The Boston Red Sox have looked nearly unstoppable in the month of June, but one kryptonite for their high-powered offense remains, and his name is Kevin Gausman.
The Blue Jays starter has proven to be a massive problem for the Red Sox since returning to the American League East this offseason. In three starts against the Red Sox this season, the right-hander is 2-0 with a 0.43 ERA, 15 hits allowed, 27 strikeouts and two walks in 21 innings. He's allowed two runs total, one of which was unearned.
In his latest dominant performance against Boston on Monday, Gausman pitch seven shutout innings with only four hits allowed, 10 strikeouts and a pair of walks. The Red Sox lost 7-2 as they countered Gausman with Connor Seabold, a spot starter who had a very strange outing.
"(Gausman) pounds the strike zone early on and then he expands and if you expand with him you're going to have nights like this," Cora told reporters following the defeat, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage.
With the Red Sox and Blue Jays separated by just a half game in the wild-card race, Gausman could get an opportunity to continue his dominance against Boston in the playoffs. Unlike Gerrit Cole, this might be an ace the Sox just hope to avoid.
