Stable Gausman begin wasted as Blue Jays blanked by Baltimore

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The facility eruption the Blue Jays unleashed in Sunday’s collection finale in Cincinnati and the opener towards the Orioles on Tuesday, went again into hiding at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Wednesday.

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After hitting seven house runs of their earlier two video games — each wins — the Jays might muster solely 5 singles because the O’s pulled away late for a 7-0 victory, setting the desk for Thursday’s rubber match.

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Nobody expects the Jays to be homer-happy each night time, however on an evening when starter Kevin Gausman summoned an honest outing, the shortage of offensive help doomed his night time.

Gausman stored the Jays within the sport, leaving after six innings, permitting two earned runs and putting out eight. What stored the Jays within the sport was Gausman’s skill to file outs when the bases have been both loaded or when there was loads of site visitors on the basepaths.

Baltimore’s lack of ability to hit with runners in scoring place early on was one thing of an anomaly. The O’s (78-48), for essentially the most half, have been superb in such eventualities, a giant motive why they sport a greater file than their hen brethren, the Jays (70-57).

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By three innings, Baltimore went 1-for-7. Had the Orioles been extra environment friendly, a 1-0 lead might have simply was a 4-0 benefit.

The Orioles did flip it right into a laugher within the eighth, scoring 5 runs off the usually dependable Trevor Richards.

The large bomber for Baltimore was Anthony Santander, who made his return to the lineup following a bout with again ache. He went deep twice — early off Gausman and late towards Richards.

Defensively, the Jays weren’t sharp, both, to the purpose of being comical. They dedicated a trio of errors, two within the first three innings, although neither of these gaffes — fielding misplays by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (his second in three video games), and second baseman Whit Merrifield — resulted in an Orioles run.

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As an entire, the sport didn’t have the identical uncooked drama that unfolded on Tuesday. In truth, in comparison with the collection opener, the second sport was a whole buzz-kill.

The Jays, nevertheless, didn’t lose any floor to the Seattle Mariners of their AL wild-card pursuit. The red-hot M’s additionally misplaced, 5-4, to the lowly Chicago White Sox in 10 innings earlier within the afternoon. The Jays stay one full sport behind Seattle for the third and last playoff berth.

AUGUST BELTS

When Brandon Belt went deep on the primary pitch within the Tenth inning Tuesday, it marked his sixth homer in the course of the month of August.

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Half of these lengthy balls got here in his earlier two video games heading into Wednesday, an influence surge that started in Cincinnati on Sunday when he went yard twice.

Daulton Varsho additionally recorded a homer in Toronto’s 6-3 win over the O’s, his fourth in August.

Guerrero nonetheless has hit just one homer for the month.

BO’S STREAK UP TO 10

Bo Bichette singled within the first inning, extending his present hit streak to 10 video games. His longest hit streak this season is 13 video games.

Bichette would get robbed of one other hit within the high of the sixth when the time period scorching nook lived as much as its title courtesy of O’s third baseman Ramon Urias, who dove to his left to spear the drive, rapidly obtained to his ft and threw out the Jays’ base-runner by a step.

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DEAN OF PITCHING

Dean Kremer took the bump for the Orioles when scheduled starter Jack Flaherty was scratched.

Flaherty, acquired from St. Louis, made fairly the impression in his Baltimore debut when he outduelled Gausman in Toronto earlier this month.

In his two subsequent begins, the veteran righty struggled and Flaherty informed reporters in Baltimore that he didn’t really feel proper within the wake of his most up-to-date look.

Orioles supervisor Brandon Hyde mentioned Flaherty was coping with common soreness.

Both means, Kremer obtained the beginning, his third towards the Jays. The fitting-hander went six shutout innings, permitting solely the 5 singles, putting out 5 and never strolling anybody, enhancing his file to 12-5.

When Baltimore visited Toronto in Could, Kremer allowed one run and 9 hits in 5.1 innings because the O’s accomplished a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays in an 8-3 win. He additionally picked up the win final month when the Jays have been in Baltimore.

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BRIEFLY

Toronto’s left-handed bats accounted for 5 of the workforce’s six runs Tuesday. The workforce was too right-centric final season and low season strikes have been made to offer the lineup extra steadiness. Belt and Varsho every knocked in two runs, whereas Kevin Kiermaier knocked in a single … Belt’s game-winner was off right-hander Mike Baumann, who misplaced for the primary time in 10 choices. On Wednesday, Baltimore optioned Baumann to triple-A Norfolk, whereas activating RHP Austin Voth (proper elbow discomfort) from the 60-day injured checklist … Belt’s Tenth-inning house run marked the primary time in Blue Jays historical past a participant led off an inning with a two-run blast, an esoteric factoid solely a real baseball junkie would admire. The entire thought of starting the Tenth inning with a runner at second base was hatched in the course of the 2020 COVID season and have become a everlasting rule change this season.

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