Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman navigated through the end of his longest start of this young season Thursday night relying on the pitch that got him that far.
An aggressive Blue Jays lineup desperate to break out of the club’s worst start in franchise history helped. But the Orioles’ 2-1 victory over Toronto at Rogers Centre was dictated by Gausman’s ability to maneuver out of trouble using his mid-90s fastball.
Gausman’s results over his first two starts were uneven, with both outings shortened because he got lost in deep counts.
But his best performance of the season was more like the Gausman that emerged in the second half of last season, mainly because he was able to set the tone early with quick innings.