Kevin Gausman pitched five hitless innings before leaving the game due to tightness in his lower back. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit two solo home runs afterward, helping the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Texas Rangers 4-0 on Thursday and avoid a series sweep.
Texas managed only two singles against Gausman and four relief pitchers.
Gausman (13-11) struck out six batters, and the only baserunner he allowed was from a walk in the fifth inning. The 33-year-old right-hander, who threw 38 of his 58 pitches for strikes, mentioned he felt something odd in his back after his last warmup pitch before the first inning.
“I was happy to get through five,” Gausman said. “Yeah, weird day for me. I had a no-no going and I came out of the game, which is crazy. … With how bad I felt physically, I don’t know how I didn’t give up hits to be honest.”
Dillon Tate struck out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect sixth inning after Gausman informed manager John Schneider he was done. Génesis Cabrera then took over in the seventh, and Josh Smith hit the first pitch sharply into right-center for a hit, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.
“I had to make sure he knew he had a no-hitter going when he said he was good, and he did,” Schneider said. “His pitch count was good, and I thought his stuff was good. His splitter was probably the best it’s been in a while. Just didn’t want to take any chances with him with the way he’s feeling.”
Guerrero now has 30 home runs this season after hitting in the seventh and ninth innings. This was his first multi-homer game of the season and the 10th of his career.
The reigning World Series champions, the Rangers (73-80), have now been officially eliminated from the AL West race, falling 9.5 games behind the division-leading Houston Astros with only nine games left. They are also seven games back in the wild-card race.
Rangers rookie Kumar Rocker (0-1) struck out five batters, walked four, and hit a batter over three innings in his second career start. He was the Rangers’ first-round draft pick two years ago and allowed two runs (one earned) in what will be his only home appearance this season.
