PHOENIX – For the better part of the past four and a half years, Kevin Gausman has pitched like a bona fide ace for the Blue Jays. A World Series-tested veteran, the 35-year-old brings both moxie and a nasty fastball/splitter mix to the top of the Cubs’ rotation – both of which he displayed in a dominant outing Monday.
Gausman was in top form during start No. 4 in Cubbie blue, twirling seven scoreless frames with six strikeouts during a dominant 7-0 win over the D-backs at Chase Field. Working with veteran catcher Carson Kelly – who slugged a solo homer and delivered three successful ABS challenge overturns from behind the dish – for just the second time, the tandem flummoxed an offense that entered the night with the second-highest OPS (.794) in the National League (behind only the Cubs’ .814) during August.
The right-hander’s seven frames tied a season high while marking his third scoreless outing of the year. He turned to his four-seam fastball for 62 of his 94 pitches – 66 percent, a season-best percentage – with an increased frequency, registering a career-high 24 called strikes on the offering, including four strikeouts. Scattering three hits and a walk, the only time the D-backs had a runner in scoring position was when Corbin Carroll stole his way there.
A day removed from setting the single-game franchise record with 15 runs scored with two outs in an inning, the Cubs were back at it Monday. Each of their first five runs came with two down in the frame – a Pedro Ramírez RBI triple in the second, a Seiya Suzuki RBI double in the fifth and back-to-back moonshots from Michael Conforto (110.9 mph, 431 feet) and Kelly in the sixth.
The Cubs’ offense continues to pace the Majors in a host of categories, including scoring with two outs – following Monday’s barrage, they sit atop the heap with 274 runs scored in such scenarios.