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Category: Professional

Chiefs’ safety depth takes hit ahead of preseason opener

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs were missing both starting safeties for the final practice ahead of their preseason opener with Eric Berry getting a planned day off and Daniel Sorensen leaving with a knee injury.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid is being cautious with Berry after the star safety missed nearly all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon. The extent of Sorensen’s injury was still being evaluated.

There is little depth behind the starters, especially with rookie Armani Watts missing part of camp with an injury. He got first-team reps Tuesday alongside Eric Murray.

The Chiefs play their preseason opener against Houston on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

— Associated Press —

Royals lose opener to Cubs 3-1, drop fifth straight game

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Javier Baez went deep, Cole Hamels pitched six strong innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Monday night.

Baez hit the first pitch from reliever Kevin McCarthy (4-4) in the sixth inning to center for his 25th home run, putting the Cubs ahead 2-1.

Baez doubled in the eighth to score Jason Heyward, upping his RBI total to an NL-leading 88.

Hamels (7-9) is 2-0 since the Cubs acquired him in a July 27 trade with the Texas Rangers. He allowed one run and seven hits.

Alcides Escobar’s two-out second-inning single scored Rosell Herrera for the first earned run Hamels allowed at Kauffman Stadium in four career starts, covering 21 2/3 innings.

Royals starter Jakob Junis worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fifth. Ben Zobrist and Heyward hit ground ball outs to end the inning.

The Royals loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Hamels retired Hunter Dozier on a grounder to first baseman Anthony Rizzo on a full-count pitch.

Junis was removed after five innings and 87 pitches, allowing one run and five hits while striking out eight, one shy of his career high.

Zobrist led off the fourth with a triple and scored on Junis’ wild pitch.

Cubs relievers Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler and Pedro Strop limited the Royals to one single over the final three innings. Strop earned his eighth save in 11 chances, working a spotless ninth.

The Royals have lost five straight and are tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the worst record in the majors at 34-78.

Rain delayed the game 22 minutes in the fourth.

ZOBRIST RETURNS

Zobrist, who hit .303 with two home runs in 16 postseason games for the Royals in 2015, was back in Kansas City for the first time since the club won the World Series. He received a standing ovation before his first at-bat.

ROYALS LONG TRIP

The Royals were home for the first time since July 25, after a 3-7, three-city, 11-day trip to New York, Chicago and Minnesota. It included a rainout in New York, which was made up with a day-night doubleheader, plus two rain delays in Minnesota. “It seemed like it was a year,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: 3B Kris Bryant (left shoulder inflammation) threw before the game for the first since going on the disabled list on July 24. “It was good to get him out there doing some baseball stuff. It was good for him and for his head, too,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “There’s no regress, but there’s no finish lines attached.” … RHPs Brandon Morrow (right biceps inflammation) and Yu Darvish (right triceps tendinitis) played catch before the game. Darvish is scheduled to throw another bullpen session Wednesday.

Royals: OF Brian Goodwin (left groin strain) took batting practice. He is eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Cubs: LHP Mike Montgomery, who was a 2008 Royals’ first-round pick, starts the middle game of the series.

Royals: Rookie RHP Brad Keller is 3-3 with a 3.90 ERA in 11 starts since moving into the rotation on May 30.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis comes up short at Miami Monday 2-1

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MIAMI (AP) — Javy Guerra cleaned up a ninth-inning mess created by struggling closer Kyle Barraclough, getting Yadier Molina to hit into a double play to end the Miami Marlins’ 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

After Wei-Yin Chen pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball, Miami led 2-0 going into the ninth and handed the game off to Barraclough.

Paul DeJong and Harrison Bader opened the inning with hard-hit singles, then Yairo Munoz walked. Pinch-hitter Kolten Wong struck out swinging, but Matt Carpenter drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-1 and end Barraclough’s night.

Guerra got Molina to bounce into a double play for his first save since Sept. 27, 2014 while with the Chicago White Sox.

Barraclough had blown his last three save chances, allowing 10 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Starlin Castro had two hits, including his ninth home run for the Marlins, who returned home after a six-game winless road trip.

Former Miami All-Star Marcell Ozuna returned for his first game at Marlins Park after being traded to St. Louis in the offseason and went 3 for 4.

