Waguespack caps 2019 with 6 shutout frames 

TORONTO -- Heading into his final start of the season for the Blue Jays, Jacob Waguespack had already begun thinking about what he wanted to work on through the offseason months, preparing to capitalize on what he’d gleaned from his first stint in the Majors in order to find further success.

One of the biggest aspects of his game that the 25-year-old right-hander was looking to improve was his ability to finish hitters off in situations when he had two strikes or two outs in an inning. Waguespack was ahead of the improvement game on Wednesday, shutting out the Orioles for six innings in the 3-2 victory at Rogers Centre, allowing only two two-out hits and one walk with two strikes.

• Box score

“It was a gutsy performance,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “Because he didn’t have his good stuff. He was throwing 88, 89 [mph] but his secondary stuff was good, so that’s how he found a way to go six innings, which is what we needed. He was outstanding. ... We needed six today, and he gave it to us. He was great.”

Added Waguespack: “I didn’t think I had my best stuff either, but [catcher Luke Maile] and I were on the same page all night, and that’s really what helped me out. I thought I made pitches when I had to. The couple of batters that I fell behind to, I thought I came back with a decent pitch after that and that was a big help.”

Heading into the series finale against Baltimore, the 6-foot-6, 235-pound hurler had allowed 26 of his 71 hits with two strikes, with a batting average on balls in play of .276 in that scenario. With two outs, Waguespack had also allowed a slash line of .302/.385/.635 with seven homers, seven doubles and two triples, with hitters going 29-for-96.

On Wednesday, Waguespack used a five-pitch mix to keep the Orioles off-balance, with an especially effective changeup, according to Statcast. Going to the pitch 10 times, the rookie pitcher threw eight for strikes, including four whiffs.

"[Waguespack] pitched really well,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “He elevates. He has a sneaky fastball at the top of the zone. He has some nice offspeed stuff to go with it underneath. Throws strikes. Did a good job of changing eye levels on us. We had our chances late in the game but didn’t quite get the big hit."

Added O's designated hitter Trey Mancini: "Not many of us had faced him before, and he did a really good job locating and mixing his pitches. You never really knew what he was going to throw. He wasn’t afraid to throw anything in any count. His fastball said 89 to 90 [mph] on the board, but it seemed a lot harder, and he hit his spots really well there."

The righty allowed four hits, walked two and struck out five, and was most excited about being able to offer the bullpen a little bit of relief, throwing six frames after the relievers had been responsible for 20 innings in the first two games of the series.

“I’m pleased that I can go out there and get outs and still give our team a chance to win,” Waguespack said. “That was mainly my goal going in. Our bullpen has been taxed and exhausted over the past couple days, so I really wanted to go out and give our team a chance to win and really save our bullpen.”

The righty lowered his season ERA to 4.38 with the outing, finishing his season with 78 Major League innings under his belt during what he felt was an experience to learn from.

“I have high expectations for myself, and my coaches and people around me know that, so I always think I can do better,” Waguespack said. “I thought I held my own out there and showed some good things and also showed some room for improvement, so I’m excited to go into the offseason and work on those things.”

Waguespack was backed by the long ball in his fifth win of the season, with two home runs from Rowdy Tellez and a leadoff shot from Billy McKinney in the affair, the first leadoff homer of McKinney's career.

Tellez’s first homer was his 20th of the season -- he also hit seven in his 26 games at Triple-A Buffalo -- making him the fifth Blue Jays player to reach the milestone this year. The 24-year-old first baseman notched his third career multi-homer game when he went yard again just one at-bat later.

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“It’s pretty special,” Tellez said of hitting his 20th. “One of those things that a lot of people dream of and work hard to do, but I couldn’t be more grateful to be in the position I am, with the organization I’m with, and everybody who’s gotten me to this point.”