Click the links below to hear interviews from after the Kansas City Chiefs training camp practice on Thursday at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.
Category: Sports
Royals extend win streak to nine as they sweep Minnesota
James Shields watched Lorenzo Cain race back to the wall in left-center field, leap in the air and snatch Trevor Plouffe’s drive away just before it landed in the bullpen.
The Kansas City right-hander thrust his arms in the air, Royals relievers erupted in jubilation and Cain bounded back toward the dugout with no worries about a groin injury that had kept him on the bench earlier this week.
It’s been a long, long time since the Royals were winning like this, and they’re enjoying every minute of it.
The Royals won their ninth straight game, stretching their longest winning streak in more than a decade by beating Minnesota 7-2 Thursday behind Billy Butler’s hitting and Cain’s highlight reel catch in center field.
The Royals last won nine straight when they opened the 2003 season at 9-0. The last time Kansas City won more in a row was a 10-game string in 1994, STATS said. After completing the three-game sweep of the Twins, they have opened a road trip 6-0 for the first time since 1980, when they went to the World Series.
”We’ve got great energy, youthful energy on our club,” Royals manager Ned Yost said, sitting in his office just a few feet away from a raucous clubhouse celebration. ”Our guys, they love winning. They get into it.”
Butler had two hits and drove in two runs. Justin Maxwell had a hit and an RBI a day after being acquired in a trade with Houston.
Shields (6-7) gave up two runs on five hits and five walks in six innings for the Royals, who swept the three-game series and are showing potential to be a factor late in the season.
Scott Diamond (5-10) gave up seven runs and nine hits in five innings. Justin Morneau homered and doubled, but the Twins couldn’t take advantage of a sluggish start from Shields.
Shields needed 116 pitches to get through six innings. But against a Twins offense that doesn’t hit for power, doesn’t hit with runners in scoring position and doesn’t steal bases, he was never really in trouble.
Plouffe misplayed a potential double-play ball at third base to load the bases in the second inning, and Mike Moustakas and Maxwell drove runs in to get the Royals on the board. Eric Hosmer added a sacrifice fly in the third inning for a 3-0 lead.
Morneau, who hit .175 with four homers and five RBIs in all of July, went deep to straightaway center field to make it 3-2 in the third.
Shields was laboring in the fifth and the Royals were clinging to a 5-2 lead when Plouffe sent a sky-high fly ball toward the bullpen in left-center field. After a long run, Cain leaped at the wall and snatched the ball just before it was about to go over the fence, taking away what would have been a two-run homer.
”He’s been doing that all season long,” Shields said. ”You’ve got to tip your cap to Lorenzo. He was off the last couple days. To come back and do that is phenomenal.”
Cain exchanged a high-five with Miguel Tejada and shouted ”Let’s go!” as he ran back to the dugout, and Butler followed with a two-run single in the top of the sixth for some breathing room.
”I was pumped up,” Cain said. ”I robbed a home run. That was exciting. It got the team excited and in that same inning we got the bats going. It was a big momentum boost.”
It’s been that kind of fun for the Royals of late, but they sure could use some cooperation from the Tigers and Indians in the AL Central.
Despite running off the longest active winning streak in the majors, they have made up little ground in the division. The Tigers had won nine of their last 10 heading into the day and Cleveland was 8-2 in that span to keep Kansas City at a comfortable distance.
”We’re playing some really good baseball and we believe in ourselves right now,” Shields said. ”Going into this last two months, this is kind of the baseball we need to play.”
— Associated Press —
Northwest Missouri State golf signs Taylor Gardner
Northwest Missouri Sate head golf coach Patrick McLaughlin has announced the signing of Taylor Gardner for the fall 2013 season. Gardner is a native of Missouri Valley, Iowa, and will compete immediately for the Bearcats.
Gardner had had an accomplished prep career for the Lady Reds. As a senior, she was a first-team All-District and All-Region performer and finished third in the 2A Iowa State high school golf tournament. She also set school records for nine and 18 hole scoring as well as total wins in a season. As a junior, she was second-team All-State while placing second in district and winning seven of nine dual matches during the season.
“With our signing of Taylor Gardner, I believe we have put together one of the best recruiting classes we have ever had,” said McLaughlin. “All three newcomers are strong academically and were first team performers in their respective states. I am looking forward to having them immediately contribute to make our program even stronger in the MIAA and the region. I am very excited to get our golf season started.”
