Professional – Page 142 – St. Joseph Post Archive

All eyes on $101 million man as Chiefs’ Houston gets to work

Posted on August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

Click the links below to hear post-practice audio from the Chiefs at MWSU.
Chiefs’ Chairman & CEO Clark Hunt
Offensive Coordinator Doug Pederson
TE Travis Kelce
LB Derrick Johnson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The massive linebacker with the sweat-drenched biceps insists he never took a day off this offseason, even if he never showed up for one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ workouts.

Early in training camp, it’s easy to believe him.

With his familiar No. 50 stretched across his broad shoulders, Justin Houston has wasted no time in terrorizing quarterbacks again — even if they happened to be his own teammates. While the Chiefs worked out in only shells during the first couple of days, and hitting the QB is always taboo this time of year, more than once Houston could have easily leveled the boom.

“I just made sure about being busy at all times,” said Houston, who often posted videos of his offseason workouts on social media while his representatives worked on a long-term contract.

The deal was consummated just over a week ago, a six-year, $101 million pact.

“I knew the guys here were working, and I knew the strength coaches were going to have these guys in shape,” Houston explained, “so I didn’t want to show up out of shape. Whenever I got that call, I wanted to make sure I was ready.”

The Chiefs will certainly be counting on him.

After piling up a franchise-record 22 sacks a year ago, Houston will have to anchor a defense that is already without two starters for Week 1, and that is getting older by the day.

Defensive tackle Dontari Poe, so critical in tying up offensive linemen and giving Houston a clear path to the quarterback, will miss all of training camp and likely part of the season after surgery for a herniated disc. Poe is on campus at Missouri Western, but the 350-pounder is nowhere close to being ready to step onto the practice field.

Then there’s cornerback Sean Smith, who’s suspended the first three games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. It was Smith’s ability to lock down the opponent’s top wide receiver that often gave Houston time to get to the quarterback.

“Instantly, it’s kind of like a bulls-eye on your head,” said fellow linebacker Tamba Hali, who was in a similar situation when he signed a big contract a few years ago. “Everybody is going to scrutinize everything you do. Twenty-two sacks? People think that’s easy to do, so if he even gets 12 or 14 sacks, people are going to scrutinize. But that’s hard to do.”

Houston insists he can handle the weight of his massive contract, just as easily as he pushes up the countless plates he puts on the bench-press bar. It doesn’t matter that he will be double-teamed all season, or that the focus of opposing defenses will be squarely on him.

“I’m going to continue to do what I do,” he said. “Be ready for every game, continue to stay focused and continue to work like I’ve been working. Nothing changes.”

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt certainly hopes that’s the case.

After all, he opened his checkbook to write the largest check in franchise history, one that will pay the 26-year-old Houston $52.5 million in guarantees. It is the second-richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history, trailing only the $114 million, six-year deal Ndamukong Suh landed from the Miami Dolphins this past offseason.

“That’s part of today’s NFL,” Hunt said. “Just is a great player. He’s a great leader, he’s great in the community. He’s the type of player we want associated with the Chiefs for the bulk of his career. We always want to reward players we draft, that have grown up in our system.”

Hunt said he wasn’t in touch with general manager John Dorsey on a day-by-day basis, but the value of the contract naturally kept him in tune to negotiations.

Nor was Hunt worried about giving the deal to Houston, who fell from a potential first-round pick to the third round after testing positive for marijuana at the scouting combine. In the years since he was draft, Houston has proven to be the consummate professional.

“He’s turned into a great player,” Hunt said, “and a great leader.”

NOTES: It was Alumni Day at training camp. Among those on hand were former GM Carl Peterson, seven-time Pro Bowl OL Ed Budde and two-time Pro Bowl DT Bill Maas. … WR Albert Wilson had the highlight of the day, torching CB Sean Smith for a long touchdown catch. Smith promptly dropped down and did pushups as punishment for getting beat.

— Associated Press —

Moss hits walk-off single to lift Cardinals past Colorado

Posted on August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brandon Moss felt as if he got a new baseball life after he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

“It was like I won the lottery,” he said. “I’ve got a smile on my face all the time now.”

