Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman works against the Tampa Bay Rays during first inning American League MLB baseball action in Toronto on Thursday, May 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO - From game to game Kevin Gausman isn't sure how his splitter is going to work and that's a big problem for the Toronto Blue Jays starter.

Gausman gave up six runs on 10 hits as Toronto fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 on Thursday afternoon. The 34-year-old said that he struggled with consistency around the breaking ball that is key to setting up his four-seam fastball.

"That's the frustrating thing, it's been different just about every start," said Gausman outside the Blue Jays clubhouse. "So if I feel like I have it locked in the next start, I'm back to figuring out what it is like for that given day.

"That's been really frustrating. But I do feel like I'm on the right track when it comes to that pitch."

A splitter has all of the appearances of a fastball as it approaches the hitter but suddenly drops just before it gets to the plate. Some games this season that's exactly what will happen for Gausman, sometimes it won't break, hanging out over the plate like a slower fastball.

"I'm fighting to find that consistent split that goes straight down right now," said Gausman. "I'm either throwing ones that fade a lot with a lot of horizontal movement, but not too much vertical. 

"I need to find a way to make that pitch, you know, the weapon that it has been."

Gausman (3-4) did strike out six over 5 2/3 innings, but gave up three home runs, the most homers he'd given up in a game all season and first dinger he'd allowed since April 15 when he allowed two homers in a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. 

It matched the most homers he gave up in a single game last season, when he allowed three in a 7-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on June 3.

None of the home runs Gausman gave up came on a splitter — two came on four-seam fastballs and one came on a slider — but Gausman said his splitter's inconsistency meant he couldn't rely on it to set up his other pitches.

"I have to get better. It's as simple as that, I need to find a way to get back to being who I am," said Gausman, whose earned-run average rose from 3.97 to 4.59 in the outing. "That's being on the attack and throwing fastballs that are going to carry the zone and splits that are going to carry the zone and not allowing them to get me into corners, where they can sit on certain pitches."

Toronto manager John Schneider had a more rosy assessment of Gausman's game.

"He had really good stuff," said Schneider. "Seemed like they were really aggressive on fastballs and covering up and down too. 

"So a weird one, but I thought it was probably his best fastball all year and they took some good swings when he left some pitches in the middle."

URENA SCHEDULE — Recently acquired right-hander Jose Urena pitched one inning of relief in the loss, giving up a two-run homer to Brandon Lowe. Schneider said that Urena is still scheduled to start for Toronto on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers.

"He probably had about 30, 35 pitches today, and he'll definitely be ready for Saturday in some capacity," said Schneider.

Urena signed a one-year, major-league contract with the Blue Jays on May 5.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025