Gausman’s June struggles continue as Diamondbacks beat Blue Jays to deny sweep

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws to an Arizona Diamondbacks batter in first inning MLB baseball action in Toronto, Thursday, June 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching depth is teetering — which makes it a bad time for one of their most reliable starters to be struggling.

Kevin Gausman allowed seven earned runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Blue Jays fell 9-5 against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, denying their sixth sweep of the season.

“I feel like everybody kind of did their job this series and I just didn’t,” Gausman said. “We’re playing really good right now and going for a sweep today and I go out there and do that. So I’m pretty frustrated.”

The 34-year-old gave up seven hits and three walks as his record dropped to 5-6. Manager John Schneider pulled him after he hit Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., with a pitch to load the bases with one out in the fifth inning.

Both Schneider and Gausman pointed to the righty’s command as the root of his recent struggles.

“When he’s good, he’s on the attack, he’s getting ahead of you and then he’s kind of dominating those 1-1 counts. And that hasn’t been the case,” Schneider said.

Gausman has walked 12 batters in 20 June innings compared to one in 31 innings in May. He’s now allowed 17 earned runs through 20 innings over four starts this month, a rough follow-up to a sterling May in which he went 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA.

He said strike percentage has been “the story” of his season.

“June’s been really ugly for me and so I need to take a deep look and figure some things out and get better. I feel like if I can get back to who I am, I think that’s the next step for this team and I hope to be a big part of it and right now I feel like I’m not doing my end,” Gausman said.

Catcher Alejandro Kirk blasted two solo home runs for Toronto (40-34), which had won the first two of the three-game interleague series. Centre fielder Jonatan Clase also added a solo shot.

The Blue Jays sit in the second wild-card position in the American League, one game back of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Diamondbacks (37-37) climbed to .500 with the win.

Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez and Pavin Smith combined for two home runs and seven RBIs in the victory, with the slugging Suarez — who ended the game a triple away from the cycle — especially proving to be a thorn in Gausman’s side.

“He had a plan going in obviously and I think I kind of fed right into his plan just about every at-bat,” Gausman said.

The Rogers Centre roof opened about 20 minutes before the game, and Schneider mentioned windy conditions — with gusts up to 32 kilometres per hour at first pitch — as a factor in Gausman’s outing.

“I’ve pitched plenty of games windy and I kinda need to make that adjustment,” Gausman said. “My split was moving a lot today, but I just couldn’t make that adjustment to figure out how to throw it for a strike and then how to throw it for a ball.”

Gausman’s next start is likely to come next week against the Cleveland Guardians, whose 277 runs entering Thursday were fourth fewest in the American League.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays continue to face other questions in their rotation.

After the game, Toronto announced that right-hander Spencer Turnbull would start Friday’s series opener against the Chicago White Sox. The spot would have belonged to Bowden Francis, who was recently placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder impingement.

Turnbull, who signed with the Blue Jays in May, has made two relief appearances for the club, allowing seven hits and one earned run in 4.1 innings.

Eric Lauer, who started and pitched five strong innings in a win Wednesday, has bounced between relief, starting and bulk roles with the team but could round out the rotation — along with Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios — for the time being.

Elsewhere, Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, made his second rehab start with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Wednesday. His next game action could come at the major-league level.

Trey Yesavage, the Blue Jays’ first-round pick one year ago, recently moved up to double-A and was tied for the minor-league lead with 96 strikeouts through Wednesday’s action.

But Scherzer, who has pitched three MLB innings this season, and Yesavage, whose next MLB pitch will be his first, remain mysteries to an extent.

And so the urgency for Gausman to regain control of the strike zone and rediscover his May form is apparent.

“(Gausman’s) elite when he’s ahead in counts, and I think just not getting there has been tough for him,” Schneider said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.

By Myles Dichter, The Canadian Press