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
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Evacuation orders lifted in Fort McMurray Saturday as rain dampens wildfire activity
Residents of Fort of McMurray who were displaced over wildfire concerns were told to return home Saturday.
Conservatives, NDP should be 'celebrating' EV deals: industry minister
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says federal opposition parties should be 'celebrating' the recently announced electric vehicle deals, despite their criticisms the Liberals refuse to make public the terms and conditions laid out in the contracts.
Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit June 8 unless there's new war plan
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened on Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn't adopt a new plan in three weeks' time for the war in Gaza.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.