Dave Riggert – Page 734 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Kansas City drops another one-run game at Boston

Posted on July 19, 2014

BOSTON (AP) — Rubby De La Rosa quietly walked up behind reporters waiting for him and went unnoticed before he got their attention.

His actions are much louder on the Fenway Park mound.

De La Rosa had another strong home start, going seven solid innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

“He’s been outstanding at home,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “Even in the couple of situations where we gave an extra baserunner, he shut it down and pitched with a lot of poise tonight.”

Mike Napoli hit a tiebreaking homer, sending the defending World Series champions to their sixth win in seven games. Boston is looking to climb back into the race from the AL East’s basement.

Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer extended his career-best hitting streak to 15 games with a single. The Royals lost for the eighth time in 11 games, falling to 10-20 in one-run games after leading the AL with 31 victories last season.

Napoli’s homer cleared a billboard atop the Green Monster seats and completely left the park in the sixth.

De La Rosa (3-2) gave up one run on five hits, walking four and striking out two. He worked out of trouble most of his outing.

“It’s fun to pitch here,” he said. “I feel comfortable here at Fenway. I like the mound. I like the fans. I feel comfortable here.”

Danny Duffy (5-10) allowed two runs — one earned — on six hits in 6⅔ innings. It was his fifth loss in six starts, but he’s allowed two or fewer runs in four of the losses.

“We’re not scoring enough runs. It’s as simple as that,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of the one-run losses. “When we score, we win. Our bullpen does a nice job of holding it close. It’s a combination of not capitalizing on opportunities, and we had opportunities tonight, a couple of them.”

The Royals have scored four total runs, and not more than one in any of Duffy’s past five losses.

“I don’t even think about it that way,” he said. “These guys in here got my back day in and day out.”

Andrew Miller pitched a perfect eighth and All-Star Koji Uehara a 1-2-3 ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances.

In two of his three home starts, De La Rosa pitched seven shutout innings. In his last one, he gave up three runs in five innings.

De La Rosa stranded runners at second base in four of the first six innings, twice also leaving a runner on first.

“I didn’t try to think about me on base,” he said, flashing a quick smile. “I try to think about the next hitter.”

The Royals grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third when Jarrod Dyson tripled and scored on shortstop Omar Infante’s sacrifice fly.

Infante’s fielding error allowed Boston’s tying run in the fourth. With runners on first and second, Infante had Shane Victorino’s probable inning-ending, double-play grounder go right through his legs, scoring Napoli.

Boston left fielder Jonny Gomes bumped into shortstop Brock Holt, dropping a ball for a two-base error in the fourth, and called off Holt, but had the ball fall in front of him for a double in the fifth.

— Associated Press —

Sporting KC edges Los Angeles 2-1

Posted on July 19, 2014July 19, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Benny Feilhaber and Lawrence Olum both had goals and Sporting Kansas City defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 on Saturday.

Sporting (10-5-5) extended its unbeaten streak to six games, while Galaxy’s eight-game unbeaten streak was broken.

In the 11th minute, Feilhaber opened the scoring, drilling a free kick from just outside the box into the upper left corner past Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.

Sporting made it 2-0 in the 60th minute. Graham Zusi’s cross was headed by Jacob Peterson — which was blocked by Penedo — but the rebound came straight to Olum who headed it past a sprawled Penedo.

Zusi and Matt Besler signed long-term designated player contracts to remain with K.C. earlier in the day. Both players had received interest from abroad after their strong performances in Brazil.

Robbie Keane cut the Galaxy (7-4-6) deficit in the 79th minute with his 10th goal of the season off a corner kick.

Andy Gruenebaum filled in for Sporting’s starting goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, who is out with a fractured bone in his left hand suffered Wednesday at practice.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals score early, hold off LA for second straight win

Posted on July 19, 2014

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After stumbling in his first start following three months on the disabled list, Joe Kelly tinkered with his mechanics.

Kelly bounced back with seven strong innings and Matt Adams homered in a four-run first as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Saturday to send All-Star Zack Greinke to losses in consecutive regular-season starts for the first time in nearly four years.

Kelly (2-1) gave up four hits over seven innings, retiring his last 13 batters as the Cardinals won for the eighth time in 10 games.

Kelly didn’t get a decision on July 11 in his return from a strained left hamstring, when he gave up six runs over three innings during the Cardinals’ 7-6 win at Milwaukee. After winning for the first time since April 5, he wouldn’t detail his changes.

“I did a lot of stuff different, but I’m not going to give it away,” he said. “If you watch the video, you can probably tell.”

