Gausman calls on Blue Jays for more 'urgency' in playoff push
Published
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman called on his team to have more urgency as they remain outside the playoff picture after a 7-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
Gausman was credited with the loss Wednesday after allowing just two runs on five hits over six innings of work. He dropped to 9-8 on the season despite sitting seventh in the American League with a 3.23 ERA.
"We’re just waiting for that big stretch. We’ve kind of been waiting for it all year. Is it going to happen? I don’t know," Gausman said after the loss. "I hope it does. I hope it starts tomorrow, but we can’t keep [waiting]. We’ve got to go now, and we need a little bit more sense of urgency"
The Blue Jays sit one game back of the Seattle Mariners for the final wild-card spot in the AL after owning a playoff position for most of the year. Toronto has gone 5-5 over the past 10 games, allowing the red-hot Mariners to catch and pass them.
"You want to be in this spot with a month left with an opportunity to punch a ticket and control your own destiny," Gausman added of the team's position. "We haven’t necessarily played great baseball all year, but we’re in a situation now where we’re right there and we’ve just got to keep going.”
The Blue Jays will have a chance to win their series against the Orioles on Thursday before opening up a six-game homestand against the Cleveland Guardians and Washington Nationals.
The Mariners are off Thursday ahead of opening a six-game homestand of their own against the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics.