Gotta See It: Maple Leafs’ Knies goes upstairs to beat Ullmark on breakaway

Watch as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies breaks loose into the open ice before roofing a shot past Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark to tie Game 4 at 2-2.

NEW YORK — A doubleheader Sunday against the New York Yankees after Saturday’s weather postponement will allow Kevin Gausman to start on an extra day of rest while not substantially disrupting the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching plans.

Gausman, who’ll pitch the opener in the traditional twin-bill, was due to start for the second time this season on a normal turn, sacrificing an extra day of rest with the fifth spot being skipped after Easton Lucas’ demotion. 

Now, Chris Bassitt, slated to start the second game, will be the only Blue Jays starter to lose the extra day through this turn of the rotation, starting for the second time this season on normal rest.

With no timeline to return for Max Scherzer, who threw 27 pitches off a mound Friday, the Blue Jays were still working through their plans to cover the rotation’s vacant fifth spot, which next comes up Wednesday at home against the Boston Red Sox. Bowden Francis starts the opener of that series with Jose Berrios set for Thursday’s finale, both with the benefit of an extra day.

Paxton Schultz — who hasn’t pitched since debuting with 4.1 shutout innings and eight strikeouts behind a shaky Lucas last Sunday — is one option for that outing, possibly as part of some type of piggyback plan. 

Veteran lefty Eric Lauer, who threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts for triple-A Buffalo against Rochester on Thursday, would be on turn for that day, while Jake Bloss, who’s on the 40-man roster and is slated to start Sunday for the Bisons, is coming off a 4.2-shutout inning, seven-strikeout outing after four shaky starts.

Whichever way the Blue Jays fill that gap, Gausman pitches on normal rest May 2 in the opener of a three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians, followed by Bassitt on an extra day and Francis on normal rest.

Another off-day May 5 gives the Blue Jays an opportunity to again skip the fifth spot and push the opening to May 10, but that would require everyone in the rotation to take a turn