Gibbons, Price disagree on Game 5 availability

John Gibbons' decision to use David Price may have caused more controversy than the Toronto Blue Jays' manager bargained for.

Gibbons, who deployed Price in place of starter R.A. Dickey with a 7-1 lead during the fifth inning Monday, said after the game that the left-handed ace would be unavailable for the winner-take-all Game 5 in Toronto.

Price, however, contradicted his manager after throwing 50 pitches over three innings, saying he'd be ready if needed in the one-game elimination.

"I'll be ready, you know?," Price told reporters after the 8-4 win. "Whatever they need me to do on Wednesday."

Gibbons, meanwhile, defended his decision to use Price in relief, explaining that Toronto's only other left-hander - Aaron Loup - was unavailable due to a family issue, and that he wasn't taking any chances with the Rangers' lefty-heavy lineup.

"Probably not a popular move, but that's what you've got to do," said Gibbons, according to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling. "In the regular season, that's different. That doesn't happen. But this is a do-or-die game for us and I've seen it too many times in this business, especially with the kind of lineup (Texas has) and the way things were stacking up for us."

Dickey, in his first career playoff start, allowed just one run on five hits over a solid 4 2/3 innings, but was pulled before he factored into the decision.

"It was hard for me to do, but I thought that was the best way to win the game, keep them from coming back," Gibbons said of removing Dickey. "Probably not a relationship-building move, but a team win, that's what I was looking for."

The Blue Jays' bullpen lost their top lefty and perhaps best reliever on their team in Friday's 14-inning loss when Brett Cecil tore his calf during a rundown.