Luke Weaver (6-10) allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings for St. Louis.

Chen (4-8) struck out four and walked two.

Derek Dietrich doubled to begin the game for the Marlins and scored on a hit by Brian Anderson. Castro’s home run to left in the fourth gave Miami a 2-0 lead.

With one on and one out in the seventh, Munoz grinded out a 14-pitch at-bat, but Tayron Guerrero prevailed with a groundout. Pinch-hitter Greg Garcia struck out to end the inning.

Ozuna beat out an infield hit in the eighth, giving Jedd Gyorko an at-bat with runners on first and second with two outs. Drew Steckenrider was able to get out of the jam as Gyorko flew out to deep center.

OZUNA TRIBUTE

Ozuna was given a video tribute during the game, and he tipped his cap to acknowledge the appreciation.

Before the game, Ozuna said it was “emotional” to be back.

“I’ve seen everyone,” Ozuna said. “They say they miss me and I miss them, too, but it’s a business.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Tyler O’Neill (groin) was placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Aug. 4. … RHP Adam Wainwright (elbow) is planning on throwing a bullpen session either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Marlins: RHP Sandy Alcantara (armpit) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A New Orleans.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (11-3, 2.75 ERA) is scheduled to start the second game of the series Tuesday night. Mikolas has allowed three runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts.

Marlins: RHP Pablo Lopez (2-2, 4.67) allowed one run in six innings his last start, a no-decision at Philadelphia.

— Associated Press —

Royals’ rally comes up short as Twins sweep series

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins’ blueprint for 2018 included a dynamic young center fielder making great plays on defense and coming up with big hits. Of course, that role was supposed to be filled by Byron Buxton, once considered the top prospect in baseball.

Instead, the Twins are rallying around Jake Cave.

Cave hit his first career grand slam and closer Fernando Rodney survived a chaotic ninth inning as the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Sunday.

Buxton’s 2018 has been mostly a washout due to injuries. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft was optioned to Triple-A Rochester and is currently on the minor league disabled list with an injured wrist. That opened the door for Cave, a 25-year-old rookie the Twins acquired in a minor league trade with the Yankees this spring.

“This is my dream,” said Cave, who’s more or less been the Twins’ everyday center fielder since late June. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Cave homered in his major league debut on May 19, and he established himself with a number of highlight-reel catches along the way, earning him the trust of manager Paul Molitor. The latest step in that process is came Sunday as Molitor started the left-handed hitting Cave against a hard-throwing lefty in Kansas City’s Danny Duffy (7-10), who had been tough on the Twins in three prior starts this season.

That trust was rewarded with two outs in the second inning when Cave jumped on a full-count fastball for his first career grand slam and fourth homer of the season to put the Twins on top 4-2.

“I know Duffy’s got good stuff, I know he’s a competitor, and I know he’s going to come right at me at some point with the heater,” Cave said. “I got it, just stayed short, didn’t try to do too much, and I was rewarded.”

Cave fell behind 1-2 in the at-bat and then laid off some tough pitches, including a curveball that just missed inside at 1-2 and a fastball just below the knees one pitch before the grand slam.

“I had him punched out twice, and it’s tough to see the ball go out of the yard,” Duffy said. “But you still have to keep pitching.”

Molitor likes what he’s seen so far from the Twins’ second choice in center field.

“He’s got a little moxie to his game. He’s not afraid to take some chances on the bases and defensively, which is good because when he got up here we said, `Don’t play tentative.’ If you play timid, the game will bite you,” Molitor said. “I think he’s taking advantage so far. Hopefully it’s a good step for him as he tries to get himself established up here.”

RODNEY WALKS THE TIGHTROPE

Rodney came on to protect a one-run lead and promptly gave up Whit Merrifield’s fourth hit of the game leading off the ninth. But catcher Mitch Garver threw out Merrifield trying to steal second. Alex Gordon then struck out. Big sigh of relief, right?

Hold that thought. Salvador Perez lined a single to center. Pinch runner Adalberto Mondesi stole second, then took third as Lucas Duda walked on a full-count pitch. Duda even stole second, his first stolen base since 2014.

But with the tying run 90 feet away, Rodney retired Rosell Herrera on a ground ball to earn his 24th save in 30 chances.

