Gibbons: Bautista is 'a journalist's dream'

John Gibbons knows Jose Bautista has never been afraid to speak his mind.

The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder admitted Sunday he believes something in the ALCS against the Cleveland Indians is amiss, citing "circumstances" as the reason for Toronto's 0-2 deficit in the series.

Though Bautista never named anyone specifically, the comments - believed to have concerned the home plate umpires and their strike zones in the series - generated some lighthearted retaliation from the Indians. His manager, though, couldn't help but laugh Monday when he learned of Bautista's remarks.

"No, I said to some people earlier, I said, you know what, Jose is a journalist's dream or media person's dream, because he tells you what is on his mind," Gibbons told reporters, courtesy of ASAP Sports. "He always has been. But he's also a guy that steps up. He's had some controversy before.

"Some guys shy away from that, it's never been him. A lot of times that kind of motivates him, to be honest with you."

Though Bautista came under fire for his comments, the outspoken outfielder may have had a point, according to ESPN's Mark Simon. According to Simon, Cleveland has had a "significant" called-strike advantage through the first two games of the series, meaning they've received 7.4 more called strikes than the average pitcher on the same pitches.

Bautista won't have to wait long to discover if the so-called circumstances are still against his team, as he will bat leadoff Monday in Game 3 against Cleveland.