Gausman tosses 5 1/3 scoreless innings, Kiermaier homers and Blue Jays beat Nationals 6-3
Kevin Gausman pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer in his return from the injured list and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Washington Nationals 6-3 on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak.
Gausman (2-3) allowed three hits while striking out eight. He walked two batters in the first inning, but settled in and later retired 10 straight - seven by strikeout - before leaving after Luis Garcia Jr.'s one-out single in the sixth.
Gausman has given up two earned runs in 24 innings while striking out 21 with five walks over his last four starts.
Danny Jansen and Daulton Varsho each had two hits for the Blue Jays, who had lost eight of 11. Kiermaier returned after missing nine games with left hip flexor inflammation and connected off Derek Law in the eighth inning for his first homer of the season.
CJ Abrams and Garcia had two hits each for the Nationals, who had won six of eight and missed a chance to for a winning record for the first time since July 1, 2021 when they were 40-39.
Washington starter Jake Irvin (2-3) allowed four unearned runs on five hits over five innings.
Toronto's Bo Bichette was ejected by home plate umpire Jonathan Parra after slamming his helmet to the ground when he was called out on strikes on a borderline 3-2 pitch in the fifth.
Trailing 4-0, Washington loaded the bases with one out in the seventh. Abrams hit a drive to center that was caught by Kiermaier on the warning track for a sacrifice fly and Nick Senzel followed with an RBI single.
Toronto manager John Schneider shook up his lineup - including moving Varsho up to the number two spot and Bichette down to number five - but Washington's defense played a major role in the Blue Jays fast start.
The Nationals sandwiched two throwing errors around another bad throw that erased the second out of a potential double play as the Blue Jays scored four unearned runs in the first. Two runs scored when first baseman Trey Lipscomb threw the ball into left field on Daniel Vogelbach's bases-loaded grounder, and Jansen capped the inning with an RBI double.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Blue Jays: Schneider said RHP Alek Manoah (right shoulder soreness) will be reinstated and make his 2024 debut when he starts the series finale on Sunday. He has not pitched in the majors since Aug. 10.
Nationals: RHP Josiah Gray (right elbow) threw a bullpen session Saturday. Manager Dave Martinez said Gray felt good after throwing 30-35 pitches and his next bullpen will happen Tuesday or Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Manoah will face LHP MacKenzie Gore (2-3, 3.19), who is averaging 11.03 strikeouts per nine innings.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Group tied to Islamic State plotted fatal Ontario restaurant shooting: Crown
A gunman who is accused of killing a young Ontario man and shooting four of his family members at their small Mississauga restaurant in 2021 was allegedly part of a trio who had pledged allegiance to the listed terrorist group Islamic State, a Crown attorney said in an opening statement in the Brampton murder trial this week.
Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
'We recognize there's more to do': Trudeau responds to U.S. senators' defence spending letter
Stopping short of offering the assurance U.S. senators are seeking, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is aware there's more work to do in order to see Canada meet NATO's defence spending target.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.