Ty France from the Cincinnati Reds celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring during the sixth inning. He crossed home plate thanks to a double hit by Jake Fraley. This happened during an interleague game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, August 19, 2024, in Toronto. Photo credit: Chris Young, The Canadian Press.
TORONTO - The Cincinnati Reds surged past the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Monday night, kickstarting their three-game series with a win. The Reds' relentless approach at the plate led to Kevin Gausman’s early exit, as they fouled off 25 of his 100 pitches and forced him out of the game in the sixth inning. This aggressive strategy paid off, helping the Reds secure their 61st win of the season.
Toronto manager John Schneider remarked on the Reds' tactics, observing how they seemed to foul off half of Gausman’s pitches. Gausman himself noted the difficulty, describing his performance as having "sporadic command" and crediting the Reds for making him work hard with long at-bats. Despite normally finding success with foul balls, this time, Gausman found it frustrating as he struggled to get outs quickly, leading to extended counts and walks.
Before this game, Gausman had a strong streak with five consecutive wins. However, the Reds were determined to break that momentum. In the sixth inning, Gausman struck out Tyler Stevenson, but a passed ball allowed Stevenson to reach first base. TJ Friedl, who had earlier tied the game with a home run, followed with a single, marking the end of Gausman’s night.
Reliever Ryan Burr entered the game but struggled against the Reds’ hitters. Spencer Steer’s double led to a four-run outburst that put Cincinnati ahead for good. Steer's hit drove in the go-ahead run, followed by a two-run double from Ty France. Jake Fraley capped off the inning with another double, bringing in another run. Gausman’s final stat line showed five-plus innings, allowing four runs on five hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.
The Blue Jays' offence started strong, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smashing a 430-foot home run in the first inning, his 26th of the season. Santiago Espinal, a former Blue Jay, tied the game in the third inning after doubling, advancing on a balk, and scoring on Elly De La Cruz's sacrifice fly. Toronto briefly regained the lead in the bottom of the third when George Springer scored on a Daulton Varsho single, but the Reds’ sixth-inning surge proved to be too much to overcome.
The Blue Jays’ bats went quiet after the fourth inning, managing just two more hits—a double from Addison Barger in the seventh and a home run from Ernie Clement in the ninth. Rookie pitcher Julian Aguiar made his MLB debut for the Reds, lasting four innings before Tony Santillan came in and earned the win after retiring all four batters he faced.
On the Blue Jays' side, veteran pitcher Chris Bassitt shared his thoughts on the team's struggles this season. Bassitt pointed to their unsuccessful pursuit of Shohei Ohtani in free agency, noting that the team had invested heavily in trying to sign the superstar but failed to secure a backup plan. He emphasized the importance of having multiple elite players, citing successful teams that rely on more than one star.
Meanwhile, Toronto's Bowden Francis was honoured as the American League Player of the Week after winning both of his starts last week. Francis struck out 15 batters and allowed only four hits across 14 innings, showing his value to the team.
The Blue Jays also made a roster move, claiming pitcher Easton Lucas off waivers from the Detroit Tigers and sending him to Triple-A Buffalo. They also moved Alek Manoah to the 60-day injured list due to an elbow injury.
Looking ahead, Jose Berrios will take the mound for Toronto in the second game of the series against Cincinnati’s Carson Spiers.
