Professional – Page 140 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Cardinals’ four-game win streak ends with 5-4 loss to Milwaukee

Posted on August 9, 2015

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers kept waiting, patiently hoping Khris Davis would get in the swing.

No more wondering when that’ll happen.

Davis hit two more homers, including a two-run shot in the eighth inning off recent teammate Jonathan Broxton, and the Brewers beat St. Louis 5-4 Sunday and ended the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak.

It was his Davis’ fourth home run in four games.

“That’s who he is,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said of Davis’ streaky tendency in his three-year career. “He’s trying to lengthen those good streaks and shorten the bad streaks. When he gets into these good streaks, he can win games for you.”

Broxton (1-3), traded from Milwaukee to the NL Central leaders on July 31, relieved Kevin Siegrist with a runner on second and one out with a 4-3 lead. Davis hit the first pitch into the Cardinals’ bullpen for his 11th homer.

“It fell just right there,” Davis said. “It was a good pitch to hit and I was ready.”

Will Smith (5-2) pitched a scoreless eighth. Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his 26th save in 26 chances this year.

Davis earlier hit a two-run homer off Cardinals starter John Lackey.

Last Thursday, Davis hit a pair of three-run homers in Milwaukee’s 10-1 win over San Diego. He had been held hitless in six at-bats during the first two games of this series, a pair of shutouts for the Cardinals, before breaking loose.

“Khris hasn’t had that streak yet that we’re talking about it,” Counsell said. “We’ll assume this is it. Four homers in four games. Two, two-home run games. That’s it. When you’re that type of hitter you’re kind of waiting for it. You work hard and try to get there.”

Elian Herrera’s home run in the third ended the Cardinals’ streak of not allowing a run at 38 innings. It also was the first home run allowed by St. Louis pitchers in 62 innings.

Matt Carpenter hit a three-run homer off Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson with two outs in the seventh for a 4-3 lead.

Pinch-hitter Jason Rogers opened the Milwaukee eighth with a single off Siegrist. Shane Peterson’s sacrifice bunt moved him to second, and Broxton took over.

“(When) the roof’s open and the panels are open the ball flies here,” Broxton said. “You really got to focus on getting the ball down. I didn’t get that first pitch down. It’s away, but it’s just up.”

Lackey gave up six hits, including a solo homer by Herrera and the drive by Davis, in six innings.

“It’s a shame, that one bad inning,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “A walk, a homer, he gave up next to nothing all day today. Sixty-six pitches. We didn’t have a lot of offensive opportunities. That’s tough. Throwing the ball that well and didn’t get a lot of offensive support early.”

Herrera’s home run with one out in the third came one pitch after Jean Segura was caught stealing second base, a play that was confirmed after a challenge by the Brewers.

Jason Heyward hit an RBI single in the sixth for the Cardinals. Nelson allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out eight in seven innings.

Brandon Moss and Stephen Piscotty opened the St. Louis seventh with singles, and Tony Cruz’s sacrificed. Pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds grounded out but, after a brief conference at the mound, Nelson stayed in the game and Carpenter hit his 16th home run.

RARE WALK

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura walked in the seventh inning, his first bases on balls in 120 plate appearances dating to July 3.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina was given the day off to rest and Cruz started in his place. Manager Mike Matheny said he made the move because with the off-day on Monday his starting catcher would get two days off.

Brewers: RHP Brandon Kintzler has allowed only one hit and no runs in two innings while on a rehab assignment for the Arizona League Brewers in the Rookie League. Kintzler is on the disabled list with knee tendinitis.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: The team returns home Tuesday to open a three-game series with their closest NL Central competitor, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The teams have split 10 games this year.

Brewers: Open a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. It is the only three road games in a 20-game span for the team. The Brewers are 4-7 in the first 11 games of this stretch.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs’ De’Anthony Thomas hoping to shine at wide receiver

Posted on August 9, 2015August 9, 2015

Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton
Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub
WR Jason Avant
P Dustin Colquitt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — There were moments last season when the Chiefs’ De’Anthony Thomas resembled the player that rapper Snoop Dogg nicknamed “Black Mamba,” a shifty do-everything star renowned for his speed and elusiveness on the Pop Warner playing fields.

There were also moments that he looked like a lost NFL rookie.

