Jays steaming over timing of Bautista plunking

TORONTO — It’s not the retribution that bothers John Gibbons, it’s the timing.

The Blue Jays manager addressed media on Monday afternoon, a day after Toronto all-star right-fielder Jose Bautista was hit in the ribs by a pitch from Texas reliever Matt Bush and then punched in the face by Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor after a hard slide on the basepaths.

Bush’s throw was apparently in retribution for Bautista’s dramatic bat flip after a home run in Game 5 of the American League Division Series last season. The two teams had played in two three-game series this season before Sunday’s bench-clearing brawl.

“It didn’t happen what, the first six games?” said Gibbons ahead of Monday’s game with the Tampa Bay Rays. “My only complaint was that if you’ve got an issue with someone, we get that, everyone views things differently, and if you’re going to do something, hey, that’s part of it, we get it.

“But I figured you might do it right away. Then you’ve got six more games for things to play out the way they’re going to play out.”

Instead, the Rangers and Blue Jays won’t play again this year, unless they meet in the post-sea- son. Bush plunked Bautista in the top of the eighth with Texas holding a 7-6 lead. Bautista ran to second on a groundout by Justin Smoak, with his brawl-triggering slide forcing Odor to throw wildly to first on an attempted double play. Odor shoved Bautista, creating enough space to wind up and catch the lunging Blue Jays rightfielder flush on the jaw with a punch.

Odor, Bautista, and Bush are all candidates for suspension, as is Toronto reliever Jesse Chavez, who hit Rangers hitter Prince Fielder with the first pitch after play resumed, triggering a second brawl.