“I thought that we were going to find a way to score a run there,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We just couldn’t muster it.”

QUOTABLE

“It’s easy to get frustrated, which I did. I came back to the dugout and I had my little 30 seconds of being upset. But I know we’re winning this game, we’re up by one and we’ve got our big man (Rodney) coming in in the ninth. I’ve got no choice but to give my best for him.” — Garver, on refocusing after he grounded into a rally-killing double play in the eighth inning

SHORT START

Twins starter Ervin Santana lasted just 4 1/3 innings in his third start since spending half of the season on the disabled list. Santana gave up three runs on seven hits and left after throwing 78 pitches.

Lefty Gabriel Moya (2-0) got out of the two-on, one-out jam and earned his second career victory. He picked up career win No. 1 in Friday’s series opener.

“I just kind of felt we were at a little bit of a crossroad there,” Molitor said about pulling Santana in the fifth inning. “My gut told me we wanted to go ahead and try to get those last two outs with Moya, and thankfully he got it done.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Mondesi got a second day off to rest his right shoulder, which he strained while diving for a ball on Friday.

Twins: Grossman was replaced by a pinch runner after hitting a one-out single in the seventh. After initially listing him as day-to-day with a mild right hamstring strain, the team announced after the game that Grossman would be placed on the 10-day disabled list.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jakob Junis (6-11, 5.12 ERA) takes the mound on Monday to open a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs in Kansas City. In his last start, Junis pitched into the sixth inning and struck out five White Sox to pick up his first victory since May 18.

Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (5-8, 3.47) will face the Indians for the second straight outing as the Twins open a three-game series in Cleveland on Monday. Gibson pitched six innings and allowed three earned runs while fanning six in a 6-2 loss to the Indians last Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals win series finale at Pittsburgh 2-1

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Matt Carpenter homered in two straight games entering Sunday. By contrast, Jack Flaherty had allowed at least one home run in each of his previous three starts.

Carpenter kept his streak going while Flaherty brought his to an end to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Flaherty (5-6) allowed three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in six innings. It marked the first time he completed six innings since July 3, when he surrendered four runs in six against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Carpenter hit a solo home run in the fifth inning — his career-high 29th of the season, tying him with Colorado’s Nolan Arenado for the NL lead — and Jedd Gyorko singled to drive in a run later that inning to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

“(Leading the National League in home runs) is definitely not something I’ve ever really thought about,” Carpenter said. “It’s just a crazy stretch. There’s not much thought behind it other than I’m just trying to hit the ball hard. I’m really not trying to hit home runs. It just happens.”

St. Louis took the final two games of the three-game series to move past Pittsburgh into third place alone in the NL Central.

“Just good baseball,” interim Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “It started on the mound. Jack was really, really tough through six innings. Offense competed well. … Some tough at bats, good at bats, and good pitching all the way through.”

Bud Norris retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the ninth for his 21st save.

Flaherty recovered after giving up four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies in his last start.

He got out of trouble twice on Sunday, first when the Pirates had runners on second and third with one out. Corey Dickerson struck out and Starling Marte grounded out to end the third inning. With runners on first and third two innings later, Flaherty forced Jordan Luplow into an inning-ending double play.

“That was more where I kind of wanted to be at,” Flaherty said. “It was nice to make adjustments from the last time out, the last few times out, just to try to get ahead. Once it was get ahead, it was stay ahead.”

Carpenter’s home run to right with one out in the fifth ended Trevor Williams’ streak of 21 1/2 innings without allowing a run. That stretched back to July 6, when Williams (9-8) gave up three runs in the third inning of a 17-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“At that point of the game, you are upset they are up 1-0. That’s what I was worried about,” Williams said. “Knowing how good Flaherty was throwing and how well he was executing his pitches, it was tough. It’s unfortunate that that one blink cost the game today, but that’s kind of how baseball is right now.”

After the homer, Williams surrendered consecutive singles to Yadier Molina and Jose Martinez before Gyorko scored Molina with a single to left. Williams allowed those two runs on nine hits with three strikeouts in five innings.

Adam Frazier hit a home run off reliever Chasen Shreve to make it 2-1 in the seventh.

“Now we go on the road and it’s (against) good teams,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “I just love the fact that we are in the hunt. Time to go. We would have loved to won more games here. We did not. Now, it’s time to go put a better package together on the road.”

