 96. Last year he averaged just north of 93 mph on his four-seam fastball in March, April and May before it ticked down to 92 mph in the final four months of the season. When he was dominating in Japan, his fastball was a mid-90s pitch, so if he can sit in that range again, Kikuchi could be in for a post-hype breakout. He has given up three earned runs on four hits and five walks while striking out 10 over 6.2 innings in three spring outings.