Kevin Gausman struck out eight in 6 2/3 effective innings Friday night as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2.
Gausman (4-3) allowed one run, six hits and one walk while earning his first win in five starts. Louis Varland retired the final six batters to earn his seventh save.
The Blue Jays took advantage of three Pittsburgh errors — two in a three-run third — to win the opener of a three-game series.
Yohendrick Pinango and George Springer hit two-run doubles for the Blue Jays, who have won three straight.
Brandon Lowe had two hits and two runs for the Pirates, whose two-game winning streak ended. Bubba Chandler (1-6) fanned a career-best 11 while allowing three runs, one earned, on two hits and three walks in five innings.
Pittsburgh opening the scoring in the first inning. Lowe singled to center with one out, took third on Nick Gonzales’ double off the top of the left field wall and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz.
The Blue Jays jumped ahead 3-1 in the third.
Springer reached base on catcher’s interference and advanced to third on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s single to center. Springer was hung up between third and home on Daulton Varsho’s grounder to first but scored when Horwitz’s throw to third sailed high for an error that left runners at second and third. Pinango lashed a one-out, two-run double to right.
Lowe walked to start the eighth against Mason Fluharty, and Gonzales singled. Varland replaced Fluharty to face pinch hitter Bryan Reynolds. After a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, a groundout to second scored a run. Varland struck out Konnor Griffin and got Jhostynxon Garcia to ground out, ending the inning.
Toronto tacked on three against Dennis Santana in the eighth. Ernie Clement and Jesus Sanchez hit consecutive doubles to make it 4-2. Brandon Valenzuela walked and Springer stroked a two-run double that lodged in the padding in the right field corner after bouncing into foul territory.
Pittsburgh’s Esmerlyn Valdez played right field in his major league debut Friday and had a walk while going 0-for-3.
–Field Level Media
