Blue Jays, Royals stick with same 25-man rosters for ALCS

So many games this postseason have become a battle of bullpens, and the ALCS between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Kansas City Royals is primed to follow that trend.

Toronto’s Troy Tulowitzki noticed something different about Royals starter Edinson Volquez when he dug in for his first at-bat of the American League Championship Series.

In the seventh, Royals reliever Ryan Madson hit Tulowitzki on the arm.

Heitman likes Kansas City’s odds against Toronto.

The only baserunners that the Royals’ Edinson Volquez has allowed came when Jose Bautista walked in the first inning and Kevin Pillar walked in the third.

Volquez normally pitches in the low 90s, but his fastball was nipping at 96 miles per hour on Friday night. “And right now so much is at stake”, Toronto manager John Gibbons said prior to Game 1 at Kauffman Stadium on Friday.

“It was hard for me to get the ball down today”, he said.

Volquez (1-1) struck out five and walked four in a 111-pitch performance highlighted by a memorable sixth inning. As the fates would have it, he will start Game 1 of the ALCS against Toronto’s Marco Estrada.

“Ben Zobrist #18 of the Kansas City Royals, Alcides Escobar #2 of the Kansas City Royals, Kendrys Morales #25 of the Kansas City Royals, and Eric Hosmer #35 of the Kansas City Royals celebrate defeating the Houston Astros 7-2 in game five of the American League Divison Series at Kauffman Stadium on October 14, 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri”.

Volquez ramped up his fastball to 97 miles per hour to slice through a potent offense, never allowing a runner past second over six innings. “It’s less pressure for everybody, I think”.

Price said virtually the same thing in the aftermath of Toronto’s series-clinching win over Texas on Wednesday.

Gibbons said he harbors no ill will over their time together.

“It was long inning”, Volquez said. Alex Gordon led off with a double, Escobar sent an RBI double down the right-field line, and Cain’s two-out single helped Kansas City – so accustomed to playing from behind – to a 2-0 lead.

Perez hit his third homer of the postseason on the first pitch he saw in the fourth.

The Blue Jays were under.

But he said his team will not shy away from pitching inside to the risky Toronto lineup.

Asked how he will handle Donaldson, he said simply: “He’s a great hitter”.

She says the Jays can afford to lose this one, but her friend Dan Hordyk tells her not to give up just yet.

Cain extended his post-season hit streak to 10 games, one off the franchise record (Amos Otis, 1978-80).