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Royals-Blue Jays Preview

Aug 1, 2015 - 5:24 AM Being buyers before the trade deadline has put a bounce in the Toronto Blue Jays.

After their aggressive flurry of deals to spark a postseason push, the Blue Jays seek a fourth consecutive victory Saturday when they continue their series against the Kansas City Royals.

Toronto's wheeling and dealing brought some of the marquee names available north of the border in pitcher David Price and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The Blue Jays (53-51) added Ben Revere from Philadelphia on Friday prior to the deadline, giving them speed at the top of a power-based lineup.

''I just want to try to get on base and let the big boys do the work,'' said Revere, who has 24 stolen bases and joins a Blue Jays team third in the majors with 135 homers.

In the thick of the wild-card race and lingering in the AL East race, Toronto was able to win without the longball in Friday night's 7-6, 11-inning victory as it rallied twice from three-run deficits. Josh Donaldson provided an RBI double and scored the tying run in a three-run seventh before plating Tulowitzki with a one-out walkoff single as the Blue Jays improved to 6-24 when failing to homer.

''He left me a pitch over the middle of the plate, what I was kind of waiting for the entire time,'' said Donaldson, who is 7 for 13 with a homer and three doubles his last three games. ''I didn't miss it.''

While Price isn't slated to make his Blue Jays debut until Monday, they are in more than capable hands with Mark Buehrle (11-5, 3.29 ERA). The left-hander is 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA in as many starts versus the Royals since joining Toronto in 2013, and limited them to two runs in seven innings of a 6-2 road victory July 11.

Buehrle's 26 wins against Kansas City (61-41) are his second-most against any team, trailing only the 29 he's accumulated facing Minnesota. He's 5-1 in eight starts at Rogers Centre this year while being backed with 8.94 runs per outing - the best run support in the majors when pitching at home.

Ben Zobrist - 12 for 33 lifetime versus Buehrle - had a two-run single for his first hit with the Royals, who are looking to avoid a season high-tying fourth straight loss. Their vaunted bullpen gave up four runs Friday, spoiling Johnny Cueto's debut, and their relievers have a 4.96 ERA halfway through this 10-game road trip - well above their 2.20 season mark.

Kelvin Herrera may not be available after throwing 34 pitches in back-to-back games and All-Star Wade Davis is day to day with a sore back. Closer Greg Holland has yet to pitch in this four-game set, and Ned Yost may shy away from using Ryan Madson - seven of the 13 runs he's given up this year have come in his last two appearances against Toronto, during which he's retired one batter.

Yordano Ventura (5-7, 4.86), who got a reprieve from a demotion to the minors, tries to win a second consecutive start. Still in the rotation only because Jason Vargas suffered a season-ending elbow injury, Ventura recalled flashes of his 14-win rookie season in 2014, limiting Houston to one run in seven innings of a 5-1 victory Sunday.

''The two things that helped today was that I attacked the hitters and I threw inside,'' Ventura told MLB's official website via a translator. "I feel like I pitched similar to last year."

Ventura allowed two hits over five scoreless innings in his lone career start against the Blue Jays last April.