Royals, Blue Jays stick with conventional lineups for opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The latest on the American League Championship Series between the Blue Jays and Royals, which began Friday night in Kansas City (all times local):

6:05 p.m.

The Royals are sticking with the same lineup they used against Houston in the divisional round, which means Alcides Escobar leading off for Game 1 of the ALCS.

Ben Zobrist, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales are next, with Sal Perez, Alex Gordon and Alex Rios at the bottom of the order.

Royals manager Ned Yost put Escobar back in the leadoff spot late in the season, even though his lousy on-base percentage means the move goes against conventional wisdom.

Kansas City has been winning ever since.

Toronto manager John Gibbons also stuck with his typical order with Ben Revere at the top, followed by Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion.

Chris Colabello got the nod at first base over Justin Smoak, with Troy Tulowitzki, Dioner Navarro, Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins at the bottom of the Blue Jays lineup.

___

5:20 p.m.

There was some thought that David Price would start Game 1 of the ALCS for Toronto, but manager John Gibbons went with Marco Estrada on regular rest instead.

That’s led to another round of questions about how Price has been used.

The former Cy Young winner has a shaky playoff record, and wasn’t particularly good in his start against the Rangers. So rather than rest him to start a potential ALCS opener, Gibbons used him in a 50-pitch relief stint that made him unavailable for Friday night.

Price is scheduled to pitch Game 2 against Kansas City on Saturday.

Gibbons said it was simply a matter of circumstances, and while he acknowledged Price pitched longer than most people thought he would, “that was a little bit of strategy, too.”

Asked about the way he’d been used, Price replied: “It doesn’t matter. Whatever the team wants me to do to help them win. I’m all about it.”

___

4 p.m.

Royals manager Ned Yost wishes he had listened a bit more to John Gibbons when his Toronto counterpart was on his staff a few years ago.

Maybe he’d have learned something to help the Royals in the ALCS.

After Gibbons was fired by the Blue Jays in 2008 in his first go-around as their manager, he was hired that October by then-Royals manager Trey Hillman as a bench coach. Gibbons stuck around when Hillman was fired in May 2010, working for Yost through the 2011 season.

Asked about those years together, Yost acknowledged before Game 1 on Friday: “I didn’t take full advantage of Gibby when he was here. At the time I was still a little on the hard-headed side and managed the game all by myself.”

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