Ryan

Gusto

Gusto was lights out for five innings here. To that point, he’d scattered four hits and hadn’t let up a run. Then, the Cubs got two quick hits in the sixth, he was pulled, and Michael Petersen let both inherited runners score. Still, Gusto with his strong fastball and deep seven-pitch mix turned in another fine start here. Six of those seven forced a whiff and it’s a repertoire that could lead to a potential rotation spot down the line.

Pavin Smith and Gabriel Moreno homered for the runs, so the other six hits didn’t do any damage. Gusto, though, failed to complete five innings for the sixth time in his last eight starts. He’ll likely face the Cubs next week.

Gusto made it through the first two innings without much trouble, but in the third inning he would allow back-to-back runners to reach base, and saw Tommy Edman come home to score on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Tucker to put the Dodgers up 1-0. Gusto would make it through the next three innings without allowing a run, but was pulled at the start of the seventh inning in favor of Victor Vodnik. Friday’s outing was one of the better ones this season for Gusto, and marks just the second time that he pitched six-plus innings while allowing two earned runs or fewer. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday on the road against the Diamondbacks.

The 27-year-old right-hander also issued a pair of walks in the contest while punching out five opposing hitters. The Cubs got to him for three runs in the third inning, including a solo blast off the bat of Michael Conforto. They added on single runs in the fourth and fifth before chasing Gusto. He generated five whiffs on 100 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 25 percent. He’ll carry a 4.23 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 62/22 K/BB ratio (72 1/3 innings) into a tough matchup against the Dodgers on Friday.

Gusto gave up four hits, walked two and struck out four. The 27-year-old completed five innings in only two of his six starts in August, but still had an excellent month on the mound. Gusto had a 1.91 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings in August. He has a 3.86 ERA this year. Gusto is lined up to face the Cubs at home this weekend.

Gusto closed out what was an excellent month of August with another strong start here. His fastball led the charge, but he forced a whiff with five different pitches and multiple with three. The depth of his repertoire has shown up in a huge way over his last five starts where he has a 1.85 ERA, 19 strikeouts, and five walks over 24 1/3 innings. He’s lined up for a two-start week coming up against the Royals in Kansas City and then Cubs at home.

Gusto was solid in this one, keeping the Nationals off the board over four frames despite allowing six runners to reach base. The five hits Gusto allowed on the night were all singles, and in his final inning of work, he worked himself out of a jam with two runners on and only one out. Gusto hasn’t pitched out of the fifth inning in any of his last three starts and won’t be on the fantasy radar for his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Red Sox.

The unearned runs came in the third after an Esteury Ruiz error in right field opened the door for a two-run inning. The earned runs came on back-to-back homers from Ke’Bryan Hayes and Matt McLain in the fifth. Gusto walked none and had a nice 37 percent CSW. He’ll probably start against the Nationals next week.

Gusto struck out four and walked one in the 60-pitch outing. He’d gone over 75 pitches in each of his past two starts, but Miami limited him on Sunday afternoon. He stepped into the rotation when Max Meyer went on the IL shortly after the All-Star break, and he’ll likely stick for a while, given Braxton Garrett was traded at the deadline. Gusto doesn’t have much fantasy value, though, and his next start lines up in Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly ballpark.

The only run Gusto allowed was a solo homer to Ozzie Albies in the second inning. Outside of that blemish the 27-year-old pitched well with five strikeouts, one walk and just five hits allowed through the contest. He still has a 4.80 ERA on the season, but Gusto has looked better than that number suggests for much of the campaign. He has a friendly matchup coming up on paper Sunday in a scheduled bout against the Angels.