Ben Zobrist KOs Toronto Blue Jays with left-right punch

TORONTO -- Ben Zobrist is a versatile player.

Not only can he play several positions, he hits from both side of the plate.

And Saturday, he hit one home run right-handed and another left-handed as the Kansas City Royals came back to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6, on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak.

"It feels incredible," said Zobrist, who has played left field in his first three games with the Royals, who obtained him in a trade with the Oakland Athletics this week.

"You try to put good swings on the ball from both sides of the plate when you have to switch around during the game, but it's tough a lot of times."

His second home run of the game, and eighth of the season, came with one out in the eighth inning against right-hander Mark Lowe (0-2) and tied the game.

Lowe was making his Blue Jays' debut after being traded by the Seattle Mariners on Friday.

"Not a bad pitch to some guys, not a good pitch to (Zobrist)," Lowe said. "He likes the ball coming into him. I was trying to go backdoor slider and it kind of ended up in the middle of the plate, right in the swing path. It was a bad pitch in that situation.

"I wasn't ahead of guys as well as I normally was. I was yanking my fastball in on the lefties a little bit."

The Royals had three more hits and two more runs in the inning against Lowe and never lost the lead.

The Blue Jays got two home runs from right fielder Jose Bautista and one from third baseman Josh Donaldson.

Bautista's second homer of the game and 23rd of the season led off the eighth against Royals right-handed reliever Wade Davis, who had not allowed a home run in 125 2/3 innings dating to Aug. 24, 2013.

Right-hander Yordano Ventura (6-7) allowed six hits and five runs in seven innings to earn his second straight victory.

"Their power is ridiculous," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "I thought (Ventura) threw the ball well. He got us through seven innings. We had to have this one today. We had to."

Right-hander Greg Holland pitched the ninth for his 23rd save of the season despite allowing a walk and a single.

Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer drove in three runs and extended his hitting streak to 14 games, as the Blue Jays had their three-game winning streak end.

Blue Jays left-hander Mark Buehrle allowed five hits, no walks and four runs (three earned) in seven innings and did not factor in the decision.

Zobrist hit his first home run in the game with one out in the first inning.

The Blue Jays (53-52) did not have a baserunner until there were two out in the fourth and then they had four singles in a row to take a 2-1 lead.

Bautista started it and was followed by designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, first baseman Justin Smoak and catcher Dioner Navarro.

The Blue Jays opened a 5-1 lead on two-out home runs by Donaldson and Bautista in the fifth. Donaldson's 26th home run of the season also scored shortstop Ryan Goins, who had walked.

The Royals (62-41) cut the lead to one with a three-run sixth, a rally started by Buehrle's error on a one-out grounder by shortstop Alcides Escobar.

Zobrist followed with a double and Buehrle hit center fielder Lorenzo Cain with a pitch to load the bases. Hosmer hit a two-run single and designated hitter Kendrys Morales singled in the other run.

"It's unacceptable on my part," Buehrle said of his error. "A ground ball coming back to me it's so routine that I took my eye of the ball and it hit the top of my glove and then I obviously rushed to throw to first.

"The inning could have been totally different, especially after we just scored three runs to take a 5-1 lead, and then go back out there and give it right back up."

Lowe replaced Buehrle in the eighth and gave up Zobrist's homer on a 3-and-2 pitch.

Cain doubled, Hosmer hit an RBI single and catcher Salvador Perez hit a sacrifice fly to give the Royals a 7-5 lead.

The Blue Jays got a run back when Bautista hit his second homer of the game and 23rd of the season off Davis, who had been listed as day- to-day because of a stiff back.

In the ninth, Holland walked pinch-hitter Troy Tulowitzki in a 10-pitch at-bat with one out and pinch-hitter Chris Colabello singled to right.

Left fielder Ben Revere forced Colabello with a grounder to second for the second out, leaving runners at the corners for Donaldson, who grounded out to third.

NOTES: The Blue Jays designated INF/OF Danny Valencia and OF Ezequiel Carrera for assignment before Saturday's game and optioned RHP Ryan Tepera to Triple-A Buffalo. ... INF Munenori Kawasaki was recalled from Buffalo. Also joining the Blue Jays Saturday were RHP Mark Lowe, acquired in a trade on Friday with the Seattle Mariners, and OF Ben Revere, obtained in a trade Friday with the Philadelphia Phillies. Revere, who becomes the regular left fielder, batted leadoff in the game. ... Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki was rested and did not start. ... Royals RHP Wade Davis (back), who was listed as day to day, said his back felt better Saturday and he would test it with a game of catch. ... RHP Edinson Volquez ((10-5, 3.21 ERA) starts the finale of the four-game series Sunday for the Royals against Blue Jays RHP R.A. Dickey (5-10, 4.27 ERA).