Now a year wiser and stronger, Thomas is hoping to build on that debut entering Year 2 with Kansas City. He’s made the switch from running back to wide receiver, but the reality is the spot amounts to semantics — versatility remains a big part of his game.

“I learned the running back stuff last year, now I’m learning the receiver stuff also,” he said. It’s just all about learning the whole offense, and I feel like the more valuable I can be to the team, the more time I can be on the field.”

Thomas only played in 12 games last season, and his numbers on offense were modest: 14 carries for 113 yards and a score, and 23 catches for 156 yards.

In fact, he was more valuable as a kick and punt returner, even taking one punt for a touchdown against Oakland.

But the Chiefs expect more of the former fourth-round draft pick this season, especially given how thin they are at wide receiver.

Jeremy Maclin is the unquestioned leader of the position group, and Jason Avant is the elder statesman. But beyond that, players such as Albert Wilson are big on potential but short on proven ability.

“He is still taking the ball-handling, still doing stuff in the running back position, but the majority of his snaps were from that receiver position,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, when asked to explain the switch to wide receiver.

“So we said, ‘You know what? Let’s just put him there. We know he can get back there — he does ball-handling, so he works on the runs, but we put the major emphasis on him getting to know those routes better as a receiver.'”

Thomas has already turned some heads in training camp. He made such a stunning cut to get open against cornerback Phillip Gaines that the defender went toppling to the ground, captured on a video that quickly went viral.

It wasn’t a whole lot different from Thomas’ days in college, when he would seemingly snap the ankles of a woebegone defender while racing around the field for Oregon.

“I just see myself as a contributor,” Thomas said. “Special teams is very big for us also. Doing stuff on special teams, and then coming in certain plays and certain formations to get the defense to where I’m at on the field — and how we can beat them.”

The Chiefs have had gadget-type players in the past, such as Dexter McCluster, who played a similar role before Thomas’ arrival.

But the youngster from Los Angeles possesses a wholly unique combination of speed and quickness that makes him a matchup nightmare.

In fact, Thomas admits his eyes light up when a bigger cornerback lines up on him.

“Real big. Just making that one move to open his hips up, and that’s the only thing I need. The next is attacking him,” he said. “After that, just letting ability take over. Just being patient and having fun out there.”

In an interview setting, Thomas punctuates many of his answers with “just having fun out there,” and for good reason. When you have the ability to make defenders look silly — whether it’s a teammate in training camp or an AFC rival in the regular season — it’s hard not to have fun.

“Quickness and speed, that’s what he’s got. And he’s really strong. For being small, he’s strong,” Reid said. “You don’t want to miss with him. He is one of those guys you put in that category if you’re a defensive corner or safety and he’s playing on the inside, you do not want to miss if you’re playing press coverage on him. You’re probably not going to catch him.”

NOTES: There were several scuffles in Sunday’s practice, including punches thrown between WR Jeremy Maclin and DB Marcus Cooper. RB Charcandrick West and CB Jamell Fleming got into it, as did WR Albert Wilson and CB Steven Nelson. … OLB Dee Ford did not practice after going through the concussion protocol following Saturday’s workout.

— Associated Press —

Morales, Perez each drive in two, Royals beat White Sox 7-6

Posted on August 8, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez each drove in two runs and the Kansas City Royals overcame Jose Abreu’s two home runs to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-6 on Saturday night.

Perez, who had been in a 6-for-32 skid, had a two-out single in the three-run fourth. Morales and Perez picked up back-to-back run-producing doubles with two out in a four-run fifth.

White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija (8-6) failed to make it out of the fifth, giving up seven runs on six hits.

Abreu homered to lead off the fourth and sixth innings.

Jeremy Guthrie (8-7) picked up the victory, although he gave up six runs on 10 hits, including both of Abreu’s homers, in 5 2/3 innings.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City waives wide receiver Armon Binns in series of moves

Posted on August 8, 2015August 8, 2015

Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
Head Coach Andy Reid
LB Josh Mauga
TE James O’Shaughnessy
OL Jeff Allen

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have waived wide receiver Armon Binns and linebacker Sage Harold and signed offensive tackle Anthony Dima and wide receiver Adam Drake in a series of moves Saturday.

Binns had not been practicing after hurting his knee earlier in training camp. Harold was considered a longshot to make the roster at linebacker.

