successive power plays for their 18th and 29th goals respectively to r

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Air Force 1 2020 . -- Despite being only two games above .500 and facing a 6.5-game deficit against first-place Detroit, the Kansas City Royals believe they have their rivals right where they want them. Judging by recent history, maybe they do. A five-run seventh inning keyed by Omar Infantes two-run single and an RBI double from Eric Hosmer enabled the Royals to avoid a demoralizing four-game sweep against the Tigers on Sunday. It also brought to mind the league-best 33-20 mark they logged last season after stumbling into the All-Star break on a five-game losing streak. "Were eight games better than we were at this time last year," manager Ned Yost said. "And were a second-half team. Weve always been a second-half team." Exactly why they seem to play better after the break, no one seems to know. "Im not sure," designated hitter Billy Butler said. "The seasons long, It wears on guys as they get older. Were young. And sometimes I think as guys get older ... I dont know." But he does know last years second-half surge makes this years challenge seem less daunting. "Were just better the second half. Its our track record and were starting to count on it." Four of the seventh-inning runs were charged to Justin Verlander (8-8), who started the inning with a two-hit shutout but loaded the bases on three straight singles. "Things were going well for us and we ran into the seventh," said Verlander, who lost for just the fifth time in 15 decisions in Kauffman Stadium. "A couple of balls fell in the right spots and Im out of the ballgame. They were able to find some spots." Since June 18 when K.C. beat the Tigers for their 10th straight win and went a season-best seven games over .500, the Royals have gone 9-14 while the Tigers went 17-6. Verlander gave up six hits in 6 1/3 innings, struck out three and walked one. Yordano Ventura (7-7) pitched 1 2/3 innings in his first career relief appearance and got the win. He allowed one hit and struck out three for the Royals, who beat the Tigers for only the first time in seven tries this year at home. Greg Holland pitched a perfect ninth for his 25th save in 26 opportunities. After Raul Ibanez loaded the bases in the seventh with a single that snapped a 0-for-25 skid, Alcides Escobar brought in a run with a slow-rolling infield single that second baseman Ian Kinsler failed to pick up cleanly. A second run then scored on Jarrod Dysons fielders choice. Ian Krol replaced Verlander and after intentionally walking pinch hitter Salvador Perez, gave up a two-run single to Omar Infante that made it 4-2. "I waited for that pitch and made good contact," Infante said. Hosmers double stretched his career-best hitting streak to 13 games. Rajai Davis and Austin Jackson opened the third with back-to-back singles and the Tigers took a 2-0 lead on Miguel Cabreras sacrifice fly and a two-out bloop single by J.D. Martinez, which fell in between shortstop Escobar and left fielder Ibanez as Jackson came around from first. NOTES: Jackson proved a perfect leadoff hitter in this series, starting all four games with a base hit, three singles and a double. ... Martinez made two nifty running catches in the right-field corner. Martinez was also 3 for 4. ... These were the only home games for the Royals during a 19-game stretch that began on June 30 and runs through July 23. ... The Royals, Dodgers, Yankees and Mariners are the only major league teams with losing records at home and winning marks on the road. ... All nine of Detroits hits were singles. Air Force 1 Clearance . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk. Air Force 1 For Sale . Canada wasnt in the game from the outset. Head coach Dan Church left Calgary in the morning without addressing the players. He told The Canadian Press he felt the organization lacked confidence in his ability to defend the Olympic gold medal in February. https://www.cheapairforce1outlet.com/ . Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff underlined the squads enormous potential on the Rettenbach glacier in Austria.ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- The Texas Stars snapped a three-game winless streak the best way they know how -- by scoring a bushel of goals in quick succession. The Stars are the highest scoring team in the American Hockey League and showed it by thumping the Abbotsford Heat 7-2 on Sunday. Colton Sceviour scored his first of the night just 53 seconds into the game, but it was his second that capped a six-goal second period for the Stars. "We were able to get a goal early and we buried our chances," said Sceviour. "In yesterdays game (a 3-2 Abbotsford shootout victory), (Heat goalie Olivier) Roy made some big saves and we werent able to capitalize. Today we were able to capitalize and that was the big difference." Lopsided victories are nothing new between these two clubs. Abbotsfords largest margin of defeat this season was a 9-3 loss in Texas Oct. 20, which it followed with a 7-3 win. The Stars also toppled the Heat 5-0 in January. "Its kind of strange," said Sceviour. "