ROSTER MOVES

Cardinals: RHP Tyson Ross was claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres and will join St. Louis in Miami. He was 6-9 with a 4.45 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 22 starts for the Padres this season.

Pirates: RHP Casey Sadler was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. RHP Alex McRae, who allowed three runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings of relief Saturday, was optioned to Indianapolis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: Dickerson started in left field for the first time since missing eight games with left hamstring discomfort. He hit leadoff and was 0 for 3 with one walk. … INF David Freese did not play because of a right forearm contusion suffered Friday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (6-9, 4.75) will attempt to keep his string of impressive performances going when he faces the Miami Marlins on Monday. He has surrendered three runs or fewer in five straight starts since giving up eight in an 11-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on June 30.

Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (4-5, 3.63) will look for a third straight quality start when he takes the mound against the Rockies on Monday. In his last two starts, Musgrove has allowed three combined runs on 10 hits in 14 innings.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City loses second straight at Minnesota

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Max Kepler had three hits, including a two-run homer that put Minnesota ahead to stay, and Jose Berrios threw seven sharp innings to help the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 8-2 on Saturday night.

Eddie Rosario and Logan Morrison also homered as the Twins won their second straight against the Royals. Kepler went 3 for 3 with a walk and scored two runs.

Berrios (11-8) had trouble throwing strikes in his middle innings and allowed the Royals to take a 2-1 lead after walking the bases loaded in the third. But the All-Star right-hander settled down and remained unbeaten against AL Central opponents this season.

The Twins regained the lead on Kepler’s homer off Burch Smith (1-3) in the fourth. Rosario added a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Logan Forsythe and Bobby Wilson each drove in a run in the sixth.

Morrison added his 15th homer in seventh, a towering two-run shot off Glenn Sparkman that traveled an estimated 442 feet before landing in the right-field concourse.

Smith was charged with a season-high six runs in five-plus innings in his fifth start of the year.

Addison Reed and Oliver Drake combined for two innings of scoreless relief. Drake, claimed off waivers from Toronto on Friday, set a major league record by pitching for his fifth team this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: Manager Paul Molitor said RHP Aaron Slegers (shoulder) would begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester on Saturday night. … RHP Michael Pineda is scheduled to begin his recovery from Tommy John surgery when he starts his rehab assignment with the Florida Gulf Coast on Monday.

JOHAN’S CALL

The Twins inducted former ace Johan Santana into the franchise’s hall of fame in a pregame ceremony. Santana, who won two AL Cy Young Awards during his eight seasons in Minnesota, became the 31st member of the Twins Hall of Fame. For five seasons, from 2003-07, he led the AL in wins (82), strikeouts (1,152), ERA (2.92) and opponent batting average (.212).

Surrounded by family and former teammates, Santana was introduced by former teammate Torii Hunter before being presented with a Twins blazer by Rod Carew.

“Go chase your dreams, work hard, be passionate about what you do. Have fun and never give up, and good things will happen to you,” Santana told the crowd.

Before the game, Twins manager Paul Molitor said he thought it was good for his current young crop of players to see former Twins players return to see Santana’s induction.

“It’s meaningful and I think it’s a good way for our organization to kind of bridge generation to generation through the hall of fame,” Molitor said.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (7-9) will make his 24th start of the season Sunday. After posting a 6.88 ERA in his first 10 starts, he has a 3.00 ERA since May 24, the fourth-lowest in the AL in that stretch.

Twins: RHP Ervin Santana (0-0) looks to return to his ace form when makes his third start since returning from the 60-day DL after being sidelined by an injured finger. He has allowed a combined eight earned runs in 10 1/3 innings with six strikeouts this season.

— Associated Press —

Gyorko, Wong and Molina lead Cardinals over Pirates 8-4

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kolten Wong didn’t miss a beat as he came off the disabled list. In fact, he had one of his best games of the season.

The second baseman was activated before the game and had three hits to help lead the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night. Jeff Gyokro drove in three runs and Yadier Molina also had three hits.

Wong had been out since July 22 with left knee inflammation and brought a .216 batting average into the game.

