Kevin Gausman hurled a brilliant 2-hit shutout, Davis Schneider homered and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Houston Astros 6-0 on Thursday afternoon.
Gausman (10-10) walked one and fanned nine to pitch his fourth career complete game — the first of this season — and the second shutout of his career. He threw 79 of 100 pitches for strikes in the 2-hour, 7-minute game.
Schneider added a sacrifice fly to record two RBIs in the rubber match of the three-game series. Addison Barger also drove in a pair of runs with a double and a sac fly.
The Astros (79-68) still won the season series 4-2 over the Blue Jays (84-62) in a clash between division leaders.
Toronto caught a couple of breaks to take a 2-0 lead in the first against Cristian Javier (1-3). George Springer led off with an infield hit on a check-swing dribbler near the third-base line. Javier made a good play but first baseman Christian Walker could not hold the one-hop throw. Nathan Lukes then lined an RBI double to left over Taylor Trammell’s head. Barger’s harmless looking popup turned into an RBI double when it dropped in shallow right among a cluster of indecisive fielders.
Schneider homered to left on an 0-1 fastball to lead off the second.
Gausman breezed through his first three innings before allowing Jeremy Pena’s single to open the fourth. Carlos Correa singled with one out to put runners at the corners. Gausman stymied the threat with a foul out and a strikeout.
Daulton Varsho led off the bottom of the fourth with a triple to right center that just eluded converging outfielders and scored on Schneider’s fly to left.
After the sacrifice fly, Javier retired eight in a row to complete his outing. He allowed four runs, six hits and one walk while striking out six in six innings.
Lance McCullers Jr. replaced Javier and pitched a perfect seventh before allowing two runs in the eighth. Springer worked a leadoff walk, Lukes singled and Barger hit a fly ball to right that glanced off right fielder Jesus Sanchez’s glove, scoring Springer. Barger was credited with a sacrifice fly and RBI on the play.
Varsho capped the scoring with an RBI single to left.
Gausman retired 15 in a row before walking Pena with one out in the ninth.