Kelly induced 12 groundouts and got out of trouble with double plays in each of the first two innings.

“I was just trying to mix up pitches and hide stuff better,” he said.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny was impressed with Kelly’s ability to keep the ball down.

“I thought it was one of his better pitching performances,” Matheny said. “There were times when I even thought his changeup was a breaking ball. It has so much depth to it. So his secondary pitches were on.”

The Dodgers’ Adrian Gonzalez thought Kelly had great pitch location.

“He didn’t throw any balls in the middle of the plate,” he said. “He kept throwing his fastballs right on the corner. There weren’t any pitches to drive.”

Trevor Rosenthal, the Cardinals’ third reliever, got his 30th save in 34 chances when Andre Ethier grounded into a game-ending double play.

Coming off a July 9 defeat at Detroit, Greinke (11-6) walked a season-high five and gave up four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He had not lost back-to-back starts in the regular season since Sept. 20 and 25, 2010, for Kansas City at Detroit and Cleveland, according to STATS.

Greinke did lose his regular-season finale against Colorado last year and was beaten by Atlanta in his first postseason start.

“Too many mistakes in one inning,” Greinke said. “I’ve been doing that too much lately, getting behind in a game too early. I need to find a way to be better right from the get-go.”

St. Louis improved to 21-10 at home against the Dodgers in the regular season since the start of the 2006. The Cardinals also beat Los Angeles in six games in last year’s NL championship series.

Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday left the game in the fifth, four innings after he was shaken up while diving back into second base on a pickoff attempt. The Cardinals said team doctors determined Holliday did not sustain a concussion.

Dodgers All-Star outfielder Yasiel Puig left in the eighth, five innings after he was hit on the left hand by a Kelly pitch. Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said Puig got hit, “near the top or on the side a little bit.”

Both players were considered day-to-day.

Matt Carpenter opened the Cardinals’ first with a walk, and Kolten Wong reached on a slow roller when second baseman Dee Gordon threw wide of first, a play ruled a hit and an error that put runners on second and third,

Holliday followed with a two-run single and Adams hit his 12th homer on Greinke’s 16th pitch of the game.

Adams, who has 15 hits in his last 39 at-bats, drilled a line drive over the right-field wall.

“The curveball just popped up in the zone,” Adams said. “When it does that, you know it’s a good one to swing at.”

Greinke said Adams outsmarted him.

“I was just trying to be aggressive and it was the wrong choice,” he said. “Usually, he’s kind of patient early.”

Los Angeles, which has lost five of eight, scored on Hanley Ramirez’s RBI infield single in the third and Carl Crawford’s sacrifice fly against Sam Freeman in the eighth.

The Dodgers have only 12 runs in their last seven games.

“It just tells us that we’ve got to get better,” Mattingly said.

— Associated Press —

Sporting Kansas City locks up World Cup stars Zusi, Besler

Posted on July 19, 2014July 19, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Two of the U.S. team’s breakout stars from the World Cup will keep playing at home.

Graham Zusi and Matt Besler signed long-term designated player contracts to remain with MLS Cup champion Sporting Kansas City, the club announced Saturday night. Both players had received interest from abroad after their strong performances in Brazil.

“Graham and Matt have both proven over the past almost six seasons that they are core players within this club,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said shortly before Saturday night’s game versus the Los Angeles Galaxy.

“They have had a tremendous impact on creating a winning culture, and these agreements keep us on the path of attaining our goals and expectations.”

The designated-player rule, which was put in place before the 2007 season, allows clubs to acquire up to three players whose salaries exceed their budget charges. The club is then responsible for the amount of compensation above each player’s budget charge.

In according with league and club policy, specific terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“Getting these deals completed is extremely beneficial for the organization and the two players,” Vermes said in a statement. “I want to thank the ownership group for their continued vision and commitment to securing both players for the long term.”

Zusi appeared in all four games for the U.S. in Brazil, contributing assists in back-to-back games in the group stage against Ghana and Portugal. The 27-year-old midfielder, also a three-time MLS All-Star, has scored three goals in 27 career games for the national team.

He’s been Sporting KC’s most valuable player the past two seasons, and last year was chosen as the team’s top offensive player. He was also nominated for best MLS player at the recent ESPYs.

The former University of Maryland standout needed eight corner kicks heading into Saturday night’s game to surpass Preki for the most in club history. He’s also tied for third on the team’s career assists chart with 35, and his 15 game-winning assists are third-most in franchise history.

“This is where I have always wanted to be,” said Zusi, who just signed a new contract last year that would have kept him with Sporting KC through 2017. “I’ve always respected players who have played their entire career with one team and I look forward to a long career in Kansas City.”

