Kevin Gausman and Blue Jays get Royally spanked as Varland, France make Toronto debuts

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There was a buzz in the Rogers Centre on Friday night, one worthy of a first-place team ready to make a post trade deadline surge to further cement that status.

There was a full house for the opener of the Blue Jays three-game weekend series against the Kansas City Royals, an announced crowd of 41,492.

And there were three new acquisitions in the building, one of those in the starting lineup and another who would see some action.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, however, starter Kevin Gausman didn’t come armed with the good stuff that he’d brought in his two previous outings, shut down work in which he allowed just one run over 13 innings.

Instead, he allowed a two-run homer to Royals right fielder Mike Yastrzemski in the second inning and a three-run shot to Bobby Witt Jr. in the next frame.

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That sent the visitors out to a 5-1 lead to dull the mood for a team that has now dropped five of its previous six games, ultimately getting thumped 9-3 on a stellar (minus the baseball) August Toronto night.

With Royals starter Michael Wacha dealing, the Jays hitters were flummoxed for much of the night, held to just three hits off the righty through eight innings.

The lone bright spots for the Jays were a monster home run off the bat of first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr., a solo shot in the first inning that lifted the Jays to an early lead and a two-run garbage time belt from Addison Barger in the ninth.

It was an eventful pre-game for manager John Schneider, after the team finally admitted that George Springer had a concussion and the veteran was placed on the 7-day injured list.

Countering that, though, was the return of centre fielder Daulton Varsho following a 52-game stint on the injured list with a hamstring strain and the debuts of the new guys — first baseman Ty France and reliever Louis Varland.

Schneider didn’t waste any time deploying them, either. Varsho was back in his regular spot in centre field while France — despite an early-morning flight from Minnesota — made his Jays debut as the designated hitter and batting sixth in the order.

“It will definitely be adrenalin,” France said prior to the game. “There’s nothing like playing in front of a packed house and this environment is incredible. So, I’m excited.”

And Varland also got an opportunity to flash some of the stuff that could make him the sleeper of the deadline acquisitions made by general manager Ross Atkins. Varland tossed a clean seventh inning and looked impressive in doing so.

The Jays were certainly stymied by Wacha, who at one point retired 11 consecutive Toronto hitters.

Gausman, meanwhile, allowed six hits and five runs over his abbreviated six innings of work and clearly was displeased when he exited the game. The Jays surrendered four homers on the night.

The Jays, however, did not lose any ground in the AL East pennant race as the New York Yankees were stunned 13-12 by the host Miami Marlins on Friday night to remain 3.5 games behind the Jays.

Of note, those three accomplished bullpen arms acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline — David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird — combined to give up nine earned runs in 2.1 innings as the Marlins erased a 9-4 deficit in the seventh inning.