It hasn’t been the easiest of starts to the season for Kevin Gausman.
After getting just one appearance in Spring Training, he got lit up in his first three regular-season appearances allowing one earned run to the Rays, five to the Yankees and six to the Rockies. But his last trip to the mound, coming last week against the Yankees, was much improved.
He threw five innings, allowing one earned run off four hits and three walks. Command continues to be an issue, but the fact he got some length out of a start — throwing 101 pitches — is a great sign.
Tonight, he’ll look to build off that against a Royals team he’s had success against in the past. The good news, at the very least, is that the Jays’ offence is firing on all cylinders, now averaging 4.4 runs per game over their last 10.
A big reason for that is none other than Daulton Varsho, who, over that stretch, has mashed six home runs for a 1.444 OPS and a staggering 32 bases, two more than the next closest player over that time, Trea Turner. Varsho’s redemption arc at the plate was a big storyline in Spring Training, and now, after a slow start to the year, he’s turning it on and helping lead the charge.
First pitch:
7:40 p.m. EST. TV & Radio: Sportsnet.
Weather:
21º C, 16 km/h winds NW, left to right. – Rotogrinders
Starting pitchers:
| Name | Team | GS
|
W
|
L
|
IP
|
ERA
|
xERA
|
ERA-
|
FIP
|
WHIP
|
K/9
|
BB/9
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Gausman | TOR | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14.1 | 8.16 | 7.66 | 216 | 4.92 | 1.74 | 10.05 | 3.14 |
| Michael Wacha | KCR | 4 | 1 | 2 | 24.0 | 3.75 | 3.20 | 94 | 3.26 | 1.04 | 7.88 | 2.25 |
Teams:
Lineups:
BLUE JAYS:
- TBA
- M Garcia (R) 3B
- B Witt Jr. (R) SS
- V Pasquantino (L) 1B
- S Perez (R) C
- M Melendez (L) LF
- A Frazier (L) DH
- D Blanco (R) RF
- M Massey (L) 2B
- K Isbel (L) CF
Need to bide the time until first pitch?
Tune into the latest edition of Blue Jays Nation Radio as the crew talks about all the happenings in Toronto and beyond.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
