TORONTO -- On the same night he was named to the American League all-star team for a third straight season, Josh Donaldson continued to prove he belongs among the game's elite.

The Blue Jays third baseman hit two home runs and scored four times to back a solid start from R.A. Dickey as Toronto beat the Kansas City Royals 8-3 on Tuesday.

Donaldson represented Oakland at the 2014 all-star game, then was named a starter for the following year's Midsummer Classic after receiving a record number of fan votes (14,090,188) in his first year as a Blue Jay.

While he won't start at third this time -- Baltimore's Manny Machado got that honour -- Donaldson said he's happy to let his bat do the talking for him.

"I don't go out there and vote, I'm not a guy who's going to throw my name out to vote for me," Donaldson said. "I'm happy I made the all-star team, I'm happy for the guys who are the starters and I'm glad to be a part of the whole scene.

"It's rewarding."

Donaldson was 3 for 4 Tuesday night but also reached on a fielder's choice. His four runs scored gave him a Blue Jays pre-all-star game record of 77.

The 30-year-old's first homer of the night, on an 0-0 pitch from Chris Young in the first, came moments after Machado was announced as the starting third baseman for the July 12 game in San Diego. His second, off Young in the third, happened around the time he was named to the team along with fellow Blue Jays Edwin Encarnacion and Marco Estrada.

Encarnacion, who was 2 for 4 with an RBI in Tuesday's win, will be making his third all-star appearance; Estrada, his first.

"Eddie's leading the league in RBI's, he's been phenomenal, and Marco, I think he should have been in the Cy Young conversation last year," Donaldson said. "What he's done has been like a magician out there. He's not throwing 95, 100, like you see some of these guys throwing. ... It's good for him. I'm happy for him."

Troy Tulowitzki, with a three-run shot, and Ezequiel Carrera also went deep for Toronto (47-39) while Kevin Pillar added a sacrifice fly.

Dickey (6-9) scattered four hits, three walks and two runs over seven innings. The knuckleballer also fanned eight en route to his first win of the year at Rogers Centre (1-6).

"When the knuckleball is moving, especially the last 18 inches before the plate like it was tonight, you're going to see a lot of foul balls, a lot of swings and misses," Dickey said. "I made a couple mistakes tonight in selection but outside of that I felt I was pretty good."

Cheslor Cuthbert hit a two-run shot and drove in another run for Kansas City (43-40). Young (2-8) shouldered the loss after allowing six runs over 2 1/3 innings.

The Blue Jays rocked Young for three home runs in the third, including back-to-back blasts from Carrera and Donaldson. Tulowitzki's three-run shot gave Toronto a 6-0 lead and ended the Kansas City starter's night.

"We're on a nice little roll right now, no question about that," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "These guys up and down the lineup, they're doing a good job."

Cuthbert put the Royals on the board with his two-run homer off Dickey in the fourth. But Toronto replied in the bottom of the frame when Donaldson scored from second base on an Encarnacion single to extend their lead to 7-2.

Pillar plated Donaldson from third in the seventh with his sac fly.

Cuthbert laced an RBI double off Joe Biagini in the ninth to score Eric Hosmer from first.

Canadian left-fielder Michael Saunders was named as one of the Final Vote nominees for the last roster spot, which will be determined by fans and announced Friday.

Saunders was 2 for 4 with a double in Tuesday's game. The Victoria native is batting .290 on the season.

"Hopefully Saunders gets in there too, that'll be good," Gibbons said. "I'm sure he'll have the whole country behind him. I like his chances."