Travis, Liriano deliver vs. Royals

KANSAS CITY— Whatever your walk in life, first impressions are important. Fair or not, they can set you on a course upon which you are long after judged.

So it was with some added significance that Francisco Liriano made his debut for the Blue Jays on Friday night against the reigning World Series champions here at Kauffman Stadium.

This particular setting, where last year’s Jays met their disappointing end, bore no extra meaning for Liriano, who was acquired just minutes before Monday’s trade deadline to lengthen their rotation and buffer the workload of Aaron Sanchez.

But you can bet the 32-year-old lefty felt a little extra pressure to deliver for his new teammates all the same.

In the end he did well enough — allowing just two earned runs over six innings — while Devon Travis ensured his teammates went home happy.

The Jays’ sophomore second baseman bookended Friday’s game with a brace of homers — one each in the first and ninth innings — to lead the Jays in a 4-3 victory over the Royals.

Travis, who is beginning to settle into a role as the Jays’ everyday leadoff man, came into the game as one of the team’s hottest hitters, batting .350 over the last two weeks.

In terms of Liriano’s outing, perhaps what was most encouraging for the Jays was the fact the majorleague leader in walks issued just two free passes on Friday. Granted, that equals the number the team’s pitching staff allowed in their four-game series in Houston. But for Liriano, it marked just the sixth time this season he had walked fewer than three.

He is also a key piece in the ongoing Sanchez-innings debate, as general manager Ross Atkins said the veteran’s assurance that he was willing to pitch under any circumstance — even out of the bullpen, if it came to that — helped clear the way for the unconventional six-man rotation plan.

The Jays would prefer, of course, if all their starters continued to pitch well.

With Liriano, who has struggled this season after three very-good years, they’re hoping a change of scenery and, more importantly, a reunion with Russell Martin, will help return him to his 2013 to 2015 form.

“If all six of them are throwing good, (we’ll) keep rolling with it,” manager John Gibbons said before Friday’s game. “If someone’s scuffling and we want to change things up, we can do that. We’re just going to roll with this. We like all of them, we’ll see where the hell it goes.”