Sports – Page 762 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Sam added to Cowboys’ practice squad

Posted on September 3, 2014

IRVING, Texas (AP) – Michael Sam’s second chance will be with the Dallas Cowboys.

Coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday that the league’s first openly gay player will be added to the Cowboys’ practice roster.

The Cowboys, who are seeking help with their pass rush because of injuries and the offseason release of franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware, added Sam four days after he was released by St. Louis when teams had to cut their rosters to 53 players.

Sam isn’t likely to be on the active roster for Sunday’s season opener against San Francisco.

Any team can sign Sam off the Cowboys’ practice squad, but would have to put him on the 53-man roster for a minimum of four weeks.

Perez drives in go-ahead run in 8th as Royals top Texas 2-1

Posted on September 3, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals had the go-ahead run on second base with nobody out in the eighth inning. Jarrod Dyson got the sign to bunt and failed miserably on two strikes, then chopped a grounder to first base that got his teammate thrown out.

“I was real frustrated,” Dyson said later, shaking his head.

So he did something about it.

The speedster swiped second base and then third, getting into position for Salvador Perez to drive him in with a scorching liner off the glove of third baseman Adrian Beltre for a single. The run proved to be the decider in a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night that kept Kansas City atop the AL Central by a half-game over Detroit.

“When I got to first, I knew I had to make up for it. I had to steal a couple of bags,” Dyson said. “Then Salvy did a great job. Good piece of hitting to get me in.”

Jason Frasor (4-1) left runners on the corners in the eighth against his former team, and Aaron Crow worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his third save of the season.

All-Star closer Greg Holland was unavailable after pitching three consecutive days.

“Phenomenal job,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Crow, who had just been recalled from Double-A Northwest Arkansas. “I knew if we got to the ninth with the lead, it’d be Aaron.”

The Rangers’ Derek Holland and counterpart Jeremy Guthrie pitched to a stalemate through seven innings before the Royals broke through against Michael Kirkman (0-1) in the eighth.

The Royals’ Nori Aoki and the Rangers’ Daniel Robertson drove in the game’s other runs.

Holland looked unhindered by the knee surgery that had kept him out all season, working around a double in the first and breezing through the middle innings.

“It’s my first game back. It’s in the big leagues, a big time-atmosphere, especially with a playoff team over here,” Holland said. “I wanted to make sure I stayed calm.”

His only trouble was hardly of his own doing. Alcides Escobar doubled leading off the third, a fly ball that left fielder Ryan Rua should have caught near the wall. Two batters later, Aoki hit a fly ball to shallow left field that Rua whiffed on with an awkward slide for an RBI double.

“People make mistakes,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

Meanwhile, Guthrie kept dodging trouble until the fifth, when Roughned Odor tripled to start the inning. Robertson drove him in with a groundout to tie the game.

Guthrie proceeded to battle through two more innings on a night when the Royals were short on bullpen help. Top relievers Kelvin Herrera had also pitched three straight nights.

Francisley Bueno recorded one out for Kansas City. Frasor and Crow handled the rest.

RANGERS RECORDS

The Rangers have used 61 players after Holland and Kirkman made their season debuts, setting a new major league record. The club has also used a record 38 pitchers.

LACK OF RISP-ECT

The Royals were just 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position, and are batting .140 in such situations the last five games. Texas was worse, going 0 for 7 with runners on second or third.

MAKING MOVES

The Royals also recalled INF Christian Colon, OF Terrance Gore and RHP Liam Hendriks from Northwest Arkansas before the game. … The Rangers recalled RHPs Nick Tepesch and Lisalverto Bonilla and INF Luis Sardinas while promoting Kirkman from Triple-A Round Rock. Kirkman took the loss while Sardinas made the final out as a pinch-hitter.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Miles Mikolas, who is not making his scheduled start Thursday, will likely miss at least one more start with shoulder fatigue, manager Ron Washington said.