While Zusi has spent his entire career in Kansas City, Besler has spent most of his life there.

He grew up in the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, starred at Notre Dame and quietly became one of Major League Soccer’s best defenders. But it was his sterling performance in Brazil, where he started all four games for the U.S., which opened the eyes of clubs in Europe. He confirmed interest earlier this week from English Premier League Clubs Sunderland and Fulham.

The 27-year-old Besler was under contract through next season, but the building interest from abroad made it prudent for Sporting KC to agree to a long-term deal that almost certainly includes a significant bump from his $220,000 salary.

“This is a dream come to true to know that I’ll be playing my whole career in Kansas City,” Besler said. “A lot of factors went into this decision, but the ownership and the great fans played a huge part. Now, there is a responsibility to go forward to keep pushing this team farther.”

— Associated Press —

St. Joseph extends division lead with sweep of Omaha

Posted on July 18, 2014

The St. Joseph Mustangs extended their lead in the MINK League North Division Friday night at Phil Welch Stadium as they swept a doubleheader from Omaha, 2-1 and 5-2.

St. Joe’s summer college baseball team improves to 35-14 and 26-13 in league play. Chillicothe didn’t play Friday nigth so the Mustangs gained a full game on the second-place Mudcats as they now lead the North by two games.

In game one, the Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as Brandon Huske drove in Eric Wilcoxson with a one-out double.

The Diamond Spirit came back to tie the game in the fifth before St. Joseph picked up a walk-off win in the seventh inning. Mike Sherburne doubled with one out and then newly signed Tanner Lubach had an RBI single to send the Mustangs to victory.

Lubach, who played for St. Joseph two years ago, was playing in his first game back and he finished 1-for-2 with a walk and that RBI. Sherburne led the Mustangs as he finished 2-for-3.

Brandon Baker earned the win as he threw a seven-inning complete game. He allowed just one run on three hits.

In game two, st. Joe rallied from a 2-0 deficit to get the sweep.

The Mustangs got one run back in the fourth inning and then scored two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.

Lucas Powers finish 3-for-4 with thee doubles, a run scored and one RBI. Fernando Alvarez added two hits and Ryan Abernathy had one hit and one RBI.

Ryker Fox improved to 8-1 as he went six innings and allowed three hits and two unearned runs. Grant Gavin earned his sixth save of the season with a perfect seventh inning.

St. Joseph will play their final home game of the regular season Saturday night as they host Clarinda inside Phil Welch Stadium. The first pitch is at 7:00 p.m. and it’ll be broadcast on ESPN 1550 AM and here on StJospehPost.com.

Royals blow 4-1 lead Friday, lose at Boston

Posted on July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

BOSTON (AP) — Jonny Gomes hit a go-ahead two-run pinch homer in the sixth after another two-run shot in the inning by Xander Bogaerts and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Friday night.

The Red Sox maintained their momentum after winning four of their last five games before the All-Star game. They entered the break in last place in the AL East but were coming off Clay Buchholz’s 11-0 complete-game win over Houston, their season high for runs.

Buchholz (5-5) allowed four runs in six innings against Kansas City. Koji Uehara allowed Omar Infante’s two-out double in the ninth but got his 19th save in 21 chances.

Scott Downs (0-3) gave up the homer to Gomes, the first batter he faced after replacing James Shields.

Eric Hosmer had three hits and two RBIs for the Royals as he extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Daniel Nava started Boston’s four-run rally with a one-out single that slid out of left fielder Alex Gordon’s glove as he dove. Bogaerts was in a 14 for 123 (.114) slump, but hit Shields’ 1-1 pitch into the center-field bleachers.

That cut the deficit to 4-3 and Stephen Drew, batting .158 in 29 games since joining the Red Sox in late May, followed with a ground-rule double. After David Ross struck out, lefty Downs came in to face lefty Jackie Bradley Jr.

But the right-handed Gomes pinch hit and drove a 2-2 pitch to nearly the same spot where Bogaerts’ homer landed. It was Gomes’ sixth homer of the year and his second as a pinch hitter.

The Royals had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on a double by Infante and an RBI single by Hosmer.

The Red Sox tied it in the second when Bogaerts reached first on a throwing error by shortstop Infante, and Drew and Brock Holt singled.

Kansas City made it 3-1 in the fourth on run-scoring singles by Salvador Perez and Gordon than added a run in the fifth on Hosmer’s RBI single.

David Ortiz led off the third for Boston and was out on a strange play.

