Dein erstes Forum » ks to a pep talk from his champions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Eric Hosmer finally topped his rookie total from five years ago.Hosmer hit his career-high 20th homer, Yordano Ventura pitched into and out of trouble, and the Kansas City Royals snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.Hosmer homered in the fourth off Michael Fulmer after Cheslor Cuthbert led off the inning with a double. Hosmers previous high was 19 as a rookie in 2011.Its what we all strive for to get better and better each year, Hosmer said. It came at a good time especially the way Fulmer was pitching, ended up getting us a victory with hopefully a lot more victories to come.Ventura (10-9) threw 53 strikes and 52 balls in six innings, allowing one run and six hits with six walks and a wild pitch. He improved to 7-0 against the Tigers, including three wins this season, and is 4-0 overall in his past six starts.He was really smart, Royals manager Ned Yost said. Some of those balls werent because he wasnt commanding his pitches. He was not going to let the middle of that order beat him. He was pitching around them.The Tigers went 1 for 9 with runners on base, stranding nine, while he was on the mound and had a base runner every inning.It just came down to us not getting a big hit when we needed it, Detroits Ian Kinsler said. We had opportunities. We got on base plenty against him. We just couldnt get a hit to drive in some runs tonight.Fulmer (10-6) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings for the Tigers, falling to 1-4 in his past five starts. He walked one and struck out four.The 2-2 pitch to Hosmer, I threw it up and in, Fulmer said. I could have gotten it a little higher, but it was in. He put a good swing on it and got the barrel to it.Successive bunt singles by Raul Mondesi and Jarrod Dyson led to a run in the fifth as Cuthberts two-out single scored Mondesi.James McCanns fielders choice ground out in the fourth scored J.D. Martinez, who led off the inning with a double, for the only run Ventura allowed.Alcides Escobars bases-loaded single in the ninth scored pinch-runner Terrance Gore and Salvador Perez for the final Kansas City runs. Escobar extended his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games.Kinsler homered on an 0-2 pitch from Brooks Pounders to lead off the Tigers ninth.Wade Davis, who blew a save Friday, was summoned to get the final outs, striking out Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez, picking up his 22nd save in 25 opportunities.ROSTER MOVEThe Tigers purchased the contract of LHP Joe Mantiply from Double-A Erie. In his final 13 outings for Erie, covering 15 innings, Mantiply did not allow a run and held opposing hitters to a .096 batting average. He limited left-handed hitters to a .147 average with a .196 slugging percentage for the season. The Tigers designated for assignment RHP Donn Roach to make roster space for Mantiply, who retired Dyson on a fly ball to end the eighth in his major league debut.TRAINERS ROOMTigers: 3B Erick Aybar was scratched with left abdominal soreness, which he aggravated while running the bases Friday. Andrew Romine replaced him in the lineup. ... RHP Mike Pelfrey, who is on the disabled list with a lower back strain, made his second rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Toledo, giving up five runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings at Columbus, striking out one and walking none.Royals: LF Alex Gordon left in the ninth inning with tightness in his right Achilles.. ... OF Lorenzo Cain has not played since Tuesday because of left wrist inflammation. Were just trying to get it back to where its playable, Yost said. He said Cain received an injection Tuesday.UP NEXTTigers: LHP Daniel Norris, who starts the series finale, is 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA in two career starts against the Royals.Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez allowed four runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings in his Tuesday start against the Yankees. Redskins Jerseys China .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Custom Redskins T-shirts . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. http://www.customredskinsjersey.com/ . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Cheap Redskins Jerseys . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Custom Dwayne Haskins Jersey . