Perez opted to remain behind the plate but will be assessed ahead of Game Two in Kansas City on Saturday The Royals are seeking a quick return to the World Series after losing to the San Francisco Giants in seven games last season.
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The seventh started innocently with Ben Zobrist lifting a popup to shallow right field.
That wasn’t the case on Friday, as reliever LaTroy Hawkins was tagged for two runs in the eighth inning.
The Toronto Blue Jays need a win here or will be facing a ton of pressure heading back to Canada.
After Kendrys Morales swung through the next pitch, Kuntz thought the flawless time to run on Price had arrived. Does that sound like it would make sense that 31 pitches later the Royals would be leading 5-3? “Price is a tough pitcher”. So Toronto stuck with him.
One out later, Alex Gordon doubled home Moustakas to take the lead.
There is every reason to believe that David Price will be as effective in baseball’s second season as he has been in its first. As the innings progressed, the hulking exterior of the stadium cast a shadow across the diamond. And on an afternoon like Saturday, when the shadows are creeping and Price is dealing, you just never know. He lost his footing in the sixth.
“Hace frio, man!” Escobar said as he walked onto the field for batting practice.
The Royals almost tacked on insurance runs in the bottom of the inning, but great defense bailed the Jays out. That was the softest four-seam fastball Ventura threw all inning. “So the plan is to see it away, let it get a little deeper and take it up the middle or the other way”.
“He was obviously really good”, said Tulowitzki.
Now, for his Toronto Blue Jays, would be an excellent time to prove it. Catcher Russell Martin rifled a line drive bound for the outfield. His front leg jerks in the air, his left arm whips and the ball appears to come from nowhere. Jeurys Familia finished for the save, with Murphy making a diving stop at second base for the final out.
Ventura could not find similar acrobatics behind him in the third. Alex Gordon doubled. Alex Rios singled. Luke Hochevar was summoned with one out and the bases full, and retired Kevin Pillar and Goins on five pitches, keeping the ball in the infield. As Hosmer took off, Morales hit what would have been a routine groundball double play.
Toronto entrusted the lead to Price. The Jays already trailed 2-0 and came back in the last round of the playoffs.
“Hopefully he can go”, manager John Gibbons said. He allowed just four hits, but two of those hits were home runs, and pretty big shots at that. He gave up a leadoff single to Escobar and then proceeded to devastate the Royals. If he paints three pitches in all I can do is tip my hat to him. Edwin Encarnacion struck out for the first out of the frame. But, in the sixth, the Jays mounted a serious threat when Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista drew back-to-back walks to open the frame. Ryan Madson then followed the single up by walking Bautista, and the Jays looked to be in business.
The next hitter, Moustakes, laced a single to right. As the ball descended, it connected with a wire stringing up the protective netting. But something amusing happened in the bullpen: Volquez felt very comfortable throwing to his glove side, and he conferred with catcher Salvador Perez on the walk into the dugout and suggested it might be wise to stray from the script.
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The former Cy Young victor has a shaky playoff record, and wasn’t particularly good in his start against the Rangers.