He hit a towering popup to the first-base side of the mound. Shields appeared uncomfortable trying to catch it so first baseman Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas raced in to help. Hosmer raised his glove, but the ball ticked off it and Moustakas cradled it for the out.

More strange glove work occurred in the top of the fourth when Hosmer hit the ball sharply down the first-base line.

A ball girl, seated beside the low fence in foul territory, fielded it cleanly then quickly dropped it. It was too late, though, and Infante, who had singled, was stopped at third while Hosmer reached second. Both ended up scoring anyway on the singles by Perez and Gordon.

— Associated Press —

Holliday powers St. Louis past Dodgers, 3-2

Posted on July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Holliday homered and doubled with three RBIs, and Lance Lynn won his third straight start for the St. Louis Cardinals in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

Kolten Wong had two hits and scored on both of Holliday’s RBI hits for the Cardinals against the team they beat in the NLCS last fall. They have won six of eight and remained a game behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead.

A.J. Ellis had an RBI double for the Dodgers, battling the Giants for the NL West lead. They remained offensively challenged coming out of the All-Star break, totaling 10 runs the last six games.

Holliday’s seventh homer, estimated at 435 feet to straightaway center, came off Dan Haren (8-7).

Lynn (11-6) gave up two runs on four hits in six-plus innings. He struck out nine and worked around four walks, which tied his season high.

Lynn has 44 wins the last three seasons, one behind Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright for most in the league. He bounced back from season worsts of two innings and six earned runs at Los Angeles on June 28 before leaving with a blister.

Haren piled up 99 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, and is among the National League leaders with 20 homers allowed. He’s totaled 8 2/3 innings his last two starts and has lost his last three outings overall.

The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the third when Matt Kemp struck out. The Cardinals stranded three in the fourth when Lynn bounced out after an intentional walk to Tony Cruz.

Consecutive doubles by Juan Uribe and Ellis leading off the seventh chased Lynn. Ellis scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to one.

The Dodgers stranded two against Pat Neshek in the eighth and Trevor Rosenthal had two strikeouts in a perfect ninth for his 29th save in 33 chances.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State’s Lockett named to Walter Camp Award watch list

Posted on July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

Wrapping up a two-week span of honors, Kansas State senior wide receiver Tyler Lockett was named to the watch list for the Walter Camp Award as the nation’s most outstanding player, the Walter Camp Foundation announced Friday.

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Lockett is a candidate for a fourth national award as he is also on the watch lists for the Maxwell (college player of the year), Biletnikoff (outstanding college receiver) and Paul Hornung (most versatile player) awards. On Wednesday, Lockett was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team as both a wide receiver and kick returner.

Lockett, who was also a 2011 Walter Camp All-American as a kick returner, is the fifth Wildcat in the last three years to be a candidate for the award. The 2012 season saw linebacker Arthur Brown and defensive back Nigel Malone be tabbed as candidates, while Collin Klein was a finalist for the award. Last year, running back John Hubert was a preseason candidate.

One of the nation’s top wide receivers and kick returners throughout his entire career, Lockett is coming off perhaps his best season in 2013 when he hauled in 81 receptions for 1,262 yards and 11 touchdowns, while he returned 22 kickoffs for a 26.5-yard average. With one season remaining, he already ranks as one of the top receivers in school history as he is fourth in career receptions (143) and touchdowns (18), and fifth in yards (2,195). He needs 75 receptions, 838 yards and nine touchdowns during his senior campaign to break all three school records.

Lockett, along with fellow co-captains Jake Waters, Ryan Mueller, B.J. Finney and Jonathan Truman, and head coach Bill Snyder, will take part in the 2014 Big 12 Football Media Days on Tuesday at the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas, Texas.

— KSU Sports Information —

NU’s Abdullah, Gregory continue collection of preseason honors

Posted on July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

Nebraska senior I-back Ameer Abdullah and junior defensive end Randy Gregory continued an impressive collection of preseason accolades on Friday, as both were named to watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year.

The Walter Camp Player of the Year is the fourth-oldest individual college football award. A total of 50 players were named to the Walter Camp list with Nebraska being one of nine schools with two or more players on the list. Abdullah was one of seven running backs on the list, while Gregory was one of only 17 defenders to make the watch list, including just five defensive linemen.

The 5-9, 195-pound Abdullah has previously been named to watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and Paul Hornung Award. He has also been recognized as a preseason All-American by several media outlets and is considered a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy.