“I thought I’d be a little rusty, but I felt pretty good,” Wong said. “You want to come back and help the team get a win so it’s a good feeling. It was a really good win for us as a team, just not me individually.”

Gyorko hit a pair of doubles, including a tiebreaking one in the fifth inning.

Matt Carpenter doubled and tied a career high with his NL-leading 28th home run, a solo shot in the ninth off Dovydas Neverauskas. Jose Martinez doubled twice, and Harrison Bader also had two of the Cardinals’ 14 hits.

“Relentless is the word that comes to mind,” St. Louis interim manager Mike Shildt said. “Our guys were relentless and had a lot of quality at-bats.”

Dakota Hudson (2-0) pitched three perfect innings in relief of fellow rookie Austin Gomber, who gave up four runs in four innings.

“They had the momentum then we had the momentum then they had the momentum and Dakota swung the momentum back to our side,” Shildt said. “He pitched three lights-out innings.”

“I’m just trying to simplify things,” said Hudson, who has not allowed a run in his first four major league games and six innings. “Just come in and get people out then hand the ball off to the next guy.”

Ivan Nova (6-7) was also touched for four runs in four innings. The Pirates had won his previous four starts.

“They had a lot of good at-bats, (Molina) especially, threw a lot of pitches to him and everything I had, he fouled it off,” Nova said.

Pittsburgh’s David Freese homered to open the scoring in the second inning. The Pirates lost for just the second time in their last 12 games inside the NL Central.

St. Louis moved ahead for good by scoring twice off Alex McRae (0-1) in the fifth inning to break a 4-4 tie. Jose Martinez and Gyorko led off with back-to-back doubles and Gyorko scored on Bader’s groundout.

McRae allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The Cardinals moved ahead 3-1 with three runs in the third as Martinez hit an RBI double and Gyorko followed with a two-run double. Bader doubled and scored on Gomber’s grounder in the fourth to make it 4-1.

The Pirates tied it with three in the fourth. Jordy Mercer singled in a run and Adam Frazier hit a two-run double.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RF Tyler O’Neill (groin discomfort) was scratched just before game time and replaced by Martinez. . OF Dexter Fowler (broken left foot) was placed on the 10-day disabled list. He was examined by team doctors in St. Louis on Saturday and will wear a walking boot for one month then be reevaluated. Fowler was removed in the eighth inning of Friday night’s 7-6 loss to the Pirates after fouling a ball off the foot.

Pirates: OF Corey Dickerson was activated from the 10-day DL and flied out as a pinch-hitter. INF/OF Christopher Bostick was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. . With 1B Josh Bell (strained left oblique) on the DL, C Francisco Cervelli made his first start at first base since 2016 and went 2-for-3 with a walk while handling 10 total chances flawlessly.

VAN SLYKE FETED

Retired five-time Gold Glove-winning outfielder Andy Van Slyke threw out the ceremonial first pitch on his bobblehead night. Van Slyke played for both the Cardinals (1983-86) and Pirates (1987-94).

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (4-6, 3.49 ERA) starts Sunday and the rookie is 1-4 with a 4.03 ERA in his last nine starts. St. Louis will try to win three series in a row for the first time this season.

Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (9-7, 3.89 ERA) has pitched a combined 17 scoreless innings while winning his last three starts.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs ownership excited to see Patrick Mahomes at QB

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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Even the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs is excited to see what Patrick Mahomes II can do.

Clark Hunt doesn’t seem worried about putting too much pressure on his young quarterback, either.

The chairman and most visible face of the ownership family said after Saturday’s training camp session at Missouri Western State University that he’s looking forward to seeing Mahomes under center when the Chiefs open their preseason schedule Thursday night against Houston.

He’s is eager for what the second-year pro can do for seasons to come, too.

“There’s a lot of excitement here in Kansas City and really around the country about Patrick. He is a young man with a lot of skills, has a very high ceiling,” Hunt said. “He’s going through the process in learning what it means to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. That learning process will continue during the preseason and I’m sure once we get to the regular season.”

Mahomes is taking over on a full-time basis from Alex Smith, who was traded to Washington despite the best year of his career. And the fact that Kansas City is pinning its hopes on its first homegrown quarterback in a generation has energized an already fervent fan base.

Season-ticket sales are robust, and there were about 6,000 fans at practice on Saturday.

