A Win For Kevin Gausman

Three in a row. I think they need six in a row before I start thinking they can get back in the race, but I’ll never complain about a win.

Well, if that was Kevin Gausman‘s last start for the Blue Jays, it was a good one. It was very nice seeing him get a standing ovation when John took him out of the game. Good on John for taking him out so he could walk off the field and enjoy the love.

He gave up a lot of hits, 9 in 5.2 innings, but most of them were softly hit. He worked his way out of trouble almost every inning.

He gave up three singles in the third and got out of it without a run scoring. Two singles in the fourth. And then two doubles in the sixth, with the run scoring in that inning.

He also had 4 strikeouts in his 5.2 innings.

Braydon Fisher got the last out of the sixth and the first two outs of the seventh.

Mason Fluharty got the last out of the seventh.

Jeff Hoffman started the eighth. He got a lineout, gave up a walk, got a strikeout and then gave up a double off the right-field wall, giving runners on second and third. But a ground ball at Vlad got him out of the inning.

Tyler Rogers pitched a quick ninth, in a non-save spot.

• One in the third: Davis Scheider walked, after an out (nicely hit line drive by Luis Urías that found a glove, .850 expected bat average), Vlad singled him to second. Kazuma Okamoto flied out. But George Springer singled home Davis.

• One in the fourth: Ernie Clement led off with a single. Myles Straw doubled him to third (Clement thought the ball might have been caught. Straw was waving, yelling for him to go, so he only got to third). And Luis Urías brought him home with a sac fly.

• Three in the seventh: Andrés Giménez was hit by pitch to lead off (he was hit Wednesday too). Vlad followed with an infield single. After Okamoto popped out, Springer doubled in Giménez. And then Alejandro Kirk singled in two more.

One in the third: Davis Scheider walked, after an out (nicely hit line drive by Luis Urías that found a glove, .850 expected bat average), Vlad singled him to second. Kazuma Okamoto flied out. But George Springer singled home Davis.

One in the fourth: Ernie Clement led off with a single. Myles Straw doubled him to third (Clement thought the ball might have been caught. Straw was waving, yelling for him to go, so he only got to third). And Luis Urías brought him home with a sac fly.

Three in the seventh: Andrés Giménez was hit by pitch to lead off (he was hit Wednesday too). Vlad followed with an infield single. After Okamoto popped out, Springer doubled in Giménez. And then Alejandro Kirk singled in two more.

We could have scored more. We had nine hits and four walks. Vlad and George had two hits each. Okamoto had a rough day, going 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jays of the Day: Springer (0.21), Gausman (0.17, he was getting one no matter what), and Fisher (0.11).

Tomorrow we have a 1:30 start time. Max Scherzer (1-4, 9.49, who better be on a short leash) vs. Michael McGreevy (4-9, 3.57).