Abdullah earned first-team All-Big Ten honors when he rushed for 1,690 yards in 2013, the most of any player returning for 2014. Abdullah owns 2,977 career rushing yards to rank third among active returning players in career rushing yards, and he leads all active players with 4,914 career all-purpose yards.
Gregory has now been named to five watch lists in the past two weeks. In addition to being named to the Walter Camp list, he was also on the watch lists for the Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lott Trophy.

As a sophomore, Gregory became one of the Big Ten’s top defenders last season and has earned preseason All-America accolades in 2014. In his first year with the Huskers, Gregory led the Big Ten with 10.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. Nine of Gregory’s sacks came in Big Ten Conference play, including a season-high three sacks at Michigan.

Abdullah and Gregory are two of eight Big Ten players on the Walter Camp list. Ten semifinalists for the award will be announced in mid-November, with the winner announced on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Three Huskers have won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, most recently Eric Crouch in 2001.

Abdullah and teammates Kenny Bell and Corey Cooper will represent Nebraska at Big Ten Media Days later this month in Chicago. Abdullah will also be a featured speaker at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, speaking on behalf of the 42 student-athletes in attendance.

— NU Sports Information —

Sawyers returns to K-State baseball coaching staff

Posted on July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

K-State baseball coach Brad Hill has turned to a familiar face and a proven winner as Andy Sawyers has been named Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator.

Sawyers replaces Mike Clement, who after two seasons as the Wildcats’ hitting coach accepted an assistant coaching position last week with 2014 College World Series participant Ole Miss.

“We are extremely excited to bring Coach Sawyers and his wife, Dena, and their son, A.J., back to the Wildcat family,” said Hill. “When Mike Clement accepted the assistant coaching position at Ole Miss, there was one name that immediately came to mind to fill our position: Andy Sawyers. He was directly involved in our four NCAA postseason appearances, from his offensive leadership during his coaching tenure to the recruitment of key players who led us to a Big 12 Conference championship three years after his departure to Texas A&M. He is a great offensive coach, passionate teacher for student-athletes, and leader of young men. We look forward to the aggressive offensive philosophy that he will instill, an approach that led the Big 12 in numerous offensive categories during his previous time at K-State.”

Sawyers, who was an assistant on Hill’s staff in the 2009 and 2010 seasons and helped the Wildcats reach their first two NCAA Regionals in program history, returns to K-State after spending the last four seasons as associate head coach at Texas A&M. Since 2011, he coordinated the Aggies offense and worked with the catchers defensively, helping the team reach the NCAA postseason in each of the four seasons. In his first season at Texas A&M, Sawyers helped direct the Aggies to a Big 12 championship and an appearance in the College World Series.

“Kansas State is a place that has very special memories for me, including being a part of the school’s first ever trip to the NCAA postseason in 2009,” said Sawyers. “I’m very close to Coach Hill, and to get a chance to work with him once again is special. Manhattan is a place where my son was born, and although I am a California native, it is as close to home as I am ever going to have in the coaching profession. My wife and I are very excited to be coming home.”

Previously with the Wildcats, Sawyers oversaw an aggressive K-State offense that led the Big 12 in batting average and stolen bases in both seasons. In 2009, K-State hit .317 and stole a program-record 149 bases, and in 2010, the Wildcats batted .323 with 120 steals, the fourth-most stolen bases in a single season. Also in 2010, K-State led the conference in OBP and was second in runs.

Sawyers worked with five K-State hitters who received All-Big 12 honors, including 2010 Big 12 Player of the Year Nick Martini and future MLB Draft picks Carter Jurica, Adam Muenster, Jason King, and Jared King. Martini is one of six players Sawyers has worked with since the 2000 season that have combined to win seven of the conference’s player of the year awards.

In his coaching career, Sawyers has helped lead his teams to 12 NCAA Regional appearances, four Super Regional berths, and two trips to the College World Series. His teams have also won the Big 12 regular season or championship tournament titles in five seasons.

A veteran coach of 16 years at the collegiate level, Sawyers has coached within the Big 12 for 11 of those seasons. The former Nebraska catcher began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Northwestern State (La.) in 1999 before serving as an assistant coach with the Huskers (2000, 2003-07), head coach at Hutchinson Community College (2001-02), and assistant at Texas A&M (2008, 2011-14).

At Nebraska, Sawyers helped the Huskers reach the NCAA Tournament five times, including an appearance in the 2005 College World Series. He worked with the team’s hitters, helping 13 players get selected in the MLB Draft, as well as served as the program’s academic coordinator and assisted with recruiting.

As the head coach at Hutchinson Community College, Sawyers compiled an 87-30 record and made two trips to the postseason. In 2002, he led the Dragons to a school-record 47 wins and a national ranking as high as seventh.

— KSU Sports Information —