Royals: DH Josh Willingham (sore back) took batting practice and was available to pinch hit.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Tepesch (4-8), who grew up in nearby Blue Springs, Missouri, will make his first start at Kauffman Stadium. He is 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in two starts against the Royals.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas has been feast or famine during his first season with the Royals. He has a 1.24 ERA in his 10 wins, a 6.25 ERA in his seven losses.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis defeats Pittsburgh as Wainwright wins 16th, drives in three runs

Posted on September 3, 2014September 3, 2014

ST. LOUIS (AP) — To earn his 16th win, Adam Wainwright really needed his bat.

Wainwright matched his career best with three RBIs, an unexpected boost that helped carry the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

“There’s usually two or three games a year that you swing the outcome if you can provide something offensively,” Wainwright said. “I just made a couple of good swings.”

The bottom of the order was the difference in the fourth win in a row for the NL Central leaders. Eighth-place hitter Peter Bourjos singled twice with an RBI, and seventh-place hitter Daniel Descalso walked twice and scored twice.

Randal Grichuk added three hits and made a nice diving catch in right field to rob Starling Marte of a go-ahead extra-base hit.

“I feel like we’re really ready to take off,” Bourjos said. “We’re getting contributions from everybody.”

Wainwright (16-9) prevailed despite allowing three home runs to match his career worst. He left after Starling Marte’s two-run shot shaved the lead to 5-4 with none out in the seventh. It was the first time he had allowed more than one homer all season.

He has been getting by with less than his best stuff for a while, and like most of his recent starts, he believes he is close.

“You can look at the three balls in the middle of the plate that got hit out, but I think most of the time I was much better than I have been,” Wainwright said.

“That’s what we see too,” manager Mike Matheny said. “I think he’s off just a hair sometimes.”

Russell Martin and Jordy Mercer homered with the bases empty for the Pirates, who have lost three in a row and were frustrated to get beaten by Wainwright’s bat. He doubled his season RBI total and is batting .203 overall.

“We treat him like a hitter,” Martin said. “He gave some up but he took some back and that’s just the type of competitor he is.

“He was one of the toughest outs.”

Despite the damage, Wainwright didn’t face any batters with runners in scoring position. He lost his previous two outings, the last at Pittsburgh when he allowed three runs in six innings.

Wainwright had thrown 28 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings at home against Pittsburgh before Martin homered in the second.

The first four Cardinals reached base in a three-run fourth that snapped a 2-all tie. Wainwright’s two-run single chased Jeff Locke (6-4), who walked five and was charged with five runs — four earned. Wainwright also had a run-scoring groundout in the second and matched a three-RBI game he had against the Brewers on July 4, 2010, in which he also threw a complete game in a 7-1 win.

Locke allowed a run in 7 1/3 innings with two walks against the Cardinals his last time out. He worked around a season-worst six walks to win at Milwaukee on Aug. 22 and was 4-0 with a 2.90 ERA in five August starts.

“I just didn’t have any command, fell behind everybody,” Locke said. “They were really in the driver’s seat the whole time.”

Jhonny Peralta doubled to start the seventh and scored on a wild pitch by John Axford that put St. Louis up 6-4. Trevor Rosenthal got a day off, and Pat Neshek finished for his fifth save in eight chances.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: Pedro Alvarez missed his sixth straight game with left foot discomfort. Charlie Morton (hip) threw 76 pitches in a four-inning simulated game earlier Tuesday and could join the bullpen soon.

Cardinals: Kolten Wong didn’t start for the second straight game after banging his head making a catch. He pinch hit in both games, and his homer tied it on Monday.

UP NEXT

Pirates: Edinson Volquez (11-7, 3.45) has won seven of his last eight decisions. He is 4-6 with a 5.06 ERA in 14 career starts against the Cardinals.

Cardinals: St. Louis seeks a sweep behind Shelby Miller (8-9, 4.19). The right-hander is 2-6 with a 4.98 ERA against Pittsburgh, including 2-2 this year.

