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Toronto Blue Jays Notes: Josh Donaldson’s Cologne, Scouting Director Fired,

By Chris Okrainetz

Aug 17, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Darwin Barney (18) and catcher Russell Martin (55) celebrate their win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 17, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Darwin Barney (18) and catcher Russell Martin (55) celebrate their win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Blue Jays won their fifth consecutive road series against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, but Josh Donaldson and John Gibbons provided additional fireworks.

After striking out in the top of the third inning, Josh Donaldson threw his bat as he entered the Toronto Blue Jays dugout, which didn’t sit well with manager John Gibbons. The two entered a fiery exchange afterwards and had to be separated by Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Thole.

When asked about the exchange, Donaldson provided an entertaining response:

Gibbons also offered an entertaining response, although he didn’t get into details about his cologne.

“I told him after that first at-bat, get a new bat, that one ain’t working,” said Gibbons. “Took the same one up there the second time, that didn’t work so he chose to break it. I went down and told him, ‘You should have listened to me.’ That was basically it. No big deal.”

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Aside from entertainment value, I don’t think there’s much to takeaway from this whole “scuffle,” if you even want to call it that. Gibbons gave Donaldson a high-five in the fifth inning after he scored on a Russell Martin RBI single and it looked like the two moved on.

The real story with Donaldson took place in the sixth inning after he jammed his thumb and exited the game for precautionary reasons. The X-rays were negative and, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, Donaldson said the damage isn’t as severe as it was in early June when he missed one game with the same injury.

With the Blue Jays off on Thursday, Donaldson will have an extra day to recover and hopefully won’t miss any time.

Blue Jays Fire Scouting Director

The Blue Jays let go of their Director of Amateur Scouting, Brian Paker, and their National Crosschecker, Blake Davis, on Wednesday, according to a report from John Manuel of Baseball America.

Both Parker and Davis were involved in the amateur side of scouting, specifically with high school and college level athletes. They played a large role in the Blue Jays’ draft plans and had an impact on the future of the club each June.

With a new regime in place, the change of direction isn’t a major surprise. More front office shake ups could be on the horizon, but when it comes to filling these two vacancies, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins bring in one of their own guys from Cleveland.

Next: Jays On Pace to Reach 70 Wins in Fewest Games Since 1993

Quick Hitters:

  • In his third start with the Bisons, Mike Bolsinger went six innings to help lead Buffalo to a 4-3 victory.
  • Although the Blue Jays are expected to skip a few of Aaron Sanchez‘s upcoming starts, the team will keep the rotation the same for their upcoming series against Cleveland.
  • Kevin Pillar is expected to begin a rehab assignment this weekend and could return to the Blue Jays lineup early next week, according to Gregor Chisholm from MLB.com.
  • Jose Bautista is making progress in his rehab from a sprained left knee and Gibbons said there is an outside chance he could be back when he is first eligible to return.
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