Moss recorded his first big hit with St. Louis, a pinch-hit game-ending single in the ninth inning, and Randal Grichuk had a two-run homer to lead the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Moss’ one-out hit to left off reliever Scott Oberg (2-2) drove in Jason Heyward, who doubled with one away.

Closer Trevor Rosenthal (2-2) pitched a perfect inning for the win.

The Cardinals have won nine of 12 and have a major league-best 40-16 mark at home. Colorado has lost four of five.

Moss is 2 for 11 with the Cardinals, but he hit the ball hard to the warning track three times in a 7-0 win on Friday.

He was acquired from Cleveland for minor league left-hander Rob Kaminsky.

Since the trade, Moss has been on cloud nine.

“You forget about how tough a season it has been for me personally,” Moss said. “Coming here, instantly makes you a better ballplayer.”

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny noticed that Moss has displayed plenty of enthusiasm since joining the team.

“There have been a lot of players that have come through here that have been happy to put on the Cardinal uniform,” Matheny said. “But, I haven’t seen anyone as visually excited as he was.”

Heyward kick-started the winning rally with a first-pitch double.

“We put some good AB’s together,” Heyward said. “Then (Moss) came through at the right time. That’s what he’s going to be able to do for us.”

St. Louis jumped to a 2-0 lead on Grichuk’s home run off Colorado starter Yohan Flande in the fifth. It was

Grichuk’s 12th homer of the season and fifth since the All-Star break.

Colorado tied it in the sixth on singles by DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado and a run-scoring double by Ben Paulsen. Arenado then came home on a wild pitch by reliever Steve Cishek.

“Sometimes you lose close games and that was the case on this trip,” Colorado manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s the consequence of playing in tight games.”

Colorado went 2-5 on a seven-game road, three of the losses came in the final inning.

Flande gave up two runs on four hits over five innings.

“I felt very pleased with my outing,” Flande said through translator Carlos Gonzalez. “Except for that home run. That was the only mistake.”

St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia allowed just one run and two hits in five-plus innings. He left with a 2-0 lead but was not pleased with his four walks.

“I just didn’t do my job,” he said. “It wasn’t good enough.”

The Cardinals have won 17 of their last 21 at home against Colorado.

“It’s just great to be a part of this,” Moss said. “I can’t even put it into words.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Colorado: RHP Kyle Kendrick will have an MRI in Denver on Monday. Kendrick was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with shoulder inflammation.

UP NEXT

Colorado: RHP Eddie Butler (3-7, 4.82) will take on Seattle RHP Felix Hernandez (12-6, 3.02) in the first of a three-game series in Denver on Monday. Butler will be facing an American League foe for the first time.

St. Louis: RHP John Lackey (9-6, 2.78) will face Cincinnati RHP Anthony DeSclafani (6-7, 3.75) in the first of a three-game set in Cincinnati on Tuesday. Lackey will be making his team-high 22nd start of the season.

— Associated Press —

First practice gives Chiefs cornerbacks chance to shine

Posted on August 1, 2015August 1, 2015

Click the links below to hear press conferences from the Chiefs first practice at MWSU Saturday.

Head Coach Andy Reid
QB Alex Smith
RB Jamaal Charles
WR Jeremy Maclin
LB Justin Houston
LB Tamba Hali

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — There was already going to be plenty of competition for one of the starting cornerback jobs in Kansas City, even before the Chiefs learned Sean Smith would be suspended for the first three games of the regular season.

Now, there are two jobs up for grab.

The battle began in earnest Saturday, when the Chiefs had their first full-squad workout of training camp on the campus of Missouri Western. Nearly a dozen players on the roster are capable of playing cornerback, and nearly half have a realistic shot at a starting job.

That makes the competition one of the most intriguing of camp.

“We rotate guys in there anyways, and it really doesn’t matter the side,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We’ve got enough guys there, including the rookies, that can come in and work into the rotation. We’ve got plenty of guys to work through that.”

Phillip Gaines appears to have the edge on the rest of the crew after starting five games as a rookie a year ago. But he’ll be pushed by a pair of rookies, including first-round pick Marcus Peters, and a host of more experienced players — Marcus Cooper, Jamell Fleming and Ron Parker, who is capable of playing safety along with cornerback.

Gaines, a former third-round pick, got off to a slow start as a rookie. But he came on late in the season, then made perhaps the biggest strides of anyone in the Chiefs’ offseason program.

