Kevin Gausman pitched seven stellar innings as the visiting Toronto Blue Jays inched closer in the American League East race with a 4-0 victory over the scuffling New York Yankees on Friday night.
Toronto moved within eight of the Yankees by winning its third straight game after opening the series with a 9-2 rout Thursday. It is Toronto’s closest deficit in the division since they were eight back on June 13.
Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run home run off New York starter Jameson Taillon (11-4) and leadoff man Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit an RBI groundout. Gurriel was moved up to leadoff when George Springer was held out of the lineup due to fouling a ball off his knee during his five-hit night Thursday.
Danny Jansen added a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth after Aroldis Chapman was booed off the mound.
In his 20th career start against the Yankees, Gausman (9-9) allowed four singles, struck out seven, walked one and threw 58 of 86 pitches for strikes. Not including July 2 when he was lifted after two innings due to an ankle contusion, it was Gausman’s fifth scoreless start and third scoreless outing in his past four outings.
The Yankees lost for the 14th time in 18 games. By the middle of the eighth inning, some fans began tossing what appeared to be cash from the upper deck.
New York was blanked for the 11th time this season and fifth time in its past 13 games. The Yankees also dropped to 9-19 since the All-Star break.
Toronto went ahead in the third when Whit Merrifield began the inning with a single, took third on a double by Cavan Biggio and scored on Gurriel’s ground ball.
After Alejandro Kirk opened the fourth with a single, Hernandez made it 3-0 by blasting a 93 mph first pitch over the left-center field fence into the Toronto bullpen. It was Hernandez’s 18th homer.
Gausman allowed a single to Josh Donaldson to put two on in the first and then retired 10 straight before Gleyber Torres opened the fifth with a single. After that single, Gausman got Isiah Kiner-Falefa to bounce into a double play and allowed two more runners the rest of the way while finishing his outing with a six-pitch seventh.
Yimi Garcia easily pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Jordan Romano finished up in the ninth, prompting fans to loudly boo the Yankees after the final out.
–Field Level Media
