Gausman reaches 200 K’s in Blue Jays’ win over Nats

TORONTO — When things aren’t going well for the Blue Jays, Kevin Gausman tends to be the answer.

Gausman wasn’t at his best in Monday’s 6-3 win over the Nationals, but he held down Washington’s lineup while Toronto’s offense broke through, which must have felt refreshing for a pitcher plagued by scarce run support in 2023.

The right-hander struck out seven batters over five innings of three-run ball, becoming the first American League starter to reach 200 strikeouts this season. Gausman is just the third pitcher in Blue Jays history to record multiple seasons with 200 strikeouts, joining Roy Halladay (3) and Roger Clemens (2).

What he’s done in his first two seasons with the Blue Jays is nothing short of remarkable, and there’s still one month left to build his case for the AL Cy Young Award while Toronto battles for a spot in the postseason.

Monday’s win likely won’t budge the AL Wild Card standings, though, as the Rangers won and the Astros had a big lead over the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays stay 2 1/2 games back of those two clubs for the third and final Wild Card spot, and while they have the tiebreaker advantage over the Astros, they’ll need to take at least three of four from the Rangers later in September to earn that tiebreaker.