Blue Jays 6, Pirates 2: Gausman Fans Eight as Springer and Pinango Spark Toronto

The lead

May 22, 2026 - Toronto - Kevin Gausman pitched into the seventh inning, Yohendrick Pinango and George Springer had two-run doubles, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 on Friday night for their third straight victory, per the Associated Press recap on CBS Sports.

A near-sellout crowd of 39,839 saw Gausman settle in after Spencer Horwitz's first-inning sacrifice fly and provide length a day after Toronto used five relievers in New York.

How the game turned

Pittsburgh struck first when Horwitz drove in Brandon Lowe with a deep fly to center in the first. A Horwitz throwing error in the third set up Toronto's three-run frame—Springer scored on the miscue, Pinango doubled in two runs, and the Blue Jays led 3-1.

Bubba Chandler (1-6) struck out 11 over five innings but allowed three runs—only one earned—on 99 pitches. Gausman (4-3) allowed six hits, one walk, and fanned eight over 6⅔ frames; Mason Fluharty needed one pitch to retire Oneil Cruz with two on in the seventh.

Toronto added three in the eighth on Jesús Sánchez's RBI double and Springer's ground-rule double. Louis Varland worked two innings for his seventh save, stranding the tying run at third when Jhostynxon Garcia grounded out in the eighth.

Pitching and matchup notes

Gausman lowered his ERA to 3.23 and recorded his seventh quality start in 11 outings—21.66 pitching FP in AthX Engine for the night. Chandler's 17 pitching FP led Pittsburgh despite the loss.

AthX Engine graded Toronto at 13 team FP with the starter carrying most of the fantasy weight.

Bats that changed the board

Pinango's third-inning double was the pivot after a quiet two-game stretch in the Bronx; Springer's eighth-inning double sealed a win built more on pitching and timely contact than volume hitting—Toronto managed five hits total.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

An 8-K, 6⅔-inning line grades as 21.66 pitching FP in AthX Engine—enough to rank fourth among arms on a 14-game slate even without a shutout. That daily score is not the same as marketplace dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Toronto improved to 24-27; Pittsburgh fell to 26-25 and has lost five of seven. Paul Skenes was listed for Saturday against the Blue Jays, per AP's probables.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, MLB gameday wrap, CBS Sports recap, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*