KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Nori Aoki and Billy Butler each drove in two runs in a five-run seventh and the surging Kansas City Royals rallied to defeat the Oakland Athletics 7-3 Thursday.
The Royals have won 18 of 22 to move 12 games above .500 for the first time since July 20, 2003.
The Royals took the season series, winning five of seven against the Athletics, who have the best record in the majors.
Aoki’s two-run triple put the Royals ahead 5-3. Butler’s single scored Aoki and Alcides Escobar. Jarrod Dyson fouled off four consecutive pitches before hitting an RBI single to right for the first run of the inning.
Right-hander Jeff Samardzija (3-2) took the loss, giving up four runs, three earned, and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings.
He left with a 3-2 lead, but Ryan Cook failed to hold it, facing three batters and all scored. Cook’s streak of 21 consecutive scoreless innings ended.
Get the very latest from Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph, Missouri with the “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus.
As the Chiefs break down training camp in St. Joseph and return to Kansas City for the remainder of training camp Mitch talks about the kicking battle, which continues to heat up.
The Chiefs Training Camp Reports air on KFIX (96.9-FM) Monday through Friday around 5:30pm.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Things couldn’t be much different for Kansas State from a season ago.
The Wildcats are now settled at quarterback with Jake Waters. They have a bevy of talent back on defense. And they have a load of momentum heading into the season after winning six of their last seven games, including a blowout of Michigan in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
There are still plenty of question marks, especially at running back and in the defensive backfield. But optimism abounds as coach Bill Snyder embarks on another season.
Kansas State opens Aug. 30 against Stephen F. Austin and then opens Big 12 play the following week at Iowa State. Then comes a Thursday night showdown against Auburn, one of the most high-profile nonconference games of the season.
The Fort Hays State football team closed the 2013 season winning six of their last seven games. One of the reasons for the strong finish was improved play on defense. The Tigers finished plus-14 in turnover margin over those final seven games. After scoring just seven points off three turnover in the first three games, tallied 114 points off 24 turnovers in the final seven contests.
The Tigers finished plus-three in turnover margin for the season which included 18 interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
Cooper Harris, who is in his second season as the Tigers defensive coordinator, hopes to continue the trend this season.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Kansas coach Charlie Weis believes this may be the most talented team he’s had in his first three seasons in charge. He also knows it’s time to prove it.
After winning one game his first season and three last year, Weis may need to show some significant progress this season to justify the final two years of his five-year deal.
That may be one of the reasons why Weis essentially fired himself as offensive coordinator after last season, hiring John Reagan to bring his spread system from Rice.
Kansas opens the season Aug. 30 against Southeast Missouri State, and then hits the road for a game against Duke. After returning home to face Central Michigan, the Jayhawks open Big 12 play Sept. 27 against Texas.
Jason Vargas tossed a three-hitter for his sixth career shutout, Omar Infante hit a two-run homer and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Kansas City Royals (Chris Vleisides)
Vargas (9-5) retired the final 23 batters he faced in only his third start since an emergency appendectomy. The left-hander also helped Kansas City bounce back from having an eight-game winning streak snapped and maintain a half-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central.
Salvador Perez drove in the Royals’ other run off Scott Kazmir (13-5), who lost to Kansas City for the second time in 10 days. He has won just once in 10 starts at Kauffman Stadium.
Vargas needed 92 pitches over eight innings, a big reason why manager Ned Yost sent him out for the ninth rather than turn it over to All-Star closer Greg Holland. Five pitches later, Vargas had his first shutout since last September, when he beat Oakland 3-0 as a member of the Angels.
He struck out four without issuing a walk.
The Royals, winners of 17 of their last 21, took two of three from the AL West-leading A’s a couple weeks ago, and assured themselves of no worse than a split of this four-game set.
Vargas allowed four runs over 4 1-3 innings against Oakland in his first start off the disabled list, and two runs over five innings against San Francisco his last time out. But on a mild evening at the K, he looked like the dominant left-hander of earlier this season.
Mixing his pitches and catching the corners, Vargas wiggled out of a jam in the first inning and gave up a single leading off the second before muzzling Oakland the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, the Royals were scratching out the only runs he needed.
After leaving runners on the corners in the first, Kansas City broke through in the third when Nori Aoki cracked a one-out single and Infante sent a 2-0 pitch into the left-field bullpen. It was his sixth homer of the season and his first since June 27.
