In possibly his final start for Toronto, Kevin Gausman allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings as the Blue Jays defeated the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Saturday to clinch the three-game series.
Gausman (5-10), a pending free agent who may be dealt by the trade deadline on Monday, scattered nine hits, walked one and struck out four.
George Springer had two hits and two RBIs for the Blue Jays, who have won three in a row. Alejandro Kirk added a two-run single.
Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker and Blaze Jordan each had two hits for the Cardinals, who lost their third straight despite outhitting Toronto 11-9. St. Louis was 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11.
Gausman survived three singles in the third with the help of a double play grounder.
The Blue Jays scored once in third against Quinn Mathews (0-1), who was making his major league debut. Davis Schneider led off with a walk, took second on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s one-out single to right and scored on Springer’s two-out single past shortstop Masyn Winn.
Toronto took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Ernie Clement singled to lead off and took third on a double by Myles Straw on a drive that popped out of the glove of diving center fielder Nathan Church approaching the warning track. With one out, Luis Urias lofted a sacrifice fly to center.
The Cardinals scored their only run in the sixth. Ivan Herrera doubled to left-center and scored on Winn’s one-out double to right-center. After Church grounded out, Gausman left to a long standing ovation and Braydon Fisher took over.
Mathews was replaced by Luis Gastelum after Daulton Varsho’s bunt single opened the sixth. Matthews allowed two runs, six hits and three walks with three strikeouts in five-plus innings.
Toronto stretched the lead to 5-1 in the seventh.
Gastelum plunked pinch hitter Andres Gimenez, Guerrero followed with an infield hit to shortstop and Springer sliced a double to the right field corner past a diving Walker. Peter Strzelecki came in and gave up Kirk’s two-run single to right.
