One 'kind of weird' inning mars another solid Gausman start

HOUSTON – By any name, Daikin Park has not been hospitable to Kevin Gausman. And after four impressive innings Monday night, the Blue Jays right-hander saw things unravel in Toronto’s 7-0 loss to the Astros.

Gausman was locked in a scoreless duel with blossoming Astros ace Hunter Brown before endured his worst inning of the season in the fifth. It began with a strikeout of Yainer Diaz. But when Cam Smith took a fastball the other way for a single to right, things went south quickly.

Brendan Rogers followed with a single, Zach Dezenzo doubled home the game’s first run, and Jose Altuve followed with a two-run double to left. Gausman intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez, but Isaac Paredes foiled the strategy with an RBI single.

“I felt like I was dialed in,” Gausman said. “Next thing you know, it’s a 4-0 game.”

Altuve’s hit was the one Gausman rued most. He had fanned the 15-year veteran on a splitter in the third, but on the first pitch of his next at-bat, Altuve pounced on another splitter.

“Looking back,” Gausman said, “I’d probably like to have thrown it a little more down, over the zone. Struck him out on it the last at-bat, but he’s one of the best hitters in the league for a reason. I don’t know if he was looking for it or made an adjustment.

“I thought we did a good job, but obviously, that inning got away from me. Five straight hits and two doubles [with the intentional walk mixed in]. That can’t happen, especially with their guy on the mound tonight. Runs were going to be at a premium, and it was close for a while. But that’s on me.”

Gausman was coming off back-to-back excellent starts. He allowed two runs on six hits and no walks in beating the Braves on Wednesday. Six days prior, he took a tough, eight-inning no-decision at Boston after allowing just one unearned run on four hits and no walks while striking out 10.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider liked what he saw from Gausman on Monday, the final outcome notwithstanding.

“He had a really good mix going, kind of kept ‘em in between,” Schneider said. “His fastball was really good, too. There were a lot of close pitches in the bottom of the zone.

“His stuff [in the fifth] was the same. It was just kind of one weird inning, but I thought his stuff was really really good tonight.”

That couldn’t keep Gausman from falling to 0-4 in four starts in Houston, with a 6.85 ERA.

Monday’s start was only his second in Houston as a Jay. Last year, he was roughed up for eight runs (seven earned) in 4 2/3 innings.

The only other place Gausman has started and never won is the Mets’ Citi Field, where he’s 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA in three outings.

Against Brown, who extended his scoreless-innings streak to 24, the four-run deficit was mountainous. Toronto’s only real threat in the game came in the second inning, which saw George Springer at third base with no one out after he singled and stole two bags. But Brown struck out Andrés Giménez and Alejandro Kirk before retiring Ernie Clement on a fly to right.

Schneider knew runs would be at a premium against Brown and said aggressive baserunning was in the game plan.

“That’s something we talked about with him, how he can be a little bit deliberate to the plate,” Schneider said. “I thought Georgie did a great job -- stealing second, yeah, but taking third as well. You’ve gotta try to take some chances against guys like that. … You have to capitalize on the mistakes that he does make, and tonight he didn’t make a lot.”

The Blue Jays managed only two other baserunners against Brown. They struck out nine times against him and got only four balls out of the infield during his seven innings.

If Gausman had one encouraging takeaway, it was with his slider.

“I kind of tweaked my slider this past bullpen,” he said. “Felt really good with it, so I thought I might have found something in that.”

He’ll get his next chance to hone it Sunday. Because of Toronto’s off-day Thursday, the Blue Jays will skip one rotation spot this week, setting Gausman up to throw the weekend finale at Yankee Stadium.