Home runs and bunts abound as Jays defeat Royals 6-2

In a game that saw a bevy of bunts, a home run was the difference as the Blue Jays defeated the Royals 6-2 on Saturday afternoon.

Kansas City opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Alcides Escobar hit a ground rule double to center field to open the home half of the inning. Mike Moustakas then sacrificed Escobar to third on a bunt, who came home on a groundout by Kendrys Morales.

The Royals also threatened in the second. Alex Rios was hit by a pitch, and Omar Infante reached on an infield single that dropped into the no man's land behind the pitcher's mound. Paulo Orlando then sacrificed the runners over, but surprisingly, Drew Butera and Jarrod Dyson could not capitalize off of the left-handed Buehrle. Actually no. What's the opposite of surprising? Predictable.

Toronto themselves decided to play small ball, dropping down a pair of bunts against Chris Young who, as you might expect from a 6' 10" man, fields about as well as a spruce pine.

Edwin Encarnacion gave the Jays the lead with a two-run home run in the fourth, which was both heat- and wind-aided, as it managed to sneak over the left field wall into the bullpen. Jose Reyes in particular took advantage of the lumbering tree and Drew Butera battery, going 3-for-4 on the day with a double, a walk, and three stolen bases. He also extended the Jays lead on an RBI infield single in the seventh.

Mark Buehrle was vintage today, pitching seven innings in a little over ninety minutes, yielding two runs on five hits with no walks and two strikeouts. More so than sinkerball pitchers, changeups, and small ballparks, left-handed pitch-to-contact guys are the Royals kryptonite.

Chris Young pitched well for a giant on short rest, throwing 93 pitches and throwing into the seventh. He yielded three runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

The flip side of HDH was in full effect, as Finnegan and the Bag Pipes wobbled through the latter third of the game, resulting in a mild tinnitus. Franklin Morales was only able to record one out, giving up two hits and allowing an inherited runner to score. Ryan Madson was great, because of course he was. He recorded the final two outs of the seventh. Luke Hochevar walked two in the eighth, but wriggled out of it.

Brandon Finnegan came on in the ninth to try and keep the lead at one, and continued his curious pattern of loathsome performance this season, giving up four hits and a walk, including a three-run home run to former Royal Danny Valencia to extend the Jays lead to 6-2.

The Royals will try and win the series in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon, as Edinson Volquez (8-4, 3.40 ERA) will face off against Felix Doubront (1-0, 2.00 ERA), which is at least a 65 Grade in terms of name matchups.