The Royals left another runner on third in the fourth, but managed to manufacture a run in the fifth. Christian Colon led off with a single, Aoki laid down a sacrifice bunt and Infante managed to beat the throw on an infield single before Perez hit a lazy sacrifice fly to right field.
Kazmir wound up allowing seven hits and a walk over seven innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: SS Jed Lowrie remained in the lineup despite a fractured right index finger. … 1B Kyle Blanks (calf strain) planned to play at Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday as he rehabs.
Royals: 1B Eric Hosmer will have an X-ray Thursday on the broken bone in his right hand to determine whether he is ready to start rehabbing it. He’s been out since July 31.
UP NEXT
Athletics: Jeff Samardzija makes his second career appearance against Kansas City, the first a relief appearance in a 3-2 loss on Jun 25, 2011, when he was still with the Cubs.
Royals: James Shields is coming off his first shutout with the Royals, a 5-0 win over San Francisco. He carried a shutout into the sixth in a win over Oakland on Aug. 3.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs offered a preview during recent 11-on-11 training camp practices of what could be in store for unsuspecting quarterbacks this season.
Pro Bowl linebackers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, first-round draft pick Dee Ford and fellow pass-rusher Josh Martin all trotted onto the field at the same time, leaving defensive tackle Dontari Poe as the lone down lineman in a unique scheme designed to create pressure.
Elsewhere in the NFL, similar personnel groups are known as “NASCAR packages” – the idea is that they overwhelm the opposing offense with their speed.
“We call it the ‘dog front,”‘ Hali said. “A bunch of dogs going after (the quarterback).”
Get the very latest from Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph, Missouri with the “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus. Today Mitch talks about some of the competition for roster spots.
The Chiefs Training Camp Reports air on KFIX (96.9-FM) Monday through Friday around 5:30pm.
The Fort Hays State offense has shown steady improvement over each of the first two seasons under head football coach Chris Brown. Last season they averaged 34.9 points per game, up nearly 12 points form 2012. The Tigers gained 429.2 yards per game, 81.2 yards better than the year before.
Offensive Coordinator Justin Schreiber talked about the Tigers offense following Wednesday’s practice at Lewis Field.
Fort Hays State volleyball was picked 10th in the MIAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday (Aug. 13) by the league. The Tigers are slotted one spot above their finish last season, when FHSU was 14-19 overall, finishing 11th in the MIAA. FHSU is one year removed from a 20-win season, going 23-14 in 2012, and will look to return to that level with a roster of 12 returners and 16 new faces. Two of those returners, rightside hitters Mallory Flagor and Taylor Mares, were All-MIAA selections last year. Other key outside hitters for the Tigers include senior Sarah Hewson, who was All-MIAA in 2010, and sophomore Haley Corkill, who impressed in limited playing time last season. In the middle, Rebekah Spainhour and Rachel Szxzepanski played in a limited role last year, and will be pushed from freshman Mikalah Hughes, Callie Christensen and Halle Connally. Two returners (Raegan Vanderplas and Libby Ary) will compete for the starting setter role alongside newcomers Kristin Conor, a sophomore transfer from Cincinnati, and Bethany Farres, a junior transfer from Johnson County Community College. Keanu Bradley is the lone defensive specialist returning to the team, though transfers Sarah Williams, a junior from Fort Scott Community College, and sophomore Rebecca Guevara of Hill College will be among the newcomers fighting for a spot. Kelsey Broadwell (utility) and Chelsea Payne (libero/outside hitter) will see time by playing multiple roles for the Tigers in 2014. The top five in the preseason poll match last year’s standings, as Central Missouri was picked first with 115 votes and six first-place tallies, just ahead of Washburn’s 110 votes (four first-place). Nebraska-Kearney had two first-place votes and 108 total points, creating a separation of just seven points for the top three schools. From there, a falloff in points leads to Central Oklahoma in fourth (86 points). Three Kansas schools sit ranked Nos. 5-7, with Emporia State in fifth (76 points), Missouri Western (68 points) and Pittsburg State (59 points) just ahead of Northwest Missouri State (55 points). Lindenwood was ranked just ahead of FHSU, with four points separating the pair (42 and 39 votes, respectively). Missouri Southern and Southwest Baptist fill out the remaining spots. The complete 2014 MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll is below… 2014 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Central Missouri (6) 115 2. Washburn (4) 110 3. Nebraska-Kearney (2) 108 4. Central Oklahoma 86 5. Emporia State 76 6. Missouri Western 68 7. Pittsburg State 59 8. Northwest Missouri 55 9. Lindenwood 42 10. Fort Hays State 38 11. Missouri Southern 18 12. Southwest Baptist 17
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – The past few years in Kansas City, it’s been Dwayne Bowe and everyone else at wide receiver.
