Major League Baseball

All-Star Donaldson hits 2 HRs, Blue Jays beat Royals 8-3

Published Jul. 6, 2016 12:11 a.m. ET

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TORONTO (AP) Josh Donaldson is heading to the All-Star Game in San Diego but doesn't want to take part in the Home Run Derby.

He and the Blue Jays showed just what fans at Petco Park will be missing with a derby of their own Tuesday night.

Donaldson hit two solo home runs, Troy Tulowitzki had a three-run blast and Toronto connected four times to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-3.

Fresh off being named an AL All-Star reserve, Donaldson went 3 for 4 and scored four runs while the Blue Jays won their fourth straight.

''I'm happy I made the All-Star team,'' Donaldson said. ''I'm happy for the guys who are the starters and I'm glad to be a part of the whole scene.''

Donaldson has scored 77 runs, a franchise record for runs before the All-Star break. Carlos Delgado had 76 in 2003.

All four Toronto homers came off Royals right-hander Chris Young, who matched Runelvys Hernandez's team record by allowing at least one home run in 13 consecutive starts. Hernandez did it from October 2005 to August 2006.

Young (2-8) has surrendered a major league-worst 26 home runs this season.

Toronto's R.A. Dickey (6-9) allowed two runs, none earned, and four hits in seven innings to win for the first time in nine home starts this season. The knuckleballer came in 0-6 with a 5.14 ERA at home.

On a humid evening with a light breeze, Dickey said conditions were ''ideal'' for his dancing pitch.

''I had a good release point for it, I was changing speeds with it and it was in the strike zone,'' Dickey said. ''I was filling up the strike zone the first few innings.''

Royals manager Ned Yost said Dickey's knuckleball ''was as good as we've ever seen it.''

Kansas City lost for the fourth time in five games and dropped to 16-29 on the road.

Donaldson connected in the first inning and went back-to-back with Ezequiel Carrera in the third. It marked the eighth multihomer game of Donaldson's career and the fifth time this season the Blue Jays have hit consecutive homers.

Three batters later, Tulowitzki chased Young with his seventh homer in 15 games since returning from the disabled list.

It was the 34th time in team history that the Blue Jays have hit three home runs in an inning. They last did it May 7, 2014, against Philadelphia.

Fellow All-Star Edwin Encarnacion had two hits and an RBI, raising his ML-leading total to 77.

''Up and down the lineup, everybody is doing a good job,'' manager John Gibbons said.

Young allowed six runs and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings. Winless in nine starts, Young described his season as ''beyond frustrating.''

''My body feels good, it's just the results haven't been there,'' he said. ''It's a frustrating feeling. I feel like I've let the team down and it's horrible.''

Kansas City's Cheslor Cuthbert hit a two run homer off Dickey and finished with three RBIs.

STARRING ROLES

Royals 1B Eric Hosmer and C Salvador Perez will start the All-Star Game for the AL. RHPs Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera were selected to the pitching staff but Davis (forearm) will miss the game because of injury. Toronto's selections include Donaldson, Encarnacion and RHP Marco Estrada. OF Michael Saunders is one of five candidates for the Final Vote competition.

DAMAGE CONTROL

Twenty of the 26 home runs hit off Young have been solo shots.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Royals: Davis was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 1. The Royals selected RHP Brooks Pounders from Triple-A Omaha and designated LHP Tyler Olson for assignment.

Blue Jays: OF Jose Bautista (turf toe) is no longer wearing a walking boot. ''That's progress, as long as he doesn't stub it,'' joked manager John Gibbons. There is no timetable for Bautista's return. ... Estrada (back) is feeling better but could be get one or two extra days of rest before his next start. RHP Drew Hutchison would like start for Toronto if Estrada cannot pitch Thursday against Detroit.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (6-7, 4.04) starts Wednesday's series finale. Kennedy has allowed 20 home runs, including one in each of his past six starts.

Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (6-4, 5.08) allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings against Cleveland in his most recent start after allowing 38 earned runs in his previous eight outings.

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