“It’s very exciting for the franchise from a long-term perspective,” Hunt said. “If you can develop your own quarterback who can play at the top of the league, you can create an opportunity over the course of a decade to win a championship, and that’s what we hope Patrick does for us.”

No pressure, kid.

Hunt has also noticed what many others have this offseason: Chiefs coach Andy Reid has an extra bounce in his step, a byproduct of the fun he’s having working with a new, young quarterback.

“I know that’s a hard thing to imagine when you’re talking about Andy,” Hunt said in his annual training camp availability, “but truthfully he seems energized. And that goes all the way back to the preseason, the chance to take a quarterback and mold him, something he’s had a lot of success at.”

In other news, Hunt declined to discuss the dispute between the league and its players when it comes to protesting during the national anthem. “There’s really nothing to report,” Hunt said. “Until the league tells us what the policy is, there’s nothing really to talk about.”

Hunt did say he’s spoken to the Chiefs individually and collectively about social justice initiatives, and that the organization was willing to provide human resources and financial resources to help players make a difference with causes that they care about.

“That’s not something new for the Chiefs. It’s something that’s been going on here in Kansas City since my dad brought the team here in 1963,” Hunt said. “I’ve challenged the players to go out there and make a difference, and there’s so many that have a great heart and want to spend the time.”

Hunt also said the Chiefs are content with using Missouri Western as their training camp base, even though the majority of NFL franchises now hold camp at their usual practice facility.

Hunt and Reid both like the old-school idea of team-building that occurs at camp, even though it’s only an hours’ drive from Kansas City. Missouri Western has also built and improved its facilities to the point they rival most major colleges and professional franchises.

He also praised the work done by general manager Brett Veach, who has made several controversial moves since taking over last year. Among them was dealing talented but temperamental cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, a clear attempt at improving the clubhouse culture.

“One thing we really care about as a franchise is the culture and character of the team,” Hunt said. “That’s something very important to Brett. As he brought in players in free agency and the draft, he made sure those players would be positive contributors to the character of the football team.”

NOTES: OLs Cam Erving (knee) and Eric Fisher (shoulder) did not practice, nor did LBs Reggie Ragland (knee) and Anthony Hitchens (hamstring). None of the injuries to the four starters is thought to be serious. … CB Keith Reaser (quad), LB Tanoh Kpassagnon (heel) and FS Leon McQuay (hamstring) were limited in practice. It’s unclear if any will play in the preseason opener.

— Associated Press —

Royals fall short of sweep at Chicago

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CHICAGO (AP) — In a matchup of teams on track to both lose 100 or more games, the White Sox avoided getting swept in a three-game series.

Jose Abreu hit a tying home run off Jason Adam in the eighth and pinch-hitter Daniel Palka had a three-run homer off Jason Hammel later in the inning, leading Chicago over the Kansas City Royals 6-4 Thursday.

Kansas City overcame a 2-0 deficit when pinch-hitter Whit Merrifield hit a three-run homer in the eighth off Xavier Cedeno (1-0), but Abreu homered with one out in the bottom half against Adam (0-3). Abreu’s 141st big league homer moved him ahead of Ron Kittle into sole possession of 10th on the White Sox career list.

Avisail Garcia doubled, Omar Narvaez was intentionally walked and Hammel relieved. Palka drove a hanging slider a half-dozen rows in the right-centerfield bleachers. He tied the White Sox record of three pinch homers in one season, set by Oscar Gamble in 1977.

“I wanted to hit a home run,” Palka said of his mindset.

Rosell Herrera hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth off Luis Avilan, who got his first save in seven major league seasons.

Chicago (38-70) won for the second time in eight games. Kansas City (34-74) had been seeking its first three-game sweep at the White Sox since June 13-15, 2014.

White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez allowed two runs and five hits in seven-plus innings, leaving with a 2-0 lead after Alcides Escobar doubled leading off the eighth and Adalberto Mondesi reached on a bunt single.

Jace Fry struck out Alex Gordon, Mondesi stole second, and Juan Minaya struck out Salvador Perez. Merrifield greeted Cedeno with his first big league pinch-hit homer.

Lopez had been 0-4 with an 8.27 ERA in his prior four starts.

“I felt good. I felt in command of all my pitches. I was focused today,” Lopez said.

