Looking back at last night's fireworks

So what's the over/under for which inning the benches and bullpens empty tonight?

Orioles manager Buck Showalter made two smart moves last night that really stood out to me in a game that otherwise should be forgotten as quickly as possible. Erased from memory. Pretend it never happened.

Showalter went to the mound to counsel Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia in the seventh inning after the kid surrendered a home run to Jose Bautista. Garcia sailed a pitch behind Bautista earlier in the at-bat and paid a heavy price.

Showalter doesn't normally make that trip unless he's bringing in a new pitcher, but he wanted to calm down Garcia. It had a real father-son feel to it.

Let's be clear about this: Garcia wasn't trying to hit Bautista and he didn't want the ball to sail behind the Blue Jays slugger. I understand why Bautista was agitated, considering that Orioles pitchers have a tendency to buzz him, but he's got to be smart enough to read the situation.

Bautista's temper got the best of him. Trust me, I've been there, and it didn't involve a stray fastball. I'm not going to crush the guy. But Garcia made a mistake, plain and simple.

Bautista pimped his home run, watching the ball land in the seats with bat in hand and glaring at Garcia before breaking into his trot, and he had a few words for the Orioles as he rounded the bases. Center fielder Adam Jones, among others, took exception to Bautista's antics and gave him an earful.

Jones was still chirping after Bautista took a seat on the bench, and they exchanged heated words after the inning. MASN cameras showed Bautista gesturing that the pitch was behind him and motioned how he launched the ball in retaliation.

Later, Bautista told Toronto reporters, "You throw at me, I'm not going to forget. And if I get you right after, then I'm going to enjoy it and I did."

You may disagree with Jones' reaction, but I see it as standing up for a young teammate. I'm not sure whether Jones would have felt compelled to do the same for a veteran such as Darren O'Day, who's had his share of run-ins with Bautista, but Garcia didn't pitch above low Single-A until this year. He needed to be protected in some manner.

You also may disagree with the Orioles' decision to carry Garcia, who can't be optioned due to his Rule 5 status. It's really going to be hard for them to do this through September.

Here's where Showalter made his second wise move. He removed Jones from the game before the center fielder came to bat again.

Jones was wearing a bullseye around his neck like Flavor Flav's clock, and Showalter got him out of the line of fire. He can't risk losing another starter to injury, especially one as important as Jones.

It might be a good idea for umpires to warn both benches before the first pitch tonight. This series could get ugly. And these teams already have a history.

(Someone should warn the Orioles that Kevin Pillar is playing left field for the Blue Jays. He's made at least four spectacular plays against them this month. Avoid hitting the ball anywhere near him.)

Following the game, Showalter told MASN's Jim Hunter that he understood how it looked when Garcia threw behind Bautista and said, "I'd be upset, too." Then he added how you'd like to see Bautista run around the bases.

Showalter is very good at giving interviews while biting his tongue.