Yusei Kikuchi and four relievers came together to help the Toronto Blue Jays shut out the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 on Tuesday.
Kikuchi (4-5) allowed three hits and four walks in five innings, striking out five batters to earn his second straight victory for the first time since April.
Kikuchi gave up one run in six innings in his previous start Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles.
“He kept his cool,” Blue Jays giant John Schneider said of Kikuchi. I thought he made some really good throws.
“His fastball was really good tonight against a good hitting lineup. As the game progressed, he added his curveball and slider ball. All credit goes to him, he had to fight. »
Endgame specialist Yimi Garcia recorded a fifth save in his last six attempts.
A productive single by George Springer off Carlos Rodriguez (0-1) gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
The Blue Jays stranded two runners in the second and loaded the bases in the next inning before scoring an extra run on a Spencer Horwitz hit in the fourth.
Horwitz finished the game with two hits and a walk.
“Rodriguez certainly batted in my first at-bat. I made adjustments afterward,” Horwitz said.
Rodriguez, who was ejected from the game after Horwitz’s first strike, was the eighth Brewers player to make his major league baseball debut this season. The 22-year-old right-hander became the 12e pitcher to get a start for the Brewers in 67 games this season. The team record is 17, set by the Seattle Pilots in 1969.
Selected in the sixth round by the Brewers in 2021, Rodriguez is the 16the Nicaraguan to play in the major leagues and first for the Brewers. He allowed seven hits and two runs in 3 2/3 innings while allowing one free pass and fanning four opponents.
Danny Jansen drove in a run in the ninth to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 3-0.
The loss ended the Brewers’ six-game home winning streak.