Kevin Newman

Saturday marked the first time Kikuchi allowed more than three runs in a start as an Astro, giving up four against the D-Backs. Still, he fell in line for the win after six frames. He allowed two runs in the second inning on three hits and a sacrifice fly. Kevin Newman and Eugenio Suarez would later take him deep for solo homers. The 33-year-old left-hander will take a 4.31 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 183/40 K/BB ratio across 156 2/3 innings into a start against the Angels in Anaheim on Friday.

Suarez knocked a base hit to lead off the second inning and scored on a single by Kevin Newman. He later led off the sixth inning with a solo homer off Yusei Kikuchi, already his third of the month. The 33-year-old third baseman is hitting .244/.314/.458 with 25 homers and 88 RBI across 561 plate appearances.

Marte missed 2 1/2 weeks with his sprained ankle. The absence killed his long shot bid for NL MVP, but he should yet wind up on most voters' ballots. Luis Guillorme and Kevin Newman will see much less playing time with Marte back.