Benches, bullpens clear at game between Royals, Jays

With easily the most potent offense in all of baseball, the Blue Jays still find themselves only one game over. That the Blue Jays had somehow laid down a marker looking ahead to the Fall; that a dugout-clearing incident sparked when Sanchez’s 2-0 pitch kissed Escobar on the knee was somehow a sign of a new resolve stemming from Alex Anthopoulos’ bossing of the non-waiver trade deadline.

“I think they’re used to pushing people around”, Dickey said of the Royals.

Volquez got through six innings, and when Kansas City reliever Ryan Madson hit shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the forearm in the seventh, the Blue Jays thought he should have been gone.

Volquez didn’t mince words when asked whether Donaldson overreacted to being hit and to a pair of later pitches that were up and in.

Volquez said Donaldson was “crying like a baby”, and added: “He got mad at everybody like he’s Barry Bonds”. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons intervened and was ejected. Then, after striking out Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista hit a ground rule double that scored Goins and give Toronto a 3-0 lead. Aaron Sanchez later threw at Alcides Escobar in apparent retaliation.

Much to the dismay of the Blue Jays, Wolf ejected Sanchez.

The Blue Jays’ most impressive showing came Sunday in front of a raucous crowd of 45,736 and in what Colabello called a “playoff atmosphere”.

Trouble was, at least as far as the Blue Jays were concerned, Wolf never saw fit to punish the Royals when the trend continued later in the game. Bautista took exception to some comments by Royals manager Ned Yost.

Outside of the comical excuse for an umpiring crew, I think we should hesitate to label a “right” or “wrong” in this game.

CINCINNATI – Charlie Morton pitched seven shutout innings and Neil Walker hit a solo home run, lifting Pittsburgh over Cincinnati to earn a split.

“He hit a lot of homers in the first couple games, and he pimped, and did everything he does”, Volquez said. “Sometimes when you get balls that close, sometimes you’ve got to say, ‘The hell with it, I’m exhausted of watching it, ‘ things like that….”

Roberto Osuna replaced Sanchez on the mound, and Zobrist hit his home run off him. Osuna got the three outs in the ninth to earn his seventh save of the season. “I’m among the league leaders in hit batters”, said Dickey.

Carrera had three hits in Friday’s 7-6, 11-inning win over Kansas City, raising his average to.279. He also posted victories over the New York Yankees and Minnesota in that run, from August 26 to September 2, 2013. Tulowitzki went 2-for-5 in his third game with Toronto. In the fourth, Kevin Pillar’s RBI single tied the score at three. Edwin Encarnacion led off with a single and Colabello followed with a drive to left, his 10th. I was trying to go backdoor slider and it kind of ended up in the middle of the plate, right in the swing path. It was a bad pitch in that situation.

This season Valencia has logged time at first, second, third, left, and right, though he was exclusively a third baseman up until a year or so ago.

Valencia was a productive offensive player for the Blue Jays, batting.

I know you’re going to be stunned by this, but the benches cleared in today’s Royals game. LHP Danny Duffy (4-5, 4.28 ERA) faces RHP Justin Verlander (1-3, 4.86 ERA) in the opener. He has not allowed a home run over his last four starts, something he hasn’t done since his Cy Young Award season in 2012. Santana is 6-6 with a 3.66 ERA and 82 strikeouts in his career against the Blue Jays.