TORONTO -- The rematch of the 2015 American League Championship Series involves two third-place teams.The Kansas City Royals visit the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series at the Rogers Centre that begins Monday.The Royals, who beat the Blue Jays in six games in the ALCS before winning the World Series over the New York Mets in five games, are third in the AL Central with a 43-38 record after losing 7-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.The Blue Jays are third in the AL East with a 45-39 record after defeating the Cleveland Indians 17-1 on Sunday.A big problem for the Royals has been their starting rotation.The Royals entered Sunday ranked 12th in the American League in starters ERA at 4.97. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, sat third at 3.77.After the Sunday games, Royals starters had a 27-34 won-lost record and the Blue Jays were 37-20.Im not panicking about any of our starters, Royals manager Ned Yost told the Kansas City Star. Theyve kept us in games.Pitching coach Dave Eiland said, We cruise along then, boom, we have a three-run inning. Its killing us.While the Blue Jays starters have been good, the hitters started slowly and so did the bullpen. The relievers will enter the series against the Royals worn down by a draining series against the Cleveland Indians, a four-game split that included a 2-1 Cleveland win in 19 innings on Friday.The bullpen should be in slightly better shape by Monday after J.A. Happ provided a seven-inning start with 11 strikeouts on Sunday.A crucial game -- we needed a good outing, Toronto manager John Gibbons said. We were pretty banged up in the bullpen if he hadnt done that, that game might have ended up 35-30 or something.Troy Tulowitzki was among the disappointing early season hitters for the Blue Jays, but he again showed signs Sunday that he is beginning to hit up to his career numbers. The whole offense has perked up of late.Tulowitzki hit a three-run homer and had four RBI on Sunday. Since June 19, he is batting .347 (17-for-49) with six home runs.Tulowitzki said the past two wins against Cleveland were important for the Blue Jays to give them a lift for a push in the final week before the All-Star break. The Blue Jays used a three-run eighth inning on Saturday to end Clevelands 14-game win streak and then chased Corey Kluber early in the romp on Sunday.Real good, Tulowitzki said. I think if youre looking at it from about the seventh inning on yesterday, you think OK, if (we) lose three here, thats tough. Then youre going against Kluber, possibly get swept -- thats probably going through some peoples minds. To respond like we did, finish the series 2-2, and obviously have some big games coming up before the break.The Blue Jays and Royals played a tense four-game series last July 30-Aug. 2. The Blue Jays took three of the four games that included batters being hit by pitches and bench-clearing incidents in the finale won by Toronto 5-2.One of the pitchers involved that fourth game will start Monday. Edinson Volquez (7-7, 4.80 ERA) is 0-4 with a 6.46 ERA in six career starts against Toronto but threw six scoreless innings in Game 1 of the ALCS, a 5-0 Royals victory.The Blue Jays will counter with Aaron Sanchez (8-1, 3.08 ERA), who will be making his first career start against the Royals, although he has faced them as a reliever.He is 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three relief outings covering 2 2/3 innings in his regular-season career against the Royals. During the ALCS, he faced the Royals four times, allowing four hits and no runs in a total of two innings.Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, MVP of last years ALCS, said he was looking forward to the series in Toronto.I know the fans will be pretty crazy, he told MLB.com. But thats OK. We play good when fans are really into it. But its another series for us that were going to try to win. Well come out and play hard just like always. I like to play them. I play good against them. Kyrie Irving Shoes Wholesale .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Kyrie 1 Shoes For Sale . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. http://www.kyrieirvingshoescheap.com/ . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Kyrie 1 For Sale Mens . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Kyrie 3 Red . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.TORONTO -- Detroit Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello was suspended six games Tuesday by Major League Baseball for throwing at Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander said he will appeal the decision, which was announced before the Tigers played at Toronto. He also was fined an undisclosed amount. Porcello hit Zobrist with a high-inside pitch in the first inning Sunday. Both benches were warned, but Porcello was not ejected. Some thought the pitch was retaliation for an inside pitch by Tampa Bay closer Fernando Rodney to Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera the previous day. Cabrera ended up striking out, and exchanged words with Rodney on his way back to the dugout. Detroit manager Jim Leyland said after Saturdays game that "somebody has to pay the price for that." Leyland said Sunday that it was part of the game. "Nobodys trying to hit anybody," he said. But Zobrist thought otherwise. "I thought it was intentional, and obviously the league thought that as well," he said Tuesday in Houston bbefore the Rays played the Astros.dddddddddddd Zobrist was glad to see the commissioners office punish Porcello for a pitch he thought could be dangerous. "I was surprised, yeah. I didnt really expect anything to happen after that day," he said. "After reviewing, I assume, they must have felt some action needed to be taken." Leyland declined comment on Porcellos suspension or the decision to appeal. But Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon had plenty to say about it. "The process works," Maddon said. "Went through the proper channels and I think the appropriate retribution was doled out. We appreciate the fact that MLB looked at it and took some action. They made a decision. I think they made the right one." Porcello, who is 4-6 with a 5.21 ERA, is available to pitch until the appeal is heard. His next start is scheduled for Friday at Cleveland. Porcello was suspended five games in 2009 for hitting former Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis, which led to a bench-clearing brawl. ' ' '