Yoendrys Gómez gets another one-out save vs. Guardians

Straw was responsible for Toronto’s lone extra-base hit of the contest when he delivered an RBI double against Rangers starter Kumar Rocker in the fifth inning. The Blue Jays’ offense went silent at the worst possible time as Rocker along with relievers Tyler Alexander and Trevor Williams combined to allow just one run on five hits. Not great. The Blue Jays find themselves on the outside of the playoff race behind the White Sox and Rangers heading towards the final week of the season.

Williams needed just 49 pitches (34) strikes to navigate four nearly-flawless frames and close out the Blue Jays after Kumar Rocker and Tyler Alexander handled the opening five innings. The 34-year-old veteran latched on with the Rangers earlier this month after being cut loose by the Nationals. He’s posted a solid 2.89 ERA across 9 1/3 innings of work since September 1.

The Blue Jays really needed this game with Cease on the hill and a playoff spot within shouting distance, but it simply didn’t happen. The metaphorical floodgates opened up in the fourth inning after a throwing error by shortstop Ernie Clement led to three unearned runs crossing the plate before the frame was over. Cease finished with only three strikeouts and issued a season-high six walks in the ugly outing. He’ll close out the regular season with a road tilt against the division-rival Orioles on Wednesday.

Crews singled in the top half of the first inning and came around to score on a throwing error. He then crushed a 379-foot two-run blast off of Kyle Leahy in the third inning that increased the Nationals’ advantage to 5-0. For the season, the 24-year-old outfielder is now hitting .225/.291/.377 with 12 long balls, 42 RBI and nine swipes in 409 plate appearances.

Morales delivered a two-run double in the third inning that increased the Nationals’ early lead to 7-0. The 24-year-old is off to a terrific start to his MLB career, slashing .294/.294/.588 with two homers, six RBI and a stolen base in his first 34 plate appearances.

Cavalli piled up six strikeouts on the night while scattering just four hits — all singles — without walking a batter. The only real threat against him came in the second inning as the Cardinals started with a pair of singles, but Cavalli was able to escape without any damage being done. He got 11 swings and misses on 73 offerings on the night, registering an elite CSW of 37 percent. Now 13-5 on the season, he’ll bring an impressive 3,02 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 200/48 K/BB ratio (169 2/3 innings) into his final start of the season against the Tigers in Detroit on Wednesday.

Church led off the eighth inning with a double off of Jack Sinclair then came around to score on a ground ball off the bat of Ivan Herrera. That would be his only hit in three at-bats on the night and was the Cardinals’ only extra-base hit in the ballgame. For the season, the 26-year-old outfielder is slashing .252/.298/.373 with 10 homers, 50 RBI and 10 swipes in 444 plate appearances.

Leahy also issued three walks in the contest while recording only one strikeout. The Nationals got to him early and often in this one, scratching out three runs in the opening inning before piling on with four more including a two-run blast by Dylan Crews in the third. Leahy got just three swings and misses on 61 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of only 25 percent. He’ll try to finish the season strong as he carries a 3.65 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 129/41 K/BB ratio (138 innings) into Thursday’s battle against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.