TEMPER, TEMPER

Cardinals 3B coach Jose Oquendo was ejected at the end of the third inning, apparently for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire James Hoye.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs sign safety Kurt Coleman, place Joe Mays on IR

Posted on September 3, 2014September 3, 2014

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that the club has signed safety Kurt Coleman. The team has placed linebacker Joe Mays on injured reserve with a designation to return.

Coleman (5-11, 200) has played in 59 games (29 starts) in four NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2010-13). He was released by the Vikings on Aug. 30 after spending the offseason and training camp with the club. Coleman owns 197 career tackles (150 solo), six tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 11 passes defensed and two forced fumbles. He originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft selection (244th overall) of the Eagles in the 2010 NFL Draft. A team captain and team MVP at Ohio State, he prepped at Northmont High School in Clayton, Ohio.

Mays (5-11, 244) has seen action in 61 contests (35 starts) in six NFL seasons with the Houston Texans (2013), Denver Broncos (2010-12) and Philadelphia Eagles (2008-09). He joined Kansas City as a free agent on March 12, 2014. His career numbers include 194 tackles (141 solo), 18 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks (-10.5 yards), six passes defensed and one forced fumble. He originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick (200th overall) of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2008 NFL Draft. Mays played collegiately at North Dakota State and prepped at Hyde Park High School in Chicago, Ill.

— KC Chiefs Media Relations —

Royals stop slide with 4-3 victory over Rangers

Posted on September 1, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tough to catch the Kansas City Royals when they are leading after six innings. Greg Holland leads one of the majors’ best bullpens.

Ventura pitched into the seventh inning and three relievers shut the door in a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night.

“With Ventura throwing the ball so well, it allowed to get us into the seventh inning with our big three spot with a lead,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We were in good shape from that point.”

The Big Three — Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Holland — combined for 2 2/3 hitless innings after Ventura departed. The Royals are 54-3 when taking a lead into the seventh.

“We had a chance until they brought in Herrera, Davis and Holland, three outstanding arms,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “They might be three of the best arms in baseball.”

Ventura (11-9) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander, who was skipped on his previous turn in the rotation due to a sore back, struck out seven and walked four.

Salvador Perez homered and drove in three runs for Kansas City, which finished with 10 hits.

Holland struck out two in a perfect ninth, earning his 41st save in 43 chances. It was Holland’s third straight day of work.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword for me,” he said. “We’re in a playoff race and you never know when you’re going to get another chance to go to the playoffs. Kansas City hasn’t been there in a while, a long time exactly.

“You want to do everything you can, but you also want to be smart about it. If I go out there at 40 or 50 percent and don’t get the job done because of it, that’s me being selfish for wanting to pitch. You’ve got to understand the situation that if you need a day, you’ve got to express that to the coaching staff.”

Perez, who had three hits, went deep in the third with Alex Gordon aboard. His two-out double in the first scored Gordon, who had singled and swiped second.

Colby Lewis (9-12) pitched seven innings for Texas, yielding four runs and nine hits. The right-hander had thrown a complete game in winning each of his previous two road starts.

“I missed with a couple of pitches early in the game but I sharpened up later,” Lewis said.

Carlos Peguero, who was just brought up from Triple-A Omaha, doubled in the fifth and scored on Mike Moustakas’ single to give the Royals a 4-0 advantage.

Texas responded with a run in the sixth on Adrian Beltre’s groundout. Tomas Telis and Michael Choice each had an RBI single in the seventh, cutting the Royals’ lead to one run.

TWO CHALLENGES

The Rangers lost a replay challenge and won another one. With runners on the corners in the second, Rangers catcher Tomas Telis grounded into a double play to end the inning. Washington wanted a review, believing Telis was safe, but the ruling on the field was upheld. In the seventh, Jarrod Dyson doubled for the Royals, but went over the bag. Umpire Fieldin Culbreth said Dyson got back safely. A review overruled him and Dyson was out.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: LHP Derek Holland will make his first start of the season after having knee surgery on Jan. 10. He went 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA in six rehab starts in the minors.

Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (10-10) goes for Kansas City. Guthrie is 2-0 with a 4.29 ERA in his last three starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Rangers: RHP Miles Mikolas, who was skipped his previous start with shoulder fatigue, has not progressed and may not pitch Thursday in his next scheduled start.

Royals: DH Josh Willingham has not played since Friday because of a bad back. He will try to swing the bat Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis rallies past Pittsburgh, moves into first place

Posted on September 1, 2014

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Holliday is keeping quiet about his recent hitting surge.

However, his St. Louis teammates are more than happy to praise him after Holliday hit the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning Monday to rally the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

St. Louis moved into sole possession of first place in the NL Central for the first time this season with its third straight win. The Cardinals are one game ahead of Milwaukee, which lost to the Chicago Cubs. Pittsburgh dropped three games back.

Kolten Wong started the three-run rally in the seventh with a two-run, pinch-hit homer to tie the game 4-all.

Holliday, who is 7 for 11 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his last three games, then followed with a single to left to bring in Jon Jay with the winning run.

“I’m OK with him going off all month long,” St. Louis starting pitcher Lance Lynn said. “This (three) game stretch, I’d like for it to be like to a 28- to 45-game stretch. If he can keep doing what he’s doing, that’s a big boost.”

Holliday has driven in three runs or more in each of his last three games, the first St. Louis player to do so since Scott Rolen from Aug. 11-13, 2002.

“He loves to come up with the big hit and he got it again,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said.

Pittsburgh starter Gerrit Cole (7-5), who gave up a two-run double to Holliday in third, was also impressed.

“The guy is just unbelievable,” Cole said. “He’s probably the strongest human being in the world. He just continues to get it done when he needs to get it done.”

Holliday drove in the game-winning run with a two-run single in the eighth inning of a 9-6 win over the Cubs on Sunday. He also had two homers in the second game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.

“He’s been a good player for a long time,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “That’s just what he does.”

Jay followed Wong’s homer with a triple to set up Holliday’s team-leading 81st RBI of the season.

Seth Maness (6-3) picked up the win in relief. Trevor Rosenthal got the last three outs for his 41st save in 46 opportunities.

Lynn gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings.

Cole allowed all five runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Andrew McCutchen homered for the Pirates off Kevin Siegrist in the seventh to push the lead to 4-2. The 454-foot shot was the second-longest by a visiting player in the history of the current Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006.

Pittsburgh jumped out to a 3-0 lead with two runs in the first and one in the second. Neil Walker hit a two-run double on the 10th pitch of the game to bring in Josh Harrison and McCutchen.

Andrew Lambo added an RBI double in the second.

“It’s a game we should have won, that’s how I look at it,” McCutchen said. “We can’t let ones like this get away.”

The Cardinals, who were three games back on Aug. 17, have finally reached the top spot.

“No parades,” Matheny said. “But we’re going to keep the throttle down.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: INF Pedro Alvarez missed his fifth successive game with a left foot sprain suffered Aug. 26. He is listed as day to day.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha threw two scoreless innings in a rehab appearance for Double-A Springfield on Sunday. He allowed one hit and threw strikes on 24 of 34 pitches. He is hoping to re-join the starting rotation in by mid-September.

UP NEXT

Pirates: LHP Jeff Locke (6-3, 3.51) will start the second game of the three-game series on Tuesday. He has gone 4-0 in his last five starts.

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (15-9, 2.59) will be making his fifth start against the Pirates this season. He is 1-2 with a 1.61 ERA in his four previous starts.

KINGS OF SEPTEMBER

The Cardinals are a major-league best 53-28 in September since 2011. They went 19-8 last September.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska’s Abdullah named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week

Posted on September 1, 2014September 1, 2014

Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah was honored by the Big Ten Conference Monday, as he was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

Abdullah earned the award after rushing for a career-high 232 yards on 21 carries in a 55-7 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday. His rushing total was the 15th-most in Nebraska school history, while he broke the 100-yard rushing barrier for the 18th time in his career.