Cooper has started 10 games over the past two seasons, but he struggled so much late last season that he was eventually benched. Fleming took over the job after bouncing through Arizona and Jacksonville, and played reasonably well. Parker is more adept at safety, but he has the kind of speed and athleticism that the Chiefs wisely re-signed him in free agency.

Then there are the rookies, the complete unknowns.

Peters, once thought to be a top-10 talent, was chosen 18th overall out of Washington, even after he was kicked off his team for what amounted to insubordination last season. Peters insists that all his off-the-field trouble is in the past, and the Chiefs have been pleased by the way he has carried himself since arriving in Kansas City.

“It’s a job that you have to do,” Peters said. “For me, it’s a sacrifice that I placed upon my family for me to come out here to do certain things to provide for them in certain ways.”

The other rookie with a shot at the starting job is Steven Nelson, a third-round pick out of Oregon State — though he may be better suited to the nickel position.

Both of them have some ground to make up. Washington and Oregon State are among the schools on a different academic schedule than most colleges, so the rookies had to return to finish their classwork after they were drafted. That means they missed out on much of the offseason program, though Peters and Nelson remained in touch, helping each other grasp the system.

“We help each other out whenever we can,” Nelson said, “just going over the playbook or anything. Whenever we have questions off the field we might go to each other since we’re right next door and talk to each other.”

Smith, the Chiefs’ top cornerback, was suspended last week after pleading guilty to drunken driving. First-time offenders are usually given a two-game suspension from the NFL, but Smith was hit with an additional game because he crashed his car into a light pole.

Reid said that Smith will still get repetitions in training camp, but it remains to be seen how the coach will split up snaps in preseason games, beginning Aug. 15 at Arizona.

As for Smith, he plans tutor the rest of the cornerbacks as much as possible.

“That’s been my role since I’ve been in the NFL with anybody that’s younger than me,” he said, “because all it takes is one play for me to be hurt, and then they have to step in anyway. My job is to make sure everybody around me is better, regardless of first-team, second-team, a safety, a linebacker. If it’s anybody that I can help out on the field, I’m going to do it.”

NOTES: WR Jeremy Maclin made a couple of deep catches, giving the Chiefs exactly what they wanted when they signed him in the offseason. … Thousands of fans showed up for the first day of training camp, forming a line into the practice facility that stretched nearly half a mile. … Rookie WR Chris Conley (knee) did not participate in the practice.

— Associated Press —

Zobrist hits 2 HRs as Royals rally past Toronto

Posted on August 1, 2015

TORONTO (AP) — After a big win over the Blue Jays, it was slow jam time in the Kansas City Royals clubhouse. Seated around a table in the middle of the room, Kendrys Morales and Danny Duffy gave a spirited sing-along to Whitney Houston’s `I Will Always Love You.”

Maybe they were dedicating it to new teammate Ben Zobrist.

Zobrist hit solo home runs from both sides of the plate, Eric Hosmer singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Royals beat Toronto 7-6 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.

“We had to have this one today,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We had to.”

Zobrist, who went 3 for 4 and scored three runs, homered from the right side in the first and doubled and scored in the sixth.

“It feels incredible,” Zobrist said. “You try and put good swings on the ball from both sides of the plate when you have to switch around during the game but it’s tough.”

Yordano Ventura (6-7) gave up five runs and six hits in seven innings to win back-to-back starts for the first time since April.

“I thought he threw the ball great,” Yost said. “These guys are hotter than heck and their power is amazing.”

Wade Davis worked the eighth and Greg Holland pitched around a walk and a single for his 23rd save. Josh Donaldson grounded out to end it, stranding the tying run at third as Toronto fell to 11-23 in one-run games.

Facing new Blue Jays reliever Mark Lowe, Zobrist turned around to the left side and tied it at 5 with a drive to right. Lorenzo Cain doubled and scored on Hosmer’s base hit, Kendrys Morales singled Hosmer to third and Salvador Perez hit a sacrifice fly.

Lowe (0-2) was charged with three runs after allowing just four in 34 prior appearances this season.

“That’s not going to make or break his career in Toronto,” manager John Gibbons said of Lowe’s difficult debut.