Dima signed with the Cleveland Browns after going undrafted last year, and also has spent time with the Houston Texans. Drake led the Football Championship Subdivision in yards receiving last season at Eastern Illinois with 93 catches for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis extends scoreless streak to 36 innings in win over Brewers

Posted on August 8, 2015August 8, 2015

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Matt Carpenter hit a leadoff home run, Jaime Garcia pitched two-hit ball for seven innings and the St. Louis Cardinals made it three straight shutout victories with a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

The Cardinals have thrown 36 consecutive scoreless innings since the fourth inning of Wednesday’s 13-inning 4-3 win. Michael Wacha won his team-leading 13th game, stopping Cincinnati 3-0 on Thursday. Lance Lynn beat Milwaukee 6-0 Friday night in the opener of the three-game series.

On Saturday, Garcia (4-4) walked four, struck out five and allowed Jean Segura’s hit in the first and Elian Herrera’s in the third. The left-hander won for the first time in three starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list on July 28 with a strained left groin.

Kevin Siegrist pitched the eighth and Rosenthal earned his 33rd save in 35 chances, striking out Ryan Braun, Khris Davis and Jason Rogers in the ninth.

Carpenter hit his fourth career leadoff home run this season and Stephen Piscotty’s two-out RBI single in the second gave Garcia all the run support he needed as the Cardinals won their fourth straight and major league-leading 71st game. Piscotty made it 3-0 with a two-out hit in the seventh.

Garcia was sidelined for the first 40 games of the season while continuing his recovery from thoracic outlet surgery.

Carpenter is batting .389 (14 for 36) with six home runs and 11 RBI since returning to the leadoff spot on July 30.

Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta (2-7) settled down after Piscotty’s run-scoring hit in the second and retired the next 14 batters. Randal Grichuk’s hit with one out in the seventh snapped that string.

Peralta allowed five hits, one walk and struck out two in seven innings. It was his third start since returning from the 15-day disabled list on July 28 with a strained left oblique.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Matt Holiday, on the 15-day disabled list since July 30 with a right quad strain, has been rehabbing and receiving treatment at Busch Stadium. No date has been set for his return.

Brewers: Dr. William Raasch is set to perform Tommy John surgery on RHP Taylor Williams, a non-roster invitee to spring training, on Tuesday in Milwaukee. Williams pitched two-thirds of an inning on March 7.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey (9-7, 2.85 ERA) makes his team-leading 23rd start of the season. A victory makes it his 12th consecutive 10-win season. He is perfect in two starts against Milwaukee in 2015 and 4-1 in six career starts.

Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson (9-9, 3.57 ERA) makes his second start this season against the Cardinals. He is 0-4 with a 10.43 ERA in four games against St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs’ great Will Shields enters Hall of Fame

Posted on August 8, 2015

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs lineman Will Shields has powered his way to football immortality.

The 12-time Pro Bowl right guard was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Shields became just the third right guard to enter the Hall.

He made it to Canton in his fourth year of eligibility. The 6-foot-3 Shields joked he’s glad he didn’t grow another couple of inches because if he was taller he might have been moved to tackle and might not have ended up in Canton.

Shields was presented for induction by good friend Adrian Lunsford.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City holds off White Sox to win series opener

Posted on August 7, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Edinson Volquez and John Danks have known each other for a while, rooming in the minors.

They are very familiar with each other this season squaring off for the fourth time this year. Volquez and the Kansas City Royals came out victors Friday night, beating Danks and the Chicago White Sox 3-2.

“I’ve known him for a long time in the minor leagues with Texas,” Volquez said. “We were roommates three years in a row. He was the first guy to let me drive his car in the United States.

“It was like a four-hour drive from Arizona to Bakersfield, California and he was tired and said, `Can you drive?’ I said I can drive, but I don’t have a driver’s license.”

Danks threw six scoreless innings on July 17 to beat Volquez.

“We’re tied now,” Volquez said as the pair went 2-2 in their matchups this season.

Volquez pitched seven strong innings and Lorenzo Cain doubled home the go-ahead run in the sixth. Volquez (11-6) limited the White Sox to one run and four hits and has allowed three or less runs in seven straight starts, lowering his ERA to 3.11.

Danks (6-9), who has a 9-2 career record against the Royals, gave up three runs on five hits and three walks in six innings.

“I made a couple of mistakes I got burned with,” Danks said. “All in all I felt like it was a good day. I just got outpitched by a good pitcher himself.”

