A few takeaways before the main event.

R.A. Dickey pitched the best he’s pitched wearing a Blue Jays uniform. There was a different energy to his pitching. Was it confidence? No idea. But it was awesome. More of that.

It might've helped that he was pitching against the organization that drafted him in 1996. 

The offense looked, for this series, to be turning a corner. Troy Tulowitzki doubles and homers. Justin Smoak, according the Buck Martinez, is on fire.

Tying the game on Saturday late was great to see, especially on back to back homers by Smoak and Tulowitzki. Tie games on the road are almost always soul crushing, but the journey getting there showed promise. Each homer had its own beauty- Smoak's was a majestic bomb and Tulo's was just must needed.

They should’ve won more of these games. They should’ve won this series. The bullpen surrendered the lead yesterday in disgusting fashion. Jose Bautista was kind enough to hit a base clearing double to take the lead. Aaron Sanchez ended his day by walking the number 9 hitter and then Jesse Chavez hung a curveball and it was 7-6 Rangers.

It was dumb. So dumb.

Then it got really, really dumb.

Matt Bush, likely with intent, plunks Jose Bautista. Pat Tabler calls it "weak."

And then this happened. Feel free to watch it on mute because the Rangers' broadcast offers nothing of any kind of substance or interest. They could've made gorilla noises and it would've offered the same insight. 

I called this, by the way. I said, “Jose is going to take one in the ribs this series, isn’t he?” “No, no,” the people told me. “Why would they? They didn’t in Toronto. It was so many months ago.”

Because they are trash, my friends.

Here is what I tweeted, when my blood was up:

Odor was looking for any opportunity to get in Bautista’s face. Odor, Sam Miller of Baseball Prospectus puts it, just likes to fight.  

He just needed to wait for Bautista to get in reach of those short little arms.

It wasn’t a sucker punch, as in a punch that came from nowhere, I just don’t think Bautista was expecting it in that context.

Sure enough, 

Shoving and some “Yo’ mama” in Spanish, sure. They usually stand around in a kind of mosh pit formation for a while while the bullpen runs in. They yell and the umpires sort it out and that’s that.

But a punch to the face? No.

And he got him square in the beard.

Adrian Beltre, aka the only Ranger (the Lone Ranger, if you will) I have any time for, ran in and kept Bautista on his feet and hauled him away from the Odor situation. Beltre and Bautista are friends, and this became apparent because Encarnacion ran to Bautista and didn’t try to extricate him from Beltre’s arms. It was a homie hug, a hug amongst homies.  

Here is how you solve your little problem, Texas Rangers:

Don’t kick the baseball around the infield, giving the best offensive lineup of 2015 multiple chances to burn you and then hang a pitch. That’s on you, Texas Rangers.

It was Bautista’s biggest homer ever. He didn’t even look at Dyson. He was beyond Dyson.  It's not about the Texas Rangers. 

If they were so angry about it (after seven months), plunk him in the first at bat of the season series. The first time he steps in the box. In Toronto, where it happened in the first place. Someone on the roster during the the ALDS (rather than the dude who was incarcerated at the time.) Heck, have Holland do it when he was surrendering 10.5 billion runs a couple of weeks ago. 

Odor was “unavailable for comment" after the game.

What's that ex-Jays?

LaTroy Hawkins, who was actually there for the ALDS, on TSN Radio.

I very much enjoy how LaTroy Hawkins says the word "Toronto." 

Other takes?

John Lott, with his plea for non-violence, is a better person than most of us.

Shi Davidi had all the quotes you would ever need. Bautista, Donaldson and Gibby had plenty to say.

Ian Hunter had all the GIFs that needed GIFing, because what's a fight without GIFs?

And finally, Grant Brisbee's take, because what would a post on this site be without me loving on Grant Brisbee?

Game. Set. Match.