Jose Bautista hit two solo homers and Josh Donaldson added a two-run drive, but Toronto’s winning streak ended at three.

Bautista connected off Davis in the eighth, the first home run allowed by the Royals reliever in 125 2/3 innings. Davis hadn’t given up a homer since Washington’s Ian Desmond hit one off him on Aug. 24, 2013, Davis’ most recent start.

“Wade is the best setup man in the game,” Yost said. “That’s not even arguable. He really does a great job of limiting the extra base hits.”

Edwin Encarnacion almost went back-to-back with Bautista, but his drive to center was caught on the warning track.

Toronto’s Mark Buehrle set down 15 of 16 following Zobrist’s one-out drive in the first.

Ventura started even stronger, retiring the first 11 batters he faced. That streak ended when the Blue Jays strung together four straight singles in the fourth, including RBI hits by Justin Smoak and Dioner Navarro.

Toronto made it 5-1 in the fifth on back-to-back home runs by Donaldson, a two-run drive into the second deck, and Bautista. It was the sixth time this season the Blue Jays have hit consecutive home runs.

Kansas City answered in the sixth when Buehrle’s throwing error opened the door for a three-run rally. Hosmer extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a two-run single and Kendrys Morales drove in the third run with a base hit to right.

A four-time Gold Glove winner, Buehrle said he was embarrassed by his error.

“It kind of unfolded after that,” he said.

Buehrle allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings.

The Blue Jays capped a busy week of trade deadline activity with a flurry or roster moves before the game, adding Lowe and outfielder Ben Revere, acquired Friday from Seattle and Philadelphia.

Toronto also recalled infielder Munenori Kawasaki from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned right-hander Ryan Tepera to Buffalo. Infielder Danny Valencia and outfielder Eqezuiel Carrera were designated for assignment.

LEFT AND RIGHT

Before Zobrist, Wilson Betemit was the previous Royals player to homer from both sides of the plate, doing it June 10, 2010 at Minnesota.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Davis returned after sitting out Friday’s loss with a sore back.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez (10-5, 3.21 ERA) seeks his third straight victory as he faces Toronto for the second time this season. He gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Blue Jays on July 12, but only run one was earned.

Blue Jays: RHP R.A. Dickey (5-10, 4.27 ERA) will pitch on three days of rest in spot left vacant when LHP Felix Doubront was designated for assignment. Dickey moved up so new LHP David Price could get an extra day before his Toronto debut Monday against Minnesota.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis loses at home to Colorado Saturday

Posted on August 1, 2015

ST. LOUIS (AP) — When Jorge De La Rosa takes the mound for Colorado against St. Louis, it’s usually a successful formula for the Rockies.

De La Rosa turned in another solid outing against the Cardinals and Nolan Arenado homered in the Rockies’ 6-2 win on Saturday night.

Arenado connected for a two-run shot in the fourth against Lance Lynn (8-6) and Ben Paulsen added a leadoff drive in the sixth. Paulsen finished with two hits and three RBI in Colorado’s first win at Busch Stadium since May 12, 2013, snapping a string of five straight losses at St. Louis.

De La Rosa (7-4) allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He is 7-2 with a 3.41 ERA in nine starts against St. Louis since joining Colorado in 2008.

“We know we’ve got a good lineup,” De La Rosa said. “We just have to keep the game close and wait until the guys start swinging it.”

De La Rosa’s solid outing was a timely one for the Rockies after they used five relievers in Friday night’s 7-0 loss to St. Louis.

“We always feel good when we hand Jorge the ball, especially after a tough loss and the bullpen’s taxed,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He almost always rises to the occasion.”

De La Rosa mixed his cutter and curveball to keep the Cardinals at bay.

“He’s our stopper,” Paulsen said. “He gets it on the mound and he competes and that’s what you want.”

The Cardinals (66-38) failed to get to 30 games over .500 in their third try. St. Louis still has a major league-best 39-16 home record.

The Cardinals continue to have no answer for De La Rosa, who also beat them at Coors Field on June 9.

“He pitches backwards,” said St. Louis first baseman Brandon Moss, who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland on Thursday. “He doesn’t throw his fastball a lot so you get yourself anxious waiting for the off-speed stuff. He doesn’t give you much.”