Cain, who tripled in the first inning but was stranded, doubled into the left-field corner to score Ben Zobrist for the initial run in the sixth. Eric Hosmer drove home Cain with a single, giving him 10 RBI in the past 11 games.

“Danks has had our number the last few years,” Cain said. “To lose two to Detroit was definitely tough, to bounce back today and get a win against a division team is huge.”

Alex Rios, who played with the White Sox from 2009-13, laced a double to left field to score Mike Moustakas, who had walked, with the first Kansas City run in the fifth.

Jose Abreu, who has hit safely in 16 of his past 17 games, doubled home Trayce Thompson, who led off the sixth with an infield single for his first big league hit, for the first White Sox run.

Luke Hochevar, who replaced Volquez in the eighth, walked Tyler Flowers and yielded a double to Thompson to start the inning, but recovered to strike out Tyler Saladino and Abreu. Left-hander Franklin Morales retired Melky Cabrera on a fly to the right field warning track to strand the runners as the White Sox went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

“We had plenty of opportunities,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “They pitched tough in those situations and we didn’t get it done. We had a big one there in the eighth. We had a chance there.”

Greg Holland gave up a home run to Adam LaRoche in the ninth, but earned his 24th save in 27 opportunities.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: CF Adam Eaton left after jamming his left shoulder when he fell catching Zobrist’s fly ball in the fourth inning. He is listed as day-to-day.

Royals: LF Alex Gordon (left groin strain) could rehab with Double-A Northwest Arkansas or High-A Wilmington, who are both in the playoffs, in late August or early September, if he is ready, Royals general manager Dayton Moore said.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Jeff Samardzija, who served a five-game suspension for his part in an April 23 brawl with the Royals, starts Saturday. He is 0-4 with a 5.95 ERA in four games against the Royals.

White Sox: RHP Jeremy Guthrie will make his first start since July 29, when he yielded eight runs in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Indians.

— Associated Press —

Grichuk hits 3-run HR, Lynn pitches Cards past Brewers 6-0

Posted on August 7, 2015

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Randal Grichuk hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fifth inning, and Lance Lynn pitched the St. Louis Cardinals past the Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 Friday night.

Lynn (9-6) stranded nine runners in six innings as the NL Central leaders became the first major league team to reach 70 wins this season. He allowed six hits and four walks while throwing 109 pitches.

It was the second consecutive shutout and 12th this season for the Cardinals (70-39), who beat Cincinnati 3-0 on Thursday behind All-Star Michael Wacha.

Brewers rookie Tyler Cravy (0-3) replaced veteran Kyle Lohse in the rotation and had little trouble with St. Louis until unraveling in the fifth. The Cardinals had three doubles, a walk and a single in the inning before Grichuk hit his 14th homer.

The Cardinals have won 42 of 63 games against the Brewers since St. Louis beat Milwaukee in six games in the 2011 NL Championship Series.

Cravy allowed only three hits and a walk through the first four innings. Brandon Moss and Stephen Piscotty hit consecutive doubles to open the fifth to make it 1-0. One out later, Matt Carpenter hit the first of his two doubles, scoring Piscotty for a 2-0 lead.

Kolten Wong walked and Jason Heyward singled to score Carpenter. Grichuk then hit a 1-1 pitch into the right-center stands.

Cravy pitched five innings, giving up six runs and eight hits.

The Brewers left two runners on in the first, second and fourth against Lynn. Milwaukee loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, but the big right-hander struck out pinch-hitter Logan Schafer to end his night on the mound.

Carlos Villanueva pitched three perfect innings for his second save.

Since returning to the leadoff spot for the Cardinals on July 30, Carpenter is batting .406 (13 for 32) with five home runs and 10 RBI.

Lohse, demoted to the bullpen after going 5-13 with a 6.31 ERA in 22 starts, made his first relief appearance since Sept. 8, 2009, when he pitched a scoreless innings for the Cardinals against Milwaukee. The right-hander worked two shutout innings in this one.

The game was a rematch of the starting pitchers from June 2, when Lynn and the Cardinals beat the Brewers 1-0 in Cravy’s major league debut.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Milwaukee. Shane Peterson went 3 for 4 with three singles.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Citing the need to rest arms in the bullpen, the team recalled LHP Tyler Lyons from Triple-A Memphis and optioned INF Greg Garcia to its top farm club. “We have some guys that are beat up,” manager Mike Matheny said. It is the fourth time Lyons has been recalled this season. He is 2-1 with a 5.02 ERA in six starts for the Cardinals this year, but will pitch out of the bullpen this time.