Royals rookie Brad Keller gave up two runs, five hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings.

Narvaez, who has 17 hits in 10 RBI in his last 12 games, had a run-scoring single in the fourth. Tim Anderson had an RBI double in the seventh off Tim Hill.

“Did a phenomenal job keeping us in the game,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: RHP Nate Jones (strained right arm) played catch for the first time in two weeks. … C Kevan Smith could to begin paternity leave Friday.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (7-8, 6.26) is to start Friday at Tampa Bay.

Royals: RHP Heath Fillmyer (0-1, 3.29) is to open Friday at Minnesota.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis gets another walk-off win against Colorado

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jose Martinez is making the most of his limited opportunities.

Martinez sliced an opposite-field pinch-hit single to the right-center field gap off Wade Davis with one out in the ninth inning, driving in the tying and go-ahead runs and lifting the St. Louis Cardinals over the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Thursday.

“Trying to put the ball in play, trying just to get one run, that’s the most important thing,” Martinez said.

Greg Garcia singled with one out against Davis (1-4) and took third on a single by rookie Harrison Bader.

Bader stole second, and Martinez singled on a high fastball, giving the Cardinals their ninth walk-off win this season.

It was the first career walk-off RBI for Martinez, whose playing time has decreased since Mike Shildt became the interim manager on July 14.

“It’s a great teammate. That’s probably one of the best compliments I can give Jose,” Shildt said. “He’s still getting opportunities. He’s not getting quite as many, but he’s determined to make the most of them and showed up ready to take a really quality at-bat with a nice plan.”

Davis has a career-high five blown saves in 36 chances.

“I left it over the plate,” he said. “A couple of line drive hits there. Obviously, the stolen base didn’t help either.”

Colorado, which began the day one game back for the NL’s second wild card, lost three of four at the Cardinals. The Rockies had been seeking to tie the franchise record of nine straight series without a series loss but instead lost a series for the first time since dropping two of three at San Francisco from June 26-28.

“We’re in every game now, which is good, and we’ve won most of them,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “We’ve got to continue to pitch well. If we do that we’ll be fine.”

Chasen Shreve (3-2), acquired from the New York Yankees on Saturday, pitched a perfect ninth in his second appearance for the Cardinals.

“This is a focused group that’s really dedicated to playing good baseball and to moving this thing forward and to win games and to put us in position even further than where we are now,” Shildt said. “This team wants to play in the playoffs.”

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas allowed two runs — one earned — and seven hits in seven innings. Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela gave up one run and five hits in six innings.

After the Cardinals loaded the bases in the sixth, Senzatela struck out Bader on a curveball in the dirt with an 0-2 count.

Tyler O’Neill put St. Louis ahead with a sacrifice fly in the third. Gerardo Parra had a tying single in the fourth, and Colorado went ahead when Ian Desmond hit a bouncer to the third-base side, and Mikolas made an off-balance throw that hit the tarp in foul territory in right field. Desmond was credited with a single, and Nolan Arenado came home from third on the error.

MAKING A SPLASH

O’Neill made a running catch against the wall right-field wall in the first inning to rob Arenado of an extra-base hit and a diving catch of a liner off of Trevor Story’s bat in the fourth.

“If I can help on the defensive side of the ball that’s what I’m going to do,” O’Neill said. “I was just able to make a couple of plays out there to help the boys get the game going.”

TRAINING ROOM

Rockies: 2B DJ LeMahieu (left oblique strain) was reinstated from the 10-day DL and 2B Garrett Hampson was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Cardinals: OF Marcell Ozuna left in the fifth inning because of discomfort in one of his left toes. 2B Kolten Wong (left knee inflammation) began an injury rehabilitation assignment at Class A Peoria and is expected to join the team this weekend in Pittsburgh.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP German Marquez (9-8, 4.82 ERA) starts Friday’s opener of a three-game series at Milwaukee. He is 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA in his last five starts.

Cardinals: RHP John Gant (3-4, 3.49 ERA) starts a three-game series on Friday at Pittsburgh, where RHP Chris Archer (3-5, 4.31 ERA) is to make his Pirates debut after his acquisition from Tampa Bay. Gant is coming off his shortest outing of the season, lasting 4 1/3 innings in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night.

— Associated Press —

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