Carlos Gonzalez reached on a leadoff walk before Arenado’s 26th homer gave the Rockies a 3-0 lead. Arenado had just one homer in July.

“It’s always tough to come in here and score runs against this staff and in this park,” Weiss said. “I think we played well offensively this series.”

Paulsen added a 436-foot home run to center in the sixth and smashed a two-run double in the seventh.

“Our lineup is strong,” Paulsen said. “Everybody should know that and I think opposing teams know that. It’s one of those things, if we put runs up our pitching is good enough to win.”

Lynn was charged with four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings in his first loss since July 10. The right-hander was 5-1 with a 2.04 ERA in his previous 10 starts.

Lynn was disappointed with the pitch to Arenado.

“It was a fastball out over the plate,” Lynn said. “The guy’s got 26 homers, he did what he was supposed to do with it.”

St. Louis shortstop Jhonny Peralta hit his team-leading 16th home run in the fourth. Stephen Piscotty had a pair of hits and an RBI to run his hitting streak to seven games.

SO FAR, SO GOOD

Right-hander Jonathan Broxton made his Cardinals debut, pitching a perfect eighth. Broxton was acquired in a trade with Milwaukee on Friday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: RHP Kyle Kendrick (shoulder inflammation) and OF Corey Dickerson (broken ribs) were placed on the 15-day disabled list. RHP Scott Oberg and OF Kyle Parker were recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque, and RHP Christian Bergman (right shoulder fatigue) was activated from the DL. LHP Aaron Laffey was designated for assignment.

Cardinals: RHP Jordan Walden gave up an unearned run in one inning of work during a rehab outing in Triple-A Memphis on Friday. Walden (right bicep) threw 21 pitches, struck out two and walked one.

UP NEXT

Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia (3-4, 2.00 ERA) will face LHP Yohan Flande (1-1, 3.68 ERA) in the series finale Sunday. The Cardinals have been shut out in all four of Garcia’s losses. Flande made his first start of the season and got his first major league win in a 7-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City loses in 11 innings at Toronto in Cueto’s debut

Posted on July 31, 2015

TORONTO (AP) — David Price was pleased with the popcorn waiting in his locker when he finally arrived in Toronto.

Hours later, Josh Donaldson gave Price something even better: a dramatic win for his new team.

Donaldson singled home Troy Tulowitzki in the 11th inning, and the new-look Blue Jays rallied to beat Kansas City 7-6 on Friday night and hand Johnny Cueto a no-decision in his Royals debut.

After acquiring Tulowitzki and reliever LaTroy Hawkins from Colorado and Price from Detroit, the Blue Jays obtained right-hander Mark Lowe from Seattle and outfielder Ben Revere from Philadelphia ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.

“This organization definitely put their best foot forward at the trade deadline, and you’ve got to love seeing that,” Price said in a postgame news conference.

Tulowitzki played a key role in the win. He singled with one out in the 11th and advanced on a balk by Franklin Morales (3-1).

Donaldson followed with a single to left-center, giving Toronto its third straight win and sending the AL champion Royals to their third consecutive loss.

“He left me a pitch over the middle of the plate, what I was kind of waiting for the entire time,” Donaldson said. “I didn’t miss it.”

Donaldson, mobbed at first base after his winning hit, went 3-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs. Liam Hendriks (3-0) pitched one inning for the win.

Price was delayed by a flat tire on his way to Toronto, scuttling plans for an afternoon news conference. The left-hander said he was on Interstate 94 near Chesterfield, Michigan, when his right rear tire blew.

“I got the extra tire put on and the guy was like, ‘Where are you headed?'” Price said. “I was like ‘I’m going to Toronto,’ and he was like ‘You can’t make it there on this tire.’ I went to Discount Tires, they didn’t have a tire to fit my back tire and then I just had to sit in a Target parking lot and wait for the tow truck to come and wait for my ride to arrive.”

Price, who makes no secret of his taste for the popcorn at Rogers Centre, had six bags waiting for him in his locker.

“I think some guys might have taken some before I got here but I was completely OK with that,” he said. “This is the best popcorn I’ve ever had.”

Cueto, obtained from Cincinnati last Sunday for three minor league pitchers, gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

“I thought he threw the ball great,” manager Ned Yost said.

