Kritik und Lob » ent finished above .500 since 2012. Mana

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Ryan Merritt had a notable first start in the majors.Merritt retired the final 13 batters he faced in five strong innings, Francisco Lindor hit a three-run homer, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-2 Friday night.Merritt (1-0) gave up a run and three hits in the first, but nothing after that. Merritt, who had made three relief appearances this season and was promoted Sept. 11 from Triple-A Columbus, threw 62 pitches, striking out four and walking none.Id be lying if I said I wasnt nervous, Merritt said. I was definitely nervous.After three of the first four Royals singled, Merritt got Paulo Orlando to ground into an inning double play on a cutter, which he said absolutely was his biggest pitch of the game.That got me through the first inning, Merritt said.After that the Royals did not touch him.He doesnt seem to get flustered, Indians manager Terry Francona said. That was impressive. I was really thrilled. I think everybody was excited for him. The first couple of hitters hit the ball hard, but he didnt back off.Lindor, who snapped an 0-for-29 drought with a double in a four-run third, homered off the left-field foul pole with pinch runner Michael Martinez and Carlos Santana aboard in the seventh.To be honest, I thought about it a lot, Lindor said of his skid. There were a lot of times, I was going, `like wow, I wonder how long before I get a hit? Santana, who had three hits, tripled in two runs in the fourth and scored on Jason Kipnis sacrifice fly. Jose Ramirez singled with two outs to score Lindor.Yordano Ventura (11-12) gave up four runs and six hits with three walks while striking out eight in six innings.I lost concentration and just started throwing fastballs, Ventura said in through an interpreter in the four-run third. After that I got back to my game and mixed it up.Eric Hosmer singled in a run in the first, upping his RBI total to a career-high 104. The Royals, who had three singles in the first, did not have another base runner until Hunter Dozier singled with one out in the eighth. He scored on Drew Buteras triple.We had three hits in the first third of an inning, Royals manager Ned Yost said. Im thinking, `OK, were going to get him and you look up on the board and we dont get another hit until the eighth inning.GOMES ACTIVATEDIndians C Yan Gomes, who suffered a right shoulder separation in July and a fractured wrist on Sept. 14 when rehabbing in the minors, was activated from the 60-day disabled list. Gomes entered in the seventh as a defensive replacement.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (broken little finger on his pitching hand) was put on the 60-day DL to make roster space for Gomes. ... RHP Corey Kluber (strained quadriceps) threw in the outfield before the game, but there is no timetable when he will throw off the mound again. ... RHP Danny Santana (forearm tightness) could throw a simulated game Monday.Royals: DH Kendrys Morales had only two at-bats Thursday before leaving with a fever and feeling sick, but returned to the lineup Friday.UP NEXTIndians: RHP Trevor Bauer, who will likely start the postseason opener Thursday, will make his final regular season start.Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez, who had a 7.77 ERA in five September starts, makes his sixth start of the season against Cleveland.Mike Hoffman Panthers Jersey .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Aleksander Barkov Jersey . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/colton-sceviour-hockey-jersey/ . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. Florida Panthers Jerseys .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Ian McCoshen Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks.SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As the White Sox gauge the trade market for?Chris Sale, their decision to pursue a deal or stand pat will be rooted in baseball concerns rather than any lingering animosity from past confrontations with the teams ace.Sales ongoing differences with the Chicago front office came to the fore in July when he sliced up the teams throwback uniforms rather than wear them in a game. He received a five-game suspension for insubordination and destroying team equipment.But White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told ESPN.com on Tuesday that past rifts will play no part in the teams offseason deliberations.Its a nonfactor, Hahn said from the MLB general managers meetings. Its zero factor from our standpoint in terms of his fit with us or our belief that he can help be the anchor of a championship-caliber rotation.Whether it influences some other clubs view of him, I dont know. I dont think it should. I think a lot of what weve seen from Chris is part of what makes him great. Its that competitiveness, that fight, that sometimes spills over a little bit into areas outside the white lines. Its part of what makes him so good during the game.Sale, 27, is likely to be a hot commodity for teams in search of a front-line starter because of his track record and his contract. Since 2012, Sale ranks fifth among MLB starters with a 3.04 ERA, third in strikeouts (1,133) behind Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw, and third in baseball-reference.coms wins above replacement (27.6) behind Kershaw and Scherrzer.ddddddddddddSale is under contract for $12 million next season, and the White Sox have club options for $12.5 million in 2018 and $13.5 million in 2019.Sale, Chris Archer, Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander and Sonny Gray are among the front-line starters who have been mentioned as potential trade targets in an extremely weak free-agent market. Rich Hill, Ivan Nova, Andrew Cashner and Jeremy Hellickson are the top available free agents.The White Sox finished fourth in the American League Central with a 78-84 record this past season and havent finished above .500 since 2012. Manager Robin Ventura resigned at the end of the season, and Rick Renteria was chosen to replace him.While a Sale trade would be a clear indication that the White Sox plan to rebuild rather than try to make a playoff push in 2017, Hahn declined to address which way the team might be leaning.We have a pretty firm sense internally about what we want to accomplish, Hahn said. But Ive been saying this for months back in Chicago: Theres just not any advantage to us to declare publicly exactly what were trying to accomplish.Once we start making deals, well explain precisely the rationale behind them. Are we looking to add and compete right now, or are we looking for a more long-term benefit? The last few years, weve taken a shorter-term, stopgap type of approach, and obviously that hasnt borne fruit. ' ' '