This season, the Toronto Blue Jays have not been successful in providing run support to their Cy Young-contending pitcher Kevin Gausman. It has been frustrating to watch, and Gausman has made it apparent that he and his team need to play with more urgency. Aside from run support, Gausman also did not get fielding support in the game on Wednesday evening against the Baltimore Orioles, as three errors were committed in the game.
Kevin Gausman has all eyes on that big stretch. ?️ pic.twitter.com/ntXNrZwRzA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 24, 2023
Kevin Gausman’s Lack of Run Support Persists
Frustration
The Blue Jays’ lost 7-0 to the Orioles on Wednesday evening. It was frustrating to see yet another game where the Jays were not able to score runs for Gausman. Toronto has been largely unsuccessful in helping Gausman to turn his starts into wins. They’ve provided him with a mere 3.16 runs per nine innings. Gausman pitched decently against the Orioles but unfortunately, the Jays weren’t able to capitalize.
Gausman is worthy of a lot better support than he’s been getting from the Jays so far this season. At this point in the season, he has just about the worst run support in all of baseball. The Jays offense could cost Gausman his chances of earning the Cy Young Award this season. The Blue Jays have a disappointing 2-7 record in his last nine starts. In his 25 starts this season, they have earned a record of 12-13, which we all know should be better. A large portion of their poor performance this season stems from their failure to capitalize on the strong season he is having.
Strong Pitching
Most Starts with 1 or 0 run allowed this season:
T-1st most — Yusei Kikuchi (12)
T- 2nd most — Kevin Gausman (11)
T- 3rd most — Jose Berrios (10)
T- 4th most — Chris Bassitt (9)They care.#NextLevel pic.twitter.com/LZnQc3FXAY
— BlueJays Muse (@BlueJays_Muse) August 20, 2023
Kevin Gausman’s performance against the Orioles reflects his performance across most of this season. He gets lots of strikeouts (eight against the Orioles), and he is able to keep the Jays in the game. But on Wednesday, he left the game not earning any run support. Despite this, Gausman is still optimistic about his team trying to make the postseason. “My focus is trying to win every game that I start right now because that’s what we need to do. We are trying to play into October.”
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Every game the Jays play now will be crucial for them. Gausman just has to continue pitching with consistency and playing his best baseball. He held the Orioles to two runs, and he is always known for racking up the strikes. He currently owns an ERA of 3.23, which is respectable and good for seventh in the American League. Gausman is first in the American League with 195 strikeouts, and he also leads AL pitchers in fWAR (wins above replacement).
Closing Thoughts
Blue Jays are shut out for the 8th time since June 19th (Most in MLB)
The 8 shutout losses in their last 54 games equal their total for all of 2022
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) August 24, 2023
With the clock counting down rapidly toward the postseason, the Jays need to be consistent. They have little margin for error and they must provide Gausman with run support. The Jays need to capitalize on offense with runners in scoring position. They have been shut out several times this season, and three of those shutouts have been when Gausman has pitched. This once again outlines how the Jays have not been able to provide him with the offense that he deserves as a quality pitcher. Toronto has showcased bouts of offense, but not consistently enough and not enough to provide Gausman with more wins.
Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
