12-30-2019, 08:21 AM
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jason Vargas threw seven scoreless innings, Raul Ibanez homered in his second game for Kansas City and the Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0 Wednesday. Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. With Joe Mauer missing, placed on the disabled list before the game because of a strained muscle on his right side, the Twins didnt cause Vargas any trouble. They were shut out for the sixth time this season and lost for the seventh time in their last nine games. The 42-year-old Ibanez signed Monday with the Royals, the team that first gave him a regular spot in the lineup all the way back in 2001. He had two hits and two runs in this game, including the solo shot to right field in the eighth. Ibanez was released by the Los Angeles Angels last month. Eric Hosmer, who walked three times, added an RBI single in the ninth inning for insurance. With rookie Yordano Ventura and now Danny Duffy joining the veteran trio of Vargas, James Shields and Jeremy Guthrie, who are all in the top 10 in the league in innings pitched, the Royals have a deep rotation that can keep them in the post-season chase all summer. Vargas improved to 4-1 in his last eight starts, seven of which have counted as quality: six innings or more and three runs or less. Vargas also became the first Royals left-hander to win eight games or more before the All-Star break since Chris George in 2003. Correia lowered his ERA to 4.95, the only time hes had that mark under 5.00 since his first start of the year, after surrendering six hits and two walks in six innings while striking out three. The right-hander completed exactly six innings for the fifth consecutive turn, and he has allowed two runs or fewer in four of those starts. But the second inning was the one that hurt, when five batters reached. He struck out Billy Butler to finish the frame with the bases loaded. NOTES: The Royals swapped RH relievers Wednesday, calling up Casey Coleman from Triple-A Omaha and sending down rookie Michael Mariot, who gave up five runs Tuesday in his second appearance in as many days. ... Chris Parmelee played 1B and batted third for Mauer. He had two hits and stretched his hitting streak to a career-long 12 straight games. ... One of the runners to reach second base for the Twins was Sam Fuld, who was originally ruled out on a steal attempt to end the fifth inning. Manager Ron Gardenhire challenged the call, which was overturned. Gardenhire is 9 for 19 on challenges this season. ... With a rest day for Royals CF Lorenzo Cain, SS Alcides Escobar batted leadoff for the first time this season. Forrest Gregg Jersey .Y. - The Philadelphia Eagles game at Green Bay against the Packers on Nov. David Whitehurst Jersey .J. Hardy to avoid a three-game sweep after blowing a big early lead. Odour had a leadoff single in the seventh and scored the tiebreaking run with the help of two errors by Hardy as the Rangers went on to beat the Orioles 8-6 on Thursday night. https://www.packersjerseysale.com/704j-h...ckers.html. Hemsky left the Oilers Tuesday night loss to the Dallas Stars in the second period and did not return. Through 48 games this season, Hemsky has seven goals and a total of 24 points. Roy McKay Jersey . Seriously. Seven years of losing has brought many different faces, players and management, to the annual pre-season get-to-know-the-team round up. David Beverly Jersey .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.WENGEN, Switzerland - Werner Heel of Italy was fastest in a relatively slow first training run on Wednesday for a World Cup downhill. One year after Frenchman Johan Clarey set a World Cup speed record of 161.9 km/h here, Heel hit 148.4 kilometres per hour through the Hanneggschuss straight. Heel timed 2 minutes, 39.04 seconds on the 4.4-kilometre Lauberhorn course, the longest in the World Cup, which was softened by fresh snowfalls. Peter Fill of Italy was second, 0.30 back. Patrick Kueng of Switzerland trailed Heel by 0.45 in third. Christof Innerhofer, the Italian defending champion, placed fourth, almost 10 seconds behind his 2013 winning time. Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was fifth. Austrian Hannes Reichelt, who briefly held the speed record last year before Clareys run, said the course had been modified in the fastest section at the two-minute mark. "They made a little bit more turns at Hanneggschuss so there is no chance to get 160 (km/h))," said Reichelt who placed third last year.dddddddddddd Downhill standings leader Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway was 10th. "That wasnt too convincing. I actually felt better here last year when I won the trainings," said Svindal, who has never finished on a Wengen downhill podium in eight attempts. Bode Miller of the United States, the Lauberhorn winner in 2007 and 08 and runner-up the following year, was 15th fastest. Svindal and Miller both start in a super-combined event on Friday — won by the American in 2010 — that is threatened by a forecast for snow during a training run on Thursday. The slalom portion will be run first in the morning to give course workers more time to prepare the shortened downhill course in the afternoon. The 84th Lauberhorn race meeting peaks with the classic downhill on Saturday, traditionally the most popular event on Switzerlands sports calendar. A slalom on Sunday completes the program. ' ' '