Gausman’s final line showed 10 hits, two walks and four strikeouts on 99 pitches (67 strikes).
Things immediately went Texas’s way on Thursday, as Rangers leadoff hitter Joc Pederson battled Gausman for 10 pitches to open the contest before launching the 11th pitch of the at-bat over the right-field wall for a solo blast.
While Gausman responded with a scoreless second, the Rangers added on in the third with a pair of multi-run homers.
First, it was Wyatt Langford, who crushed an 85.8-m.p.h. slider from Gausman out to left-centre with two runners on to take a 4-0 lead. Three batters later, Jake Burger followed with a two-run blast of his own on a hanging splitter to grow the lead further.
Texas threatened once again in the fourth, loading the bases with one out, but Gausman got Langford and Corey Seager to pop out on the infield to escape the jam.
Despite the early struggles, Gausman saved Toronto’s bullpen by coming back out to put up zeroes in the fifth and sixth innings before giving way to Simeon Woods-Richardson.
The 35-year-old Gausman entered Thursday’s game with a 7.20 ERA over his four starts in June, having surrendered 18 hits, 16 runs and five homers in 20 innings. He allowed fewer than four runs just once, when he dominated the New York Yankees on June 13.
For the season, the 14-year MLB veteran now has a 4.36 ERA over 17 starts and 95 frames for the Blue Jays.
Gausman is in the final year of a $110-million deal that he signed with Toronto ahead of the 2022 season.