Outfielder Lorenzo Cain said Cueto was “locked in.”

“He did a great job his first start here,” Cain said. “Unfortunately we didn’t hold the lead there at the end.”

Kansas City took a 3-0 lead off Drew Hutchison in the first on Kendrys Morales’ RBI double and Ben Zobrist’s two-run single. Morales managed to evade Russell Martin’s tag at home plate, stepping over the fallen catcher.

Donaldson hit a two-run double in the third, and Toronto tied it in the fourth on Kevin Pillar’s RBI single.

Kansas City went ahead 5-3 in the fifth. Hutchison left after Cain’s leadoff single and Aaron Loup came on to face Eric Hosmer, who hit a slow grounder to third. Donaldson’s errant throw to first went down the right-field line, allowing Cain to score and advancing Hosmer to third. He scored on Morales’ sacrifice fly off Bo Schultz.

ROTATION SHUFFLE

The Royals are moving RHP Chris Young from the rotation to the bullpen and will use Monday’s off day to skip the fifth starter’s spot. RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who has lost back-to-back starts, allowing 11 earned runs in 12⅓ innings, will keep his spot in the rotation. Yost said the Royals would continue to evaluate the rotation from week to week.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Wade Davis (back) was unavailable. Yost said Davis is day-to-day.

Blue Jays: INF Edwin Encarnacion (left middle finger) returned to the lineup at DH after missing the previous two games. … 2B Devon Travis (left shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list to make room for Price.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura (5-7, 4.86 ERA) tries to win back-to-back starts for the first time since his opening two outings of the season when he faces the Blue Jays for the first time this year. After a one-day demotion to Triple-A, Ventura beat Houston in his most recent start, allowing one run and six hits in seven innings.

Blue Jays: LHP Mark Buehrle (11-5, 3.29 ERA) had worked at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer in nine straight starts before giving up three runs over 5⅔ innings in Sunday’s loss at Seattle. He is 26-12 with a 3.53 ERA in 53 career starts against the Royals.

— Associated Press —

Wacha, Carpenter help Cardinals blank Colorado

Posted on July 31, 2015

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Carpenter homered for the third time in two games, Michael Wacha pitched seven crisp innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 7-0 on Friday night.

Jhonny Peralta added a two-run homer for the Cardinals (66-37), who have won eight of 11 to move a season-high 29 games over .500 for the third time this season. Stephen Piscotty had a two-run double to help St. Louis run its major league-best home record to 39-15.

The six-hitter for Wacha (12-4) and two relievers came after St. Louis bolstered its bullpen by acquiring Jonathan Broxton before the non-waiver trade deadline on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals sent minor league outfielder Malik Collymore to Milwaukee for Broxton, who will help set up for All-Star closer Trevor Rosenthal.

Colorado has lost seven of 10.

Carpenter, who hit two homers and drove in four runs in a 9-8 win over Colorado on Thursday, also had a double and reached three times.

Wacha gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked one — his only free pass came to Carlos Gonzalez in the sixth, the result of an 11-pitch battle. Wacha did not allow more than one baserunner in any inning.

Randy Choate and Seth Maness each pitched an inning after Wacha departed.

Carpenter slammed a first-inning leadoff home run off right-hander Kyle Kendrick (4-12), who left after one inning with shoulder inflammation. It was Carpenter’s seventh career leadoff homer and third this season.

Kendrick has surrendered a major league-high 26 home runs.

Wacha, who had given up 10 runs over 11 innings in his previous two starts, retired seven in a row at one point.

St. Louis scored twice in first. Kolten Wong and Peralta followed with singles as four of the first six hitters reached safely. Jason Heyward added a sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals broke the game open with five runs in the sixth. Peralta hit his 15th homer off Christian Friedrich.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: OF Corey Dickerson was not in the lineup after suffering a right rib contusion in the fifth inning of Thursday’s loss. Dickerson, who had two stints on the DL earlier this season with plantar fasciitis, is listed as day to day.

Cardinals: Matt Holliday is on the 15-day DL after he strained his right quad on Wednesday. It is the same muscle strain that forced him to miss 31 games earlier in the season. “To kind of take a step back like this is frustrating,” Holliday said.