Brewers: Trailing 6-0, the Brewers removed Ryan Braun after seven innings. He also was removed after seven innings Monday in a 13-5 loss. He missed two games in late July with a strained ribcage.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis has been shut out in four of Saturday starter Jaime Garcia’s nine starts, but the left-hander has fared well against Milwaukee. He is 6-4 with a 3.09 ERA in his career against the Brewers.

Brewers: Wily Peralta will make his third start since returning from the disabled list with a strained left oblique. He struggled in his last start, allowing six runs in 3 1/3 innings of a 13-5 loss to San Diego on Monday.

— Associated Press —

Still young himself, Chiefs’ Kelce forced to be mentor

Posted on August 7, 2015August 7, 2015

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce signs autographs after NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, in St. Joseph, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
Offensive Coordinator Doug Pederson
QB Alex Smith
OLB Dee Ford
S Husain Abdullah

ST. JOSEPH, Missouri (AP) — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is already getting the hang of being a veteran.

Never mind that he is only entering his third season in the NFL, and that Kelce missed most of his first season due to injury. When practice had ended earlier this week, James O’Shaughnessy dutifully picked up Kelce’s shoulder pads and helmet and trudged toward the locker room.

“He warned me during OTAs that I’d have to do a little bit of rookie stuff,” O’Shaughnessy said, “but it’s expected. Nothing I can complain about.”

A few years ago, it was Kelce toting shoulder pads off the practice field, going through a similar dose of rookie hazing. But after a breakout season in which the former Cincinnati star led the Chiefs in receptions, yards receiving and tied for the lead in touchdown catches, he has become the de facto leader of a tight end corps without much veteran presence.

Richard Gordon and Ryan Taylor may have a couple more years of experience, but neither has played many meaningful snaps in the NFL. Besides O’Shaughnessy, the only other tight ends on the Kansas City roster are third-year pro Adam Schiltz and second-year pro Demetrius Harris.

So, the responsibility as fallen on Kelce to speak up in position meetings.

“He’s great. He’s extremely knowledgeable for how young he is,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Everyone knows how talented he is, and as of late, he’s put the two together.”

Kelce had 67 catches for 862 yards and five touchdowns last season, helping to mask the deficiencies of the Kansas City wide receiver corps. Only a handful of tight ends — Jimmy Graham, Martellus Bennett, Greg Olsen, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates — were more productive.

In a late-season game at Arizona, Kelce had seven catches for 110 yards. He also had eight catches for 93 yards and a score against New England earlier in the year.

But all that production only seemed to validate the third-round pick that Kansas City spent on Kelce, and made everyone forget the knee surgery that cost him most of his rookie season.

“A lot of balls headed to Travis because he came back healthy,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson said. “Travis was a big part of our system last year.”

He figures to be an even bigger part this season.

Kelce split time with Anthony Fasano, a nine-year veteran and more adept blocker, a year ago. But with Fasano no longer with the team, the flamboyantly popular Kelce will be asked to shoulder more of the burden, particularly when it comes to blocking in the run game.

“I’ve stepped up to kind of be the No. 1 role, with Fasano leaving,” he acknowledged. “But other than that, it’s all focused on getting better every day. You work on your fundamentals, you go into the film room to see what you have to do. On top of that, there’s little things in terms of the schemes that we’re doing. It’s just putting everything together.”

As solid as Kelce may be as a No. 1 tight end, the Chiefs use plenty of two- and three-tight end sets in their offense. That means that someone else will need to step up.

It also means Kelce will need to continue to tutor them.

“Gordon and Taylor, Schiltz, there are some good guys there that can work in here for potentially a second or third spot,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. ” We’ve got good competition there. For what we do, we’ve got some pretty good players there.”

The Chiefs could always make a move after cuts are made, and Harris — who has been out with a foot injury — has shown flashes of athleticism that make him an intriguing possibility.

Regardless of who earns the other jobs, Kelce at least makes them feel good about one.

“It’s a group effort,” he said. “I might be the name on the group, but it’s a cohesive effort. Everybody’s putting in the work together, everybody is helping each other out.”