Northwest will look to improve on the team’s 2012-13 finish, which was the best in program history. The Bearcats will be comprised of five returnees along with freshmen signees Gardner, Hannah Sears and Kaydrie Bergner.
— Northwest Sports Information —
St. Louis avoids five-game sweep with 13-0 win at Pittsburgh
Joe Kelly and the St. Louis Cardinals averted a five-game sweep at Pittsburgh, ending a season-worst seven-game losing streak by routing the Pirates 13-0 Thursday night in a matchup between the NL’s top two teams.
St. Louis began the series with a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL Central but left with the Pirates ahead by 1 1/2 games. The Cardinals avoided their first sweep in a set of at least five games since 1916, when the New York Giants took all six games.
Pittsburgh had won the previous four games at PNC Park by a combined score of 36-10.
Kelly (2-3) pitched six scoreless innings and had two hits. Tony Cruz added three hits, including a two-run double during an eight-run seventh inning.
Kelly allowed three hits while walking four and striking out four. Seth Maness, Michael Blazek and Edward Mujica pitched one inning each to complete the five-hitter.
After the Cardinals failed to acquire a replacement for injured All-Star catcher Yadier Molina prior to Wednesday’s non-waiver trading deadline, Cruz figures to get the majority of starts behind the plate. He had started just 11 games this season until Molina went on the disabled list Wednesday with a sprained right knee.
Carlos Beltran, Allen Craig, Matt Holliday and David Freese also had two of St. Louis’ 17 hits. Craig came into the game in a 1-for-27 slump, and he had a two-run double in the seventh.
Charlie Morton (3-3) struggled against the Cardinals again, giving up five runs and 10 hits in six innings. He is 2-8 in his career against St. Louis.
Morton threw a wild pitch that made it 1-0 in the second. St. Louis scored three times in the third as Jon Jay was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Cruz grounded into a double play and Pete Kozma had an RBI single.
Beltran doubled in a run in the sixth before the Cardinals broke the game open an inning later.
— Associated Press —
Former KU RB Cornish earns monthly CFL honor
Former Kansas standout running back Jon Cornish was named Gibson’s Finest CFL Player of the Month for July, the Canadian Football League announced Thursday. A native of New Westminster, BC, Cornish was one of four players honored by the league as he was named the Canadian Player of the Month.
Cornish, who plays for the Calgary Stampeders, rushed for 501 yards and three touchdowns on 77 carries during the month. He also caught 14 passes for 137 yards and a score in helping lead the Stampeders into second place in the West Division. Cornish ranks second in the CFL in rushing on the season and was named the Canadian Player of the Week for Week 1 of the 2013 CFL season.
Cornish, who lettered at KU from 2003-06, is the Kansas single-season rushing record holder with 1,457 yards on the ground in 2006. He ranks 10th on the KU career rushing chart with 2,248 yards and 17 touchdowns on 287 carries. Additionally, he is fourth on the KU all-time list for 100-yard rushing games with 12 in his Jayhawk career.
Cornish and his Calgary teammates will return to action on Friday, Aug. 9, when they play host to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He is one of three Kansas alums playing in the CFL as Raymond Brown plays defensive back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Marcus Henry plays wide receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos.
— KU Sports Information —
Chiefs sign CB Kamaal McIlwain and OT Mike Tepper
The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Thursday that the club has signed cornerback Kamaal McIlwain and offensive tackle Mike Tepper.
McIlwain (5-10, 175) originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2011. After being released by the Falcons before the start of the regular season, he spent his rookie year on the New Orleans Saints practice squad. McIlwain was released by the Saints on Aug. 27, 2012 and then signed on with the Carolina Panthers where he served on their practice squad roster for the season. McIlwain was an All-South Atlantic Conference player at Newberry College. He prepped at Indian Land High School in Fort Mill, S.C.
Tepper (6-6, 354) has played in six games (four starts) in one NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts (2011). In 2011 and 2012, Tepper split time between the Colts practice squad and active roster before being released on Aug. 31, 2012. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 2010. He was released by Dallas before the start of the 2010 season. Tepper played collegiately at California and prepped at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, Calif.
