Kevin Gausman turned in his best start since joining the Chicago Cubs, going seven scoreless innings in a 7-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday night.
The former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander allowed just three hits and one walk with six strikeouts in the outing as the Cubs improved to 3-1 in games he’s started. His seven innings were tied for a season-high.
It was also a significant bounce-back effort from his outing last week when he was forced out of the game in the fifth inning because of hand cramps. The outing before that, Gausman was lit up for six earned runs in 4.2 innings.
His ERA with the Cubs now stands at 4.30 in four starts. He has a 4.37 ERA for the season.
The Blue Jays dealt the 35-year-old to the Cubs earlier this month in exchange for outfielder Brett Bateman and infield prospect Ty Southisene. Gausman is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season.
At the time of the trade, the Blue Jays were eight games under .500, while the Cubs were in the thick of the playoff race in the National League. Chicago now sits 20 games over .500 at 76-56 in the top wild-card spot in the National League.
“The sky is the limit,” Gausman said via Jesse Borek of MLB.com. “This defence, this offence, the pitchers that we have here – it’s a really great team.”
