The Toronto Blue Jays will have a crucial part of their rotation when they open their wild-card series with the Seattle Mariners. Kevin Gausman exited his final regular-season start against the Boston Red Sox on October 2nd after throwing just three innings with a finger issue. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of the Canadian sports network Sportsnet, he will likely make the start in either Game 2 or Game 3 if it is necessary.
#BlueJays encouraged by Kevin Gausman's recovery per Ross Atkins. He's not locked in for a particular game vs. Mariners but remains a leading option for G2 or G3
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) October 6, 2022
Gausman has been Toronto’s second-best pitcher behind Alek Manoah this season. The former Baltimore Oriole went 12-10 with a 3.35 ERA to go along with 205 strikeouts in 174.2 innings. Manoah will get the ball in Friday’s opening game, and if Gausman is fully healthy, it would be a surprise not to see him start Game 2 on Saturday.
Over at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Jays are -158 moneyline favorites to take the wild card series over Seattle. They are also favored for Game 1, sitting at -132 on the moneyline.