— Chiefs Media Relations —
Royals win streak continues as they hold off Minnesota
Alex Gordon hit a two-out triple in the seventh inning and then scored the go-ahead run for Kansas City on an error by Minnesota, and the Royals won their eighth straight game with a 4-3 victory over the Twins on Wednesday night.
The Royals are above .500 at the end of July for the first time since 2003. At 53-51, they are two games over the break-even mark for the first time since May 17. They remained seven games behind Detroit in the AL Central race and 4 1/2 games back of second-place Cleveland, the current holder of the second wild card spot.
Jeremy Guthrie (11-7) won his third start in a row with his seventh consecutive appearance of at least six innings.
Pedro Florimon homered in the fifth for the Twins, but he struck out with the bases loaded to end the sixth. Then in the seventh, with Gordon on third, the shortstop shuffled to his left to get his body behind a grounder up the middle hit by Eric Hosmer. Florimon failed to pick up the ball, though, as his momentum carried him past it. Gordon scored, and so did Hosmer one batter later on Billy Butler’s single off reliever Caleb Thielbar (1-1).
Aaron Hicks took a bad angle toward Gordon’s drive off the center field wall, and the ball ricocheted past him to let Gordon get another base.
Guthrie improved to 7-3 in his career against the Twins, including 3-1 this season. He surrendered six hits, two runs and two walks in six innings while striking out five. The Twins started the sixth with three straight singles and tied the game on Chris Herrmann’s one-out walk. But Hicks popped out to second base, and Florimon fanned on three pitches.
The Royals, who have the league’s second-best team ERA, have relied on their rotation for this midsummer surge. The starters have allowed 11 earned runs in 72 innings over the last eight games.
Ryan Doumit and Trevor Plouffe greeted Kelvin Herrera in the eighth inning with doubles, slicing the lead to 4-3. Hicks added a one-out infield single. But Aaron Crow came in to strike out the last two batters.
Greg Holland pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 30 tries. Joe Mauer took second base on a one-out single and a throwing error by shortstop Alcides Escobar, but Justin Morneau and Ryan Doumit struck out to end the game.
The Royals are 9-3 against the Twins this season and 26-19 against the division.
Twins starter Kevin Correia gave up 10 hits over six innings, but he struck out three without a walk and somehow limited the damage to two runs on an RBI single by Miguel Tejada and a sacrifice fly by Butler.
Tejada was thrown out at home on a comebacker to the mound, Hosmer was thrown out at third on the sacrifice fly and Butler grounded into a double play. David Lough was caught stealing, too.
The streak helped the Royals keep their roster intact after the non-waiver trade deadline. They even added some depth, acquiring Justin Maxwell from Houston to bring in a speedy right-handed batter who can play all three outfield spots.
The Twins didn’t trade anyone off their major league roster, either, to the temporary relief of Morneau, the cornerstone first baseman who hasn’t been the same since the concussion that ended his 2010 season. Morneau, though, noted the remaining possibility he could be dealt in August by clearing waivers. He’s in the final year of his contract.
Despite being out of the playoff chase for a third straight season, the Twins weren’t able to persuade a contender to give up a prospect or two for one of their veterans. Correia and fellow starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey were among the top candidates to be moved, along with Morneau, Doumit and a few relievers. But all general manager Terry Ryan ended up doing was dealing minor league catcher Drew Butera to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I told Pelfrey that he was supposed to be part of the Dodger trade, but they have a time limit on their games,” manager Ron Gardenhire quipped before the game. “Trying to loosen the tension in here, and he laughed so that was good and we can move forward from there.”
— Associated Press —
Cardinals drop 7th straight game as they fall to Pirates again
Russell Martin drove home Neal Walker with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Wednesday night.
Martin’s sharp grounder off Trevor Rosenthal (1-2) rolled into left field, giving Walker enough time to score from second. The Pirates’ fourth straight win over the Cardinals gave Pittsburgh a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL Central.
St. Louis left 11 runners on base and dropped its seventh consecutive game. The Cardinals led 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 but couldn’t hold on.
Tony Watson (3-1) worked two shutout innings in relief. Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
Matt Holliday had three hits and drove in two runs, and the Cardinals’ struggling offense put together 13 hits.
Walker hit his seventh homer of the season off Adam Wainwright in the first inning, starting a pattern that repeated itself throughout the night. The Cardinals found ways to score off starter Jeff Locke, but Pittsburgh kept chipping away.