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Matt Crafton had the luxury of winning one NASCAR Truck Series championship just by starting the race and grabbed a second title by finishing in the back of the pack.Under the revamped Truck playoff system this season, Crafton just may have to win the race to win it all.Crafton, the 2013 and 2014 series champion, should be the favorite to win Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first year of the Truck Chase format. The 40-year-old Crafton faces Johnny Sauter, Christopher Bell and Timothy Peters in the championship field. The first to finish out of the four contenders is the 2016 champion.Crafton, third in the standings last year, could have an edge because he won here last season, his first win on the 1.5-mile track. He has two wins this season and finished second and third in each of the last two Chase races.Crafton, in the No. 88 Toyota for ThorSport Racing, can join Jack Sprague for second on the career Truck series championship list with three. Ron Hornaday holds the series record with four titles.Crafton did not finish five races this season and likely wouldnt have competed for a championship under the old system.I wasnt a fan of (the Chase) at the start of 2016 when they said it, but now Im a big fan of it because Im getting to race for a championship, he said.Crafton and the other three championship drivers all caught a break when William Byron, who won six times and was the heavy championship favorite, blew an engine with 10 laps left at Phoenix and was eliminated.ThorSport Racing, owned by Duke and Rhonda Thorson, could use a championship as an emotional boost just months after a fire damaged much of the teams race shop in Sandusky, Ohio.The shop is not running at 100 percent. Its still not all there, Crafton said. I knew it was going to hurt us a little bit, but I didnt realize it was going to hurt it as bad as it did. It definitely put a damper on the way we ran because at that point we were just on a downward spiral.Yet, here are Crafton and ThorSport, resilient to the end.Crafton has remained content racing trucks as most of the rest of the field uses the series as the start of a methodical climb toward a Sprint Cup ride. He has one career Cup start, four in the second-tier Xfinity Series and 13 wins in 383 career Truck starts.Im very happy to finish my career out here, he said. I mean, yes, I would like to race the races in the Xfinity Series or run Cup races if I was on the right equipment. But if youre not going to be in the right equipment, youre not goingg to be able to contend to win.dddddddddddd I really dont care to do it.He has the right equipment this year -- and the best accessory could be a championship trophy hoisted over his head.SAUTER FOR THE WINJoey Logano has paid attention to the Truck title race while pursuing his own NASCAR championship. His pick for series champ?Im a Johnny Sauter fan because hes awesome, Logano said.The 38-year-old Sauter had a career year driving the No. 21 Chevrolet for GMS Racing with three wins, 11 top-five finishes and a dominant run in the Chase. Sauter won back-to-back races in the No. 21 Chevrolet at Martinsville and Texas, and was runner-up last week at Phoenix. Sauter has three top fives, six top 10s and a 4.7 average finish over seven Chase races. He was second in the standings in 2011 and finished fourth in each of the past three years.Logano may think Sauter is the driver to beat. Sauter wont go that far.I dont ever consider myself the favorite, Sauter said. I feel really comfortable with where we are as an organization and as a team going into this race. But to say Im a favorite, that would not be doing ourselves a service.BELL TOLLS FOR TITLEBell, who has one win this season, drives the No. 4 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Kyle Busch, the 2015 Cup champion, picked Bell to win the championship and but he may nail his prediction. The 21-year-old Bell shook off a slow start thanks to a pep talk from his championship owner.Bell recalled Busch telling him: Look, youve got great equipment. Youre a talented racecar driver. Everything will come together. You just got to stop trying to make it come together.Bell rebounded and reeled off top-10 finishes in seven of the last eight races.Do I consider myself the underdog? No, Bell said. Does everybody else? Probably. I think weve got everything it takes to be successful at Homestead. Our year has definitely not been the year that weve wanted. Weve only won one race. But were going to make it two after Friday.PETERED OUTPeters is the only championship driver without a win this season. Hes been steady with eight top-five finishes in the No. 17 Toyota for Red Horse Racing. The 36-year-old Peters has advanced this far with an underfunded team that has failed to sign a primary sponsor.Maybe tomorrow night we can cap off this big championship and attract the eyes of some sponsors and get it on our Tundra going forward in 2017, he said. ' ' '