KANSAS CITY
Chris Rusin Jersey , Mo. (AP) — While the Kansas City Royals overcame the weather, Toronto Blue Jays starter Sam Gaviglio was unable to overcome a
fourth-inning balk.Lucas Duda homered, Rosell Herrera had three hits and the
Royals beat the Blue Jays 6-2 after a long rain delay Thursday night to split
their four-game series.Royals relievers Brian Flynn, Kevin McCarthy, Brandon
Maurer and Wily Peralta shut down Toronto on three hits over the final five
innings. Flynn (3-3) picked up the win with a scoreless inning.“Difficult
circumstances, really,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. “Long wait, waiting
out the rain. We weren’t sure we were going to play. It just kept building up,
building up and then it started dying down. I wasn’t sure what was going to
happen.“The bullpen did a good job of holding the fort and a good job by our
hitters with four two-out hits to give us the lead.”Kansas City took the lead
with a three-run fourth highlighted by Jorge Bonifacio’s RBI triple.Gaviglio
(2-6) failed to make it through five innings for the eighth time in his past 13
starts. He allowed five runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.The right-hander
came unraveled after a balk call and a delay of more than five minutes in the
fourth. He attempted a pickoff throw, but the ball slipped out of his hand.
After the umpires huddled, Herrera was awarded second base. There was also a
replay review to confirm the balk, which took 4 minutes, 1 second.Following the
long delay, Gaviglio yielded three straight run-producing hits.“I thought it was
a balk, from my point of view,” Gaviglio said.He said the delay did not cause
him problems.“I just kind of got a little up in the zone, didn’t make very good
pitches,” Gaviglio said.Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Gaviglio is unable
to get away with elevated pitches.“He’s been getting hit around a little bit
lately, primarily because he gets a lot of pitches up in the zone,” Gibbons
said. “That’s not his style.
