Gausman Returns to a Home Run Killer
Toronto's veteran righty finds a friendly ballpark against the club that once called him its ace.
Kevin Gausman took the mound at Oracle Park on Monday night for the first time as a visitor, starting for Toronto against his former team. The Blue Jays sent him out at 4-7 with a 4.19 ERA, a season defined by home run trouble. Oracle Park, the most pitcher-friendly yard in the majors, gave him a reprieve from that exact problem.
Neither club has October in the picture. Toronto sits 11.5 games back, San Francisco is a season-worst 21 out. That leaves the pitching matchup as the actual story of the series opener.
Gausman's biggest issue this year has been the long ball. Oracle Park, historically the toughest park in baseball for hitters to clear a fence, gives him a night off from that problem. It is the same marine layer and deep gaps that made him a Cy Young contender in a Giants uniform not long ago.
Roupp, at 5-8 with a 4.55 ERA, gives San Francisco a similarly shaky arm on the other side. Manager Tony Vitello, hired this offseason without prior pro coaching experience, continues piecing together a rotation that has leaned on matchups like this one to stay afloat down the stretch.