TORONTO — Six games into the season and there have been plenty of positives for the Toronto Blue Jays. Forget any talk about a World Series hangover or any questions about the good vibes from last year carrying over. The Blue Jays have picked up precisely where they left off.
Yes, they dropped Wednesday’s afternoon’s 10-inning contest, 2-1, to the Colorado Rockies in front of 37,208 at Rogers Centre. However, the season-opening homestand can be counted a success.
Kevin Gausman continued his excellent start to the season and just like his start on Opening Day last week, the right-hander was in complete control. Gausman was efficient through his first four innings, firing first-pitch strikes to each of the 12 batters he faced over that span.
Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who was impressive on both sides of the ball over the three-game set, broke up Gausman’s bid for a no-hitter with a single in the fifth, but the right-hander was unfazed. He allowed just two hits over six scoreless frames, striking out 10 while issuing no walks on 89 pitches.
Gausman’s splitter was simply overpowering as he threw it for just over half his pitches, inducing 10 misses on 25 swings.
Through his two starts this season, the right-hander owns a 0.75 ERA with an MLB-leading 21 strikeouts over 12 innings.
Such a start for Gausman, who’s in the final season of a five-year deal, is a welcome development for the Blue Jays, who’re dealing with thinned rotation depth in the wake of Cody Ponce’s injury. The right-hander, who suffered a right ACL sprain earlier this week, was seen walking on crutches in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse on Wednesday morning and will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday in Los Angeles to determine if his knee requires surgery.
Ponce’s spot in the rotation comes up on Sunday and manager John Schneider said the club has not yet determined who’ll take the ball for that series finale against the Chicago White Sox. Right-hander Lazaro Estrada could be an option, but that would depend on his usage over the next few games.
In the meantime, Gausman leads a quartet that’s looked strong in their first turn through the rotation. Dylan Cease punched out 12 hitters in his Blue Jays’ debut, Eric Lauer added nine while Max Scherzer looked strong in the first start of his 19th MLB season.
Davis Schneider opened the scoring on Wednesday with an opposite-field single off Rockies starter Kyle Freeland in the third inning that cashed in Myles Straw.
The Rockies tied the game in the eighth when Kyle Karros drew a leadoff walk off Blue Jays reliever Tommy Nance and was replaced by pinch runner Jake McCarthy, who stole second and was driven in on Troy Johnson’s RBI single.
Left-hander Mason Fluharty relieved Nance but entered the game in a tough spot, with runners on first and third and one out. However, he proceeded to ring up the next two hitters, both right-handed, to escape the jam.
The score remained tied until the 10th inning when Blue Jays’ left-hander Brendon Little allowed a hard-hit single to Tyler Freeman, who cashed in automatic runner Brenton Doyle from second.