NOTES: RB Jamaal Charles did not participate in 11-on-11 drills Friday while as the Chiefs try to limit unnecessary wear and tear. Knile Davis ran with the first team. … Taylor left with a left quad injury. DL Nick Williams left with a concussion. … S Ron Parker made the play of the day by intercepting Alex Smith and returning it for a touchdown.

— Associated Press —

Royals lose to Detroit on Kinsler’s HR in the ninth

Posted on August 6, 2015

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers are ready to admit it.

They are playing with a chip on their shoulder after being left for dead at the trading deadline.

“Absolutely,” Alex Wilson said Thursday after the Tigers’ 8-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals. “You’ve got a bunch of guys in this clubhouse who were told that they didn’t belong in a pennant race, and we’re out to prove something. Not our big guys, obviously, but a lot of us.”

After four straight AL Central Division titles, the Tigers traded away David Price, Yoenis Cespedes and Joakim Soria in the hours before the trading deadline, then fired long-time general manager Dave Dombrowski.

After winning two of three from the Royals, Detroit is 3 1/2 games out of the second wild-card spot, although the Tigers have four teams between themselves and Toronto.

“We’re not that far out, and we know we’ve got a lot of games to play,” Ian Kinsler said. “No one in this room thinks this season is over.”

Kinsler finished the game in dramatic fashion, hitting a two-run homer off Ryan Madson in the ninth inning, but he was part of two earlier plays that might have been equally important.

In both the third and fifth innings, Kinsler hit ground balls to the left side of the infield that looked like inning-ending double plays. That would be nothing new for the Tigers, who came into the game having grounded into 110 double plays, 14 more than any other major-league team.

Aided by takeout slides from Jose Iglesias and Anthony Gose, Kinsler was able to beat both out. Each time, Victor Martinez followed with a homer — a three-run shot in the third and a two-run homer in the fifth.

“Those were both huge plays,” Kinsler said. “That’s how you play the game. Tyler Collins set the tone with a big slide earlier in the game, and even though they got the double play that time, you get the second baseman hesitating. Those two guys went in hard, and I was busting it down the line, because I didn’t want to end the inning and leave Victor standing on deck.”

Iglesias led off the ninth with a single against Ryan Madson (1-2) before Kinsler hit a 2-0 fastball into the bullpen in left field.

“I don’t know where that pitch ended up,” Madson said. “It was supposed to be a sinker, but it wasn’t where I wanted it.”

Wilson (2-3) got the win after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth.

Martinez hadn’t homered since July 17 and hadn’t had a multi-homer game since hitting two for Boston against Toronto on Sept. 17, 2010.

“That felt great,” he said. “Not just for me, but for this whole team.”

The Royals took an early 3-0 lead, fell behind 6-3 and tied it with a three-run seventh. Drew Butera led off with a homer, and Kendrys Morales had a two-run double.

“That was a nice rally,” Madson said. “I wish I could have held the Tigers down and given us another crack at it.”

The game was delayed for several minutes in the eighth inning when a squirrel ran around on the field. It briefly ended up in the Tigers’ dugout, then raced into left field.

“Usually, I have a BB gun to deal with squirrels, but I was trying to catch this one with a trash can,” Alex Avila said of the squirrel’s time in the dugout. “The problem was that I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to be able to lure it in there with my charm and good looks.”

When the squirrel arrived, the Tigers had runners on the corners and two out, but Anthony Gose struck out after it made its way to the outfield.

“I didn’t want any part of that squirrel,” said Rajai Davis, who got a close encounter with it as it hung out near third base. “I just tried to stay still and not draw any attention to myself.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: With a day game after a night game, Alex Gordon had a quiet day in his recovery from a groin strain. Gordon took batting practice off soft tosses Wednesday and hopes to return by the end of the month.

Tigers: Although 1B Miguel Cabrera (calf strain) was told by the team to take his time recovering from injury, now that the Tigers are out of the postseason race, manager Brad Ausmus said he thinks Cabrera could be back in the lineup by the end of the month — about two weeks later than earlier hoped.

UP NEXT

Royals: Kansas City returns home for a weekend series with the White Sox. Edinson Volquez (10-6, 3.20) faces Chicago’s John Danks (6-8, 4.80) in Friday’s opener.

Tigers: Detroit remains at home for three games this weekend with Boston. Daniel Norris (2-1, 3.23), acquired in last week’s David Price trade, starts on Friday against Joe Kelly (3-6, 6.11).

— Associated Press —