Volquez calls Donaldson 'a little baby,' Ventura takes shot at Bautista

A pair of AL heavyweights wasted no time exchanging verbal blows on the heels of a heated four-game series.

The Toronto Blue Jays took three from the Kansas City Royals after Sunday's 5-2 win, one in which Royals starter Edinson Volquez kick-started the fireworks by plunking Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson in the first inning.

Related: Benches clear as tempers boil over between Royals, Blue Jays

Volquez didn't care much for Donaldson's antics throughout the game, taking a shot at the two-time All-Star post game.

"He's a little baby. He was crying like a baby," Volquez said about Donaldson postgame. "He's not Barry Bonds. He's got three years in the league."

Donaldson took exception to being the recipient of several high-and-inside pitches throughout the game.

"Guys get hit all the time," Donaldson told reporters. "You don't see warnings thrown out all the time, but the reason (Wolf) did it is because he knew just as well as I did, he hit me on purpose ... He could've thrown him out immediately right there, which I didn't want him to do. I thought he was pretty good hittin', so I don't want him out of there."

The back and forth didn't stop there, as Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista took to Twitter to voice his disdain for Royals manager Ned Yost. The skipper claimed none of his pitchers threw at batters on purpose and that Toronto's hitters are known for diving to the inside of the plate, forcing the opposition to pitch inside.

Royals starter Yordano Ventura, who has incited a pair of two bench-clearing brawls earlier this season, called out Bautista in a number of tweets that were since deleted.

Bautista attempted to take the high road Monday when asked about Ventura's comments.

"I think he's a great player," Bautista told reporters. "I think he's a young player that could use some maturing and hopefully he focuses on playing the game and allow his ability to create a name for himself, and just be a good part of the community whenever he is establishing himself as a pitcher."