Martin’s second hit of the night gave Pittsburgh its 25th comeback win of the season.
The teams with the two best records in the National League were mostly spectators before Wednesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, though the Pirates acquired minor leaguer Robert Andino from Seattle.
Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington stressed he aggressively sought help for one of the National League’s weaker offenses but didn’t want to do it while gutting a replenished farm system.
”We talk a lot about, we don’t want to do something stupid,” Huntington said before the game. ”We were willing to do something stupid, we just didn’t want to do anything insane.”
Instead the Pirates, like the Cardinals, opted to do nothing major. The difference is the Cardinals have a roster dotted with players sporting World Series rings. Not Pittsburgh, which is in pursuit of its first playoff appearance in more than two decades.
While Huntington will continue to search for help, he isn’t sure his team needs that much, even on a night Locke didn’t have his best stuff.
Locke’s rapid ascension from fifth starter to All-Star has fueled Pittsburgh’s relentless pursuit of the Cardinals, but St. Louis spent four innings pecking away at the left-hander’s usually deft mix of breaking balls.
The Cardinals came in hitting just .155 (30-194) during their late-July swoon but peppered Locke for 10 hits, the most he has given up in 31 career starts.
They came in various shapes and sizes, from a hard-hit double by Beltran in the fourth to a swinging bunt by David Descalso that traveled 20 feet. Locke tied a season high by giving up four runs. He struck out six and walked one as his ERA rose from 2.15 to 2.36.
Wainwright, however, couldn’t take advantage of the first signs of life by the St. Louis offense in a week. Every time the Cardinals would push in front, the Pirates would chip away, eventually tying it on a sacrifice fly by Andrew McCutchen in the fifth. It marked the third straight day the Pirates produced a run on a sac fly after failing to do so for nearly two months.
Wainwright allowed four runs on eight hits, striking out six and walking one in seven innings.
— Associated Press —
Kansas City acquires OF Justin Maxwell from Astros
The Kansas City Royals acquired outfielder Justin Maxwell on Wednesday from the Houston Astros in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Kyle Smith prior to the 3 p.m. CDT non-waiver trade deadline.
Maxwell, 29, was batting .241 in 40 games for the Astros this season with 10 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs and 21 runs scored. The right-handed hitting outfielder is batting .302 with a .488 slugging percentage against left-handed pitching this year.
He hit 18 homers and drove in 53 runs in 124 games with the Astros in 2012, which included a .272 batting average, .387 on-base percentage and .505 slugging percentage against southpaws.
He’s in his fifth Major League season and has with 33 doubles, 29 homers and a .419 slugging percentage in 286 games with the Washington Nationals (2007, 2009-10) and the Astros (2012-13).
He’s also swiped 24 bases in 31 attempts in his career. Maxwell was a fourth-round selection by the Nationals in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Maryland.
He was traded to the Yankees during the offseason in 2011 and claimed off waivers by the Astros early in the 2012 season.
Smith, 20, was the Royals’ fourth-round selection in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. He was 5-4 this season with a 2.85 ERA in 19 starts at Class A Wilmington.
— Royals Media Relations —
Chiefs, Missouri Western to host Gatorade Junior Training Camp this Saturday
The Kansas City Chiefs and Missouri Western State University will again host the Gatorade Junior Training Camp on Saturday, Aug. 3 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Spratt Stadium on the campus of Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo., during 2013 Chiefs Training Camp presented by Mosaic Life Care.
The event – limited to 250 participants filled on a first come, first serve basis – is designed for boys and girls in grades three through eight as part of American Family Fun Day. Gatorade Junior Training Camp allows children an opportunity to learn and practice football skills through multiple drills and teach them about the importance of hydration.
Youth will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of football drills under the guidance of players and coaches from the Missouri Western State University Griffons football team. Multiple Gatorade hydration stations will also be available for camp participants to utilize as well. To participate, a waiver must completed on-site for every participant by either a parent or guardian.
The first 100 camp participants will receive two complimentary tickets to the Friday, Aug. 16 preseason game when the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers in a 7 p.m. contest at Arrowhead Stadium. In addition, Chiefs Cheerleaders and KC Wolf will make appearances during the youth camp.
Prior to the start of the Gatorade Junior Training Camp, participants and their families will be able to watch the Chiefs take the practice field for a training camp practice at 8:15 a.m.
— Chiefs Media Relations —