Guardians pursue Gausman in 5th inning, handing Blue Jays second straight loss

Canadian Josh Naylor hit two singles and kicked a run as the Cleveland Guardians earned a 7-2 rubber game win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

The Guardians (61-53) won for the sixth time in seven games while the Blue Jays (61-52) won just twice in eight outings.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. saw his hitting streak end at 22 games as he went 0 for 4. He finished third with runners on first and second to finish the seventh inning in front of 41,002 fans at Rogers Center.

Cleveland’s tee shot limited the Blue Jays to just four runs in the three-game series as the Guardians outscored Toronto 16-4.

Shane Bieber (8-6) went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and six strikeouts.

Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (8-9) went 4 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts on 98 pitches. The Guardians scored a run in the first, second and fourth innings and two more in the fifth to end Gausman’s day.

Shortstop Amed Rosario hit a solo homer in the first. Receiver Austin Hedges singled in a run in the second and doubled in another in the fourth.

Naylor, of Mississauga, Ont., had a run in the fifth with a single to right field. Owen Miller doubled up in Cleveland’s fifth run later in the inning.

Cavan Biggio was in right field for Toronto and made a fantastic sliding catch, crashing into the side wall on Myles Straw in the sixth. But he misplayed doubles against Hedges in the fourth and Miller’s second in the fifth.

The Guardians hit reliever Trent Thornton for two runs in the ninth, thanks to RBI singles from Rosario and Jose Ramirez.

Updates from Stripling, Springer

Toronto right-hander Ross Stripling (5-3) will be activated Wednesday and start in place of struggling Jose Berrios in the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. Berrios will start against the Yankees in New York on Thursday.

Stripling (hip strain) pitched five shutout innings, allowing three hits in a rehab start with triple A Buffalo for a 3-1 win over Syracuse on Friday.

George Springer (right elbow) is eligible to be off the 10-day disabled list on Monday.

Next

The Blue Jays continue their six-day, six-game homestand with the three-game opener against the Orioles on Monday. Despite back-to-back losses to the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore is only a game and a half behind the Rays in the battle for the third and final wildcard spot in the American League.

The Orioles are 24-13 in their last 37 outings. Toronto left-hander Yusi Kikuchi (4-6) will face right-hander Kyle Bradish (1-4) in Game 1.