Blue Jays' Yusei Kikuchi: Pitches two frames versus Cleveland

Kikuchi (4-7) picked up a loss after he pitched two innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out three batters in Sunday's 6-5 defeat to Cleveland.

Kikuchi was once again ineffective on the mound Sunday, giving up one run in the first inning before the game went into a rain delay after he allowed another run to score and loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the third. Zach Pop replaced Kikuchi on the mound following the delay, allowing two of the inherited runners to score. Kikuchi has been in quite the rut for a while now, allowing 20 earned runs over 25.1 innings in his last six outings. The rough stretch has seen his ERA balloon from 2.64 to 4.00 on the year over 83.1 innings in 16 starts. The left-hander is tentatively set to return to the mound for a tough matchup against the Yankees on Friday.