Kevin Gausman throws 8 innings of 2-hit ball, Blue Jays beat Guardians 6-0

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Gausman threw eight innings of two-hit ball, Alejandro Kirk and Nathan Lukes drove in two runs apiece and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0 on Thursday to win the three-game series.

Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left the game in the third inning after being hit by a 96 mph fastball from Guardians starter Tanner Bibee. X-rays came back negative, and the team said Guerrero sustained a forearm contusion.

Gausman (6-6) gave up one walk on 104 pitches with six strikeouts and reliever Chad Green finished the Guardians’ fifth shutout of the season.

Addison Barger led off the ninth with a single, Ernie Clement and Jonatan Clase each drew a walk to load the bases with one out and pinch-hitter Kirk’s single scored Barger and Clement. Clase scored on a throwing error by left fielder Steven Kwan, one of four by Cleveland.

Kwan hit in a double in the first for the Guardians, whose only other hit was single by Kyle Manzardo in the fourth.

Bibee (4-8) gave up three hits and two runs in six innings.

José Ramirez hit a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning on Wednesday to lift Cleveland to 5-4 win after George Springer’s grand slam gave Toronto a 10-6 victory on Tuesday.

Key moment

Clase led off the third with a single, Tyler Heineman was hit by a pitch and Myles Straw laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached on a fielding error by Manzardo to load the bases with no outs. Lukes followed with a two-run single and Straw scored on another error by Manzardo, who bobbled a pickoff attempt, to give the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead.

Key stat

Manzardo committed three errors and Bibee threw two wild pitches in Toronto’s three-run third inning.

Up next

Toronto’s José Berríos (3-3, 3.51 ERA) takes the mound against Boston’s Brayan Bello (3-3, 3.21) on Friday and Cleveland’s Luis L. Ortiz (4-8, 4.30) pitches against St. Louis right-hander Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.72).

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