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Toronto Blue Jay Josh Donaldson breaks up a double play under Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor during fourth inning American League Division Series play Oct 8, 2015 in Toronto.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail

Barring any unforeseen setbacks, manager John Gibbons said that both Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista will be in the starting lineup for the Toronto Blue Jays for their crucial second game of their playoff Friday afternoon against the Texas Rangers.

"I know Jose's good," Gibbons said Friday morning during a short meeting with reporters in his office at Rogers Centre. "They're running the tests on Donaldson right now. It looks pretty good so I plan on him being in there unless they come to me soon and say no."

The news comes as the Rangers announced that star third baseman Adrian Beltre won't be in the Rangers' lineup today for Game 2. The four-time Gold Glove Award winner suffered a back strain while sliding into second base early in Thursday's Game 1 victory for Texas.

Donaldson took a knee in the head breaking up a double play in the fourth inning of Thursday's game against the Rangers, who would go on to record a 5-3 win in the opening game of the American League Division Series.

Donaldson returned to play third base in the top of the fifth but then was removed during Toronto's next at-bat after complaining to the team trainer that he was feeling lightheaded.

With that, Major League Baseball's concussion protocol springs into action and it then falls to medical personnel to determine if and when a player is able to return to the playing field.

The Blue Jays said Thursday night that Donaldson cleared all the initial concussion testing he was put through.

Gibbons said it looked like additional testing Friday morning was also going well and that he expected his most-valuable-player candidate would be cleared to play.

"I think everything's a go unless they tell me differently," Gibbons said.

So far, Donaldson has not been made available to reporters since he was injured.

As for Bautista, the cramping in one of his hamstrings that caused him to leave the game in the ninth inning in Thursday's game seems to have cleared up and he will be lining up in right field.

While the removal of Donaldson from Thursday's game made perfect sense to some, it baffled former baseball great Pete Rose, who is serving as playoff analyst for Fox Sports 1 during the playoffs.

Afterwards, Rose had this to offer to fellow analyst and former MLB star Frank Thomas in regards to Donaldson being pulled from the game.

"I just don't understand," Rose said "I mean, does everybody know what we're playing for now? I mean, you get a tweak and you got to leave the game. You get a knee on the head and you've got a helmet on and you got to leave the game to go take a test that you pass. I mean, 'cause you're a little light-headed? I got light-headed how many times in my career. I still went out there and played.

"I guess it's just different from when I played to when they're playing today, Frank. I can't see you sliding into second there and leaving the game. I really can't. And this guy is the MVP."

Gibbons said on Friday that he had heard that Rose had weighed on the matter, but had not heard exactly what he said.

"Ahh, yadda, yadda," Gibbons responded when he was filled in on the gist of Rose's comments. "I got no comment on that."

"I think he bet on you," offered one wag, a line that tickled the fancy of the manager.

And for the legion of Blue Jay fans in the dumps following the disappointing opening game loss, they can find some solace that Toronto has been able to rebound in the past in similar circumstances.

In the 1992 World Series, the Blue jays dropped the first game to Atlanta 3-1 but rebounded to win their first title in six games.

Of course the big difference is the World Series is a best-of-seven game affair. The ALDS is only a best of five so the gravity of an early loss is much greater.

So it is certainly good news for the Blue Jays that Donaldson and Bautista will be in the lineup for a game that is as close to must win as the Blue Jays can get.

A loss would mean the Rangers would hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five playoff with the series shifting back to Texas for the next couple of games, scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

The Blue Jays will be sending out Marcus Stroman, who will be making his first post-season pitching appearance, to the mound to face Texas veteran Cole Hamels.

Gibbons said he anticipates that Stroman will use his youthful exuberance to help him perform to his capabilities in a pressure-packed situation.

"He's one guy that I've said many times, I think he thrives on that [the pressure]," Gibbons said. "We all expect him to be good. You never know for sure but I would count on him. I don't think that will get in the way of him. It might make him better."

With a file from Rachel Brady

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