Kansas City Chiefs
Bowe is the unquestionable leader of the group, but Junior Hemingway also has emerged as a big, reliable slot target. De’Anthony Thomas already has proven to be an electrifying playmaker, whether the rookie’s taking a handoff or splitting out wide. And a group that includes Donnie Avery, Kyle Williams, A.J. Jenkins and Frankie Hammond Jr. has all had moments of brilliance.
While he put some of the best numbers of his career last year, many of those yards came on dump-offs and short passes that running back Jamaal Charles turned into big plays. Smith hardly had the same kind of big, rangy targets such as Michael Crabtree that he had in San Francisco.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Oakland Athletics’ combination of Jon Lesterand Josh Donaldson was too much for the Kansas City Royals.
Lester pitched six strong innings and Donaldson homered twice and drove in four runs as the Athletics won 11-3 Tuesday night, snapping the Royals’ eight-game winning streak.
Lester (13-7) has won all three of his starts since joining the A’s in a trade from Boston in a deadline deal on July 31 that sent All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox. Lester struck out nine and allowed three runs on six hits and two walks.
Recently acquired Josh Willingham doubles in his first at-bat in a Royals uniform. Phot courtesy Kansas City Royals )Chris Vleisides).
The timing of the trade was bad for the Royals, having to face Lester twice in 10 days.
”I’d rather face Cespedes four times in a game than face Lester one game,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. ”That’s just me. That’s not taking anything away from Cespedes. He can beat you with one swing of the bat.”
The Royals have won 11 of 13, with both losses coming against Lester – who improved to 9-3 with a 1.84 ERA in 13 career starts against Kansas City.
Donaldson homered in the seventh and eighth off left-hander Bruce Chenfor his third multi-homer game of the season. He also added an RBI double in the first and a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
”It helps when you have contributors up and down the lineup,” Donaldson said. ”We believe that it’s going to happen more times than not. We had some balls that were hit hard for outs, and then we had a lot of balls that fell in for us tonight.”
Brandon Moss had four hits, matching his career high, as the A’s finished with a season-high 20 hits.
”He looked like Wade Boggs up there,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.
Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie (8-10) allowed six runs on 11 hits in 4 2-3 innings.
”Obviously, we would have loved to gone out there and had a better performance from myself and the pitchers to keep us in the game,” Guthrie said. ”We play 162 of these and you take them for what it’s worth. They strung together a bunch of hits and they had a tough pitcher and won the game.”
Salvador Perez and Lorenzo Cain doubled in the Royals’ three-run fifth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: SS Jed Lowrie has a fractured right index finger, which was detected by a MRI Tuesday. He injured it Aug. 4 and it was originally believed to be a bruise as an X-ray showed no break. Lowrie, who played four days with it, is hopeful he can avoid the disabled list, but may need extra days off.
Royals: LHP Scott Downs went on the DL with a stiff neck.
ON DECK
Athletics: LHP Scott Kazmir goes Wednesday. He has held opposing batters to a major league best .071 average with runners in scoring position and two out.
Royals: LHP Jason Vargas has not walked a batter at home in 26 1/3 innings since an intentional pass to Yadier Molina on June 4.
OUT OF A SLUMP
Moss was in a 5-for-46 skid before collecting four hits against the Royals. Moss has four RBIs in the first two games of this series after driving in just one run in his previous 14 games.
COOKING UP ZEROES
A’s reliever Ryan Cook tossed a perfect seventh to extend his scoreless streak to 20 innings, the longest active streak in the majors.
BEHIND EARLY
When the A’s scored in the first inning, it was the first time in 44 innings the Royals had trailed. The A’s are 48-11 when scoring first. The A’s 20 hits were a season-high against Kansas City pitching.
Get the very latest from Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph, Missouri with the “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus. Today Mitch talks about the safeties including Eric Berry.
Chiefs Training Camp reports from St. Joseph, Missouri can be heard Monday through Friday around 5:30pm on KFIX (96.9-FM).