Abdullah also became the sixth Husker to rush for 3,000 career yards while climbing to sixth on NU’s career rushing chart. His efforts helped Nebraska establish a Big Ten record with 784 yards of total offense.

It is the second time Abdullah has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, and the fifth time in his career he has earned a Big Ten weekly award.

— NU Sports Information —

Eleven Former Wildcats Land on NFL Rosters

Posted on September 1, 2014September 2, 2014

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State had 11 former players make NFL teams as the league mandated teams to trim their rosters to 53 players for the upcoming season on Saturday. Of the 11 players, six are on defense and five are on offense.

The longest-tenured former Wildcats include cornerback Terence Newman, running back Darren Sproles and offensive lineman Jeromey Clary. Newman, who is in his 12th season, is in his third campaign with the Cincinnati Bengals after spending his first nine years with the Dallas Cowboys. Sproles enters his 10^th NFL season with his third different team as he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason. Sproles spent his first six seasons in San Diego and the next three with the New Orleans Saints. Clary, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, is entering his eighth NFL season with the San Diego Chargers but will begin the year on the physically unable to perform list.

A pair of undrafted rookie free agents off last year’s Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Championship squad made NFL rosters as offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas earned a spot on the Detroit Lions’ 53-man roster and defensive back Ty Zimmerman was placed on injured reserve by the Saints. Aside from Lucas and Zimmerman, three other former Wildcats currently on NFL rosters originally entered the league as undrafted players in Emmanuel Lamur (Cincinnati), Justin Tuggle (Houston) and Reggie Walker (San Diego).

More K-State players could make NFL rosters as teams fill out their practice squads.

The 2014 NFL season kicks off on Thursday, September 4, while a full slate a games are scheduled for Sunday, September 7.

Wildcats in the NFL – As of Sept. 1, 2014

Name Organization Pos. NFL Exp.

Arthur Brown Baltimore LB 2

Bryce Brown Buffalo RB 3

Jeromey Clary* San Diego OL 8

Emmanuel Lamur Cincinnati LB 3

Cornelius Lucas Detroit OL R

Jordy Nelson Green Bay WR 6

Terence Newman Cincinnati CB 12

Darren Sproles Philadelphia RB 10

Justin Tuggle Houston LB 2

Reggie Walker San Diego LB 6

Ty Zimmerman^ New Orleans S R

* Denotes placed on physically unable to perform list

^ Denotes placed on injured reserve

AP source: Chiefs’ Smith agrees to 4-yr extension

Posted on August 31, 2014September 1, 2014

DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension that includes $45 million in guaranteed money, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the team had not announced the deal, which will keep Smith in Kansas City through the 2018 season.

The Kansas City Star first reported the agreement.

Smith and his representatives had been discussing an extension with the Chiefs for several months, and the veteran quarterback was hopeful a deal would be done before the regular season.

Turns out it was completed one day before the Chiefs were scheduled to have their first practice for their season opener Sunday against Tennessee.

Sam clears waivers, meets with Rams head coach

Posted on August 31, 2014August 31, 2014

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael Sam showed up for his face-to-face exit meeting with St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, a few hours after clearing waivers.

Sam arrived at Rams Park via through the media entrance Sunday afternoon still looking right at home clad in T-shirt, shorts and flip flips. He shook hands with two reporters and accepted well wishes but declined further comment before heading upstairs to see the coach who wasn’t afraid to add the first openly gay player to the roster.

All 21 players released Saturday cleared waivers. Sam’s future was a major topic on Twitter, some of it vitriol, some reasoned.

The Rams appeared unlikely to re-sign Sam to the 10-player practice squad because the defensive line is their strongest unit and they need help elsewhere.

The meeting with Sam meeting was postponed a day so he could attend Missouri’s opening victory over South Dakota State.