Early error haunts Gausman's quality start

Right-hander remains winless despite limiting powerful Jays to 3 runs

June 11th, 2016

TORONTO -- Kevin Gausman was frustrated by his inability to get a stop when it mattered most on Friday night as the O's fell to the Blue Jays, 4-3.
After Chris Davis' two-run home run put the Orioles up 3-2 in the top half of the sixth, Gausman surrendered a one-out double to Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak. Russell Martin followed it up with an RBI single tying the game at 3.
Edwin Encarnacion's walk-off home run in the 10th off reliever Brad Brach (5-1) halted Baltimore's (36-24) win streak at five games.
"Against that lineup, you've just got to make quality pitches, and when you have guys on base every inning, you kind of put yourself in a hole," Gausman said. "Even when you make good pitches, it kind of seems like they find a hole still.
"I was more upset about the fact, being the starting pitcher, when you get the lead, you are supposed to shut the door, especially that next inning."
The 25-year-old picked up the no-decision, and he's still searching for his first win of the season. Friday's outing, in which he allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out four, was Gausman's sixth quality start.
The right-hander got into trouble early. Ezequiel Carrera, starting in place of the injured Jose Bautista (right thigh tightness), led off the bottom half of the first with a bunt single.
Gausman made an errant throw to Davis on a pick-off attempt of Carrera at first, allowing the Blue Jays' right fielder to get to third on the error. Carrera later scored on a Josh Donaldson single.

"That's one of those things, you work on it as much as you can, and just a bad throw," Gausman said. "Spiked it right into the ground, and with the guy diving back to the base, it's tough for C.D. to even try to make a play on that. I got to be better at that.
"To start the game off like that, that's kind of the way my whole start went: Just kind of back up against the wall and trying to pitch out of jams."
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said making pickoff throws is an area his pitchers need to improve on going forward.
"Got off to a little tough start, the error, almost a third of our errors have been by our pitchers this year -- that's something we've got to get better [at], I think we've had five errors on throw overs," he said.
Then in the fourth, Blue Jays left fielder Michael Saunders took Gausman's 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall for his 10th home run of the season. The O's starter has now allowed home runs in back-to-back starts against Toronto. He has given up seven home runs in his last four starts.
Gausman has now thrown a career-high five straight games with at least 100 pitches. He gave up eight hits for only the third time this season. The Colorado native has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his five career starts against the Blue Jays.
"I felt like my last four starts have been not very efficient," said Gausman, who is 0-3 in 10 starts. "Not very quick, getting deep into counts -- you do that enough against good teams, they're going to make it hurt."