With the Toronto Blue Jays' offence locked in a rut for a good chunk of the first quarter of the season, Kevin Gausman's teammates kept telling him it wouldn't be the same all season.
"There’s been a lot of jokes from guys on the team towards me. A lot of this isn’t the norm, like 'we promise this will change,'" the right-hander said on Blair and Barker on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Wednesday.
"A lot of stuff from (George) Springer like 'Hey, this isn’t what I told you but stick with me. We’ll be alright.' It’s been funny. We all knew at some point it was going to change just because the talent alone in the lineup every single day is incredible. It’s definitely been fun to watch these guys get going."
A huge free-agent addition by the Blue Jays this off-season, Gausman was the beneficiary of the improved offence on Tuesday. On a night he didn't have his best stuff, the bats came through to get him a win as the Blue Jays edged the Chicago White Sox 6-5 - Toronto's sixth victory in a row.
Gausman grinded through five innings, giving up three runs. With his team trailing 3-2 after he gave up two in the top of the fifth, the Blue Jays exploded for four runs in the bottom of the inning and held on from there, allowing Gausman (5-3, 2.51 ERA) to pick up the win.
"We definitely are confident right now," he said. "We feel like we’re kind of finally starting to get the ball going when it comes to all aspects of the game. It’s not just our starters throwing the ball really well and keeping us in the game, it’s not just our relievers doing well. It’s also timely hitting and guys walking and getting on base and keeping pressure on the opposing pitcher."
Gausman's splitter has been a huge weapon, but he says an improved slider will become more important as the season goes on.
“The book is out on me, everybody knows I have a split," he said. "You’re starting to see guys changing their approach toward me, trying to just not swing at the split at all. Last couple games just getting my pitch count up and I haven’t been able to go deep in games because guys are fouling off a lot of pitches, really making me work. I think that slider will be a big pitch for me."
Gausman says the starting rotation's chemistry is important. He says the other starters regularly watch bullpen sessions and therefore are able to offer advice.
The four other starters also are known for walking to the dugout from the bullpen with each game's starter.
“We joked we all need to get some aviator glasses and then we’re going to make a square and put the starter in the middle and we’ll all walk in together," Gausman said. "You’ll have to keep your eyes open, that might be the next thing."
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