UP NEXT

St. Louis RHP Lance Lynn (8-5, 2.71 ERA) will face LHP Jorge De La Rosa (6-4, 5.03 ERA) on Saturday. Lynn is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA in four career starts against Colorado. De La Rosa has a 3-3 career mark in St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

Duffy gives up three HRs, Kansas City drops series opener at Toronto

Posted on July 30, 2015

TORONTO (AP) — Dioner Navarro is about to be reunited with an old teammate, and he’s excited about what they might achieve together.

Navarro hit a two-run home run, Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson added solo shots and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Thursday night, hours after landing former Cy Young Award winner David Price in a deal with Detroit.

Navarro and Price played together for three seasons in Tampa Bay, reaching the World Series in 2008, Price’s rookie campaign.

“He knows what it takes,” Navarro said of Price. “He’s been doing it for a long time. And I think he’s going to do nothing but good things for us.”

Price was not with the Blue Jays on Thursday but is expected to join them Friday. Toronto has not said when Price will make his first start but Sunday is a possibility.

The left-hander is the second major acquisition of the week for the Blue Jays, who landed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on Tuesday.

“I thought even before we made the moves we were a good team and we just got better,” Toronto starter Marco Estrada said.

Estrada (8-6) allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings. Estrada left after Lorenzo Cain’s two-out single in the sixth ended his run of 15 straight outs. Brett Cecil came on and retired Eric Hosmer.

LaTroy Hawkins pitched the seventh, Aaron Sanchez worked the eighth and Roberto Osuna finished for his sixth save.

The Blue Jays have homered in 12 consecutive games since the All-Star break, their longest streak of the season.

“That’s what we do best,” manager John Gibbons said.

Kansas City, which lost 12-1 at Cleveland on Wednesday, allowed three homers in consecutive games for the first time this season.

“You make a mistake and they can hammer it a long way,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of the Blue Jays. “These guys are really good.”

Kendrys Morales put the Royals in front with a two-run double in the first inning but Toronto answered in the bottom half on Jose Bautista’s sacrifice fly.

Kevin Pillar reached on a bloop single to begin the second and Navarro followed with a drive to left off Kansas City left-hander Danny Duffy.

Martin extended the lead with a one-out drive in the third and Donaldson made it 5-2 with a second-deck blast in the fourth, his team-high 25th.

Duffy (4-5) hadn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his previous four starts but couldn’t extend that streak against Toronto, which leads the majors in runs. Duffy allowed five runs and six hits in six innings, losing for the first time since June 30 at Houston.

“I just didn’t make pitches when I needed to,” said Duffy, who allowed three homers for the first time in his career. “They capitalized excellently on every single one of my mistakes.”

Ben Zobrist made his debut with the Royals, batting sixth and starting in left field. Zobrist, who was acquired from Oakland on Tuesday, went 0 for 4, grounding out to end the game.

ORLANDO TO OMAHA

Brazilian rookie OF Paulo Orlando was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to make room for Zobrist.

YOUR NUMBER IS UP

Royals first base coach Rusty Kuntz gave up his number 18 to Zobrist, switching to 81. Kuntz also surrendered 18 last season when the Royals traded for Raul Ibanez. Toronto’s Justin Smoak switched from 14 to 13 so Price can wear his preferred number.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Alex Gordon (left groin) hit off the tee one day ahead of schedule. Gordon took 20 swings and will do the same Friday.

Blue Jays: 1B Edwin Encarnacion (left middle finger) did not start but was available to pinch-hit. … 2B Devon Travis (left shoulder) was not available after getting a cortisone shot Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Johnny Cueto (7-6, 2.62 ERA) makes his Kansas City debut Friday. Cueto is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two previous starts against Toronto.

Blue Jays: RHP Drew Hutchison (9-2, 5.42 ERA) has pitched six innings just once in his past eight outings. He’s 7-1 with a 2.21 ERA in nine home starts.

— Associated Press —

Carpenter homers twice, St. Louis beats Colorado on Garcia’s walk

Posted on July 30, 2015July 30, 2015

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Carpenter hit a pair of home runs and Greg Garcia’s bases-loaded walk capped a three-run rally in the ninth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 9-8 on Thursday night.

Carpenter went 4 for 5 with four RBI after moving back to the leadoff spot. It was his first career multihomer game and he has a career-high 12 home runs this season.

