TORONTO – Kevin Gausman was in the training room during the late innings of Sunday’s game keeping an eye on what was happening on the field. The Toronto Blue Jays starter had left the mound after a rough outing against the Minnesota Twins that put his team in a hole, but as the score inched closer, Gausman grew more tense.
“Superstition sticks in, so whatever you're doing, you kind of keep doing it,” Gausman told media following the game.
Gausman was asked what exactly he was doing and that brought a huge grin to his face.
“I did have a beer, I'll say that,” he revealed, eliciting laughter from reporters. “It was some nervous sips. We kept it going, so I had to open another one. It's ‘rally beers.’ Sometimes that has to happen.”
Rally beers? Can’t argue with that. And the Blue Jays certainly won’t after Cavan Biggio’s go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning completed a comeback and lifted the club to a 7-6 win over the Twins at Rogers Centre.
The victory helped the Blue Jays avoid a sweep and ignited the crowd of 41,673.
With the Blue Jays down 6-4 and two runners on base, Biggio stepped to the plate to face Twins right-hander Emilio Pagan. He worked a 2-0 count before getting a middle-middle fastball that he deposited 423 feet into the right-centre field stands. The No. 9 hitter knew as soon as he made contact that the ball was gone.
“It's hard to put that into words,” Biggio said of his feeling while rounding the bases. “I feel like we had some momentum and I just felt like someone was going to have a big hit. We were going to win that game. So, it was a culmination of just a lot of excitement.”
Said Blue Jays manager John Schneider: “That was a perfect approach there. That's kind of what he does … That’s exactly the type of approach you have to have in a leverage count against a good reliever. Ball right down the middle. He did not miss it.”
The homer helped erase what was a rough start for Gausman. The first six Twins reached base to begin the game and by the end of the opening frame, the club had taken a 4-0 lead on the right-hander.
“Not very sharp,” said Gausman. “I think they had a good game plan.”
Gausman settled down after that, though, eating some much-needed innings, however, the Twins struck again in the fifth with a solo homer from Donovan Solano and a double from Carlos Correa, who later scored. In total, Gausman allowed six runs on seven hits over 4.2 innings. He walked four and struck out four while tossing 101 pitches.
Though he held the Twins to one run in a Blue Jays’ victory on May 26 in Minneapolis, the right-hander noted facing the club has always proved difficult for him. Gausman holds a 6.35 ERA over 11 starts and 56.2 innings against the Twins in his career.
“The Twins, for whatever reason, just drive me crazy,” said Gausman. “For whatever reason, my whole career has been a grind against them.”
Right-hander Thomas Hatch, recalled from triple-A on Sunday morning, took the ball from Gausman and spun 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Nate Pearson, who’s been looking more and more at home in leverage spots, tossed two scoreless frames of his own that kept the Blue Jays within striking distance.
“Underappreciated, probably because of the way the game ended with [Biggio], but huge innings from them,” said Schneider. “I thought Thomas threw the ball really, really well and has continued to impress us when he's been up here. And then Nate speaks for himself. He's really turned the corner into believing that he is as good as he is. Challenging hitters, having that confidence and that demeanour. [Pearson’s] two innings were absolutely huge for us.”
That bought the Blue Jays time and the offence did respond in the bottom of the fifth when Biggio walked to lead off against Twins starter Louie Varland and later came around to score on Carlos Correa’s throwing error.
The next batter, Matt Chapman, took Varland deep for a two-run shot — his ninth homer of the season — that cut Minnesota’s lead to 6-4. It was the Blue Jays’ first homer since Wednesday and set the stage for Biggio’s heroics.
It’s been a rough year for the 28-year-old utility player, who entered Sunday batting .172/.252/.323 with a paltry 62 OPS-plus. His playing time has been sparse and when he’s been in the lineup, there has been a level of pressure for him to make things happen.
“I think it’s nice for him,” said Schneider of Biggio’s homer. “He's been working his ass off and I think that he's kind of turned the corner a little bit — getting back to who he is. I think it's a big lift for a guy like that to do that for the team. It's big for him and it's big for us.”
It was also big for Gausman, who should thank Biggio for giving him a reason to open up another can.
NOTES: An MRI revealed that Brandon Belt, who was removed from Saturday’s game with left hamstring tightness, is dealing with inflammation, according to Schneider. “He's kind of day-to-day,” said the manager. “No structural damage to the hamstring, which is great news.” … Blue Jays centre-fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who was hit in the left wrist by a pitch on Thursday, pinch ran in Sunday’s game. Schneider noted Monday’s off day will be key for Kiermaier’s recovery and the club will re-evaluate him on Tuesday.
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