Jhonny Peralta’s two-run single off Rockies closer John Axford tied the game at 8-all and Garcia’s walk scored Kolten Wong as the Cardinals recorded their seventh walk-off win of the season.

Axford (3-5) took his third loss in his last four outings.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez gave up five runs on 10 hits in five innings. Carlos Villanueva (4-3) earned the win.

The Cardinals snapped a two-game skid and improved to a major league-best 38-15 at home.

The Rockies are 3-15 at Busch Stadium since 2010 and haven’t won in St. Louis since May 12, 2013.

The Cardinals ended a 22-inning scoreless streak when Wong’s groundout scored Carpenter in the first.

Carpenter’s 423-foot homer to dead center in the second gave the Cardinals a 4-1 lead and his solo shot in the fifth tied it at 5.

Nick Hundley’s 442-foot home run to left in the sixth tied the game at 6. The Rockies capitalized on a pair of throwing errors by Kevin Siegrist to snap that tie with two runs in the eighth.

Nolan Arenado drove in his major league-leading 78th run in the first.

Rockies starter Chris Rusin erased one of his mistakes to Carpenter by hitting his first major league home run to tie the game in the fourth. Rusin, who gave up six runs in five innings, became the third opposing pitcher to go deep against Cardinals pitching this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: Left fielder Corey Dickerson left the game with a right rib contusion after diving while trying to catch Jason Heyward’s triple in the fifth. His status is day-to-day.

Cardinals: Matt Holliday was placed on the 15-day disabled list after suffering a Grade 2 strain of his right quad during Wednesday’s game against the Reds. It is the same injury that sidelined Holliday for 31 games earlier this season.

TEMPERS FLARE

Things got heated after Martinez hit DJ LeMahieu with a pitch to load the bases in the fifth. LeMahieu had words for Martinez while being escorted to first by Yadier Molina.

After being stranded at third when the inning ended, Arenado then exchanged words with Molina.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Kyle Kendrick (4-11, 6.33 ERA) is making his 11th start on the road, where he is 2-6 with a 5.52 ERA.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (11-4, 3.27 ERA) is making a career-high 20th start and has gotten the most run support in the National League (6.16 runs a start).

— Associated Press —

Cardinals acquire lefty OF/1B Brandon Moss from Indians

Posted on July 30, 2015

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brandon Moss was sorry to see close friend David Murphy traded earlier this week by the Indians.

Now he’s gone, too.

Moss was dealt Thursday to the St. Louis Cardinals, who were in the market for an outfielder after seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday re-injured his right quadriceps on Wednesday.

In exchange for Moss, who was in his first season with the Indians, the Indians received minor league pitcher Rob Kaminsky, a first-round pick in 2013.

The Cardinals lead the NL Central by 4 1/2 games over Pittsburgh. However, St. Louis is in an offensive funk and hasn’t scored a run in 22 consecutive innings after being blanked 1-0 on Wednesday by the Cincinnati Reds.

And Holliday is out again with the same injury that sidelined him for 31 games earlier this season. The Cardinals will hope to get some pop from Moss, who signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland during the offseason. While he did produce — 15 homers, 50 RBIs in 94 games — the Indians have fallen back in the AL wild-card race and figure they would try to get something for the 31-year-old.

Following Cleveland’s sixth straight loss on Monday night to Kansas City, Moss, who played four seasons in the NL with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, expressed disappointment at seeing Murphy traded to the Los Angeles Angels and a season that hasn’t gone well for the Indians.

“Nobody’s happy. Nobody’s enjoyed this season,” Moss said. “It’s just one of those things where, the more you try, the more adjustments you try to make, we’re just not making them. Whether we try to make them, whether we go up there with a different approach, everything seems to fall apart.”

Kaminsky is another strong arm for Cleveland’s future.

The 20-year-old was selected with the No. 28 overall pick two years ago and was considered one of the top prospects in the Cardinals system.

Kaminsky has spent the entire season at Single-A Palm Beach, going 6-5 with a 2.09 ERA in 17 starts. He is currently leading the Florida State League in ERA and has 79 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings.

In parts of three minor league seasons, Kaminsky is 14-10 with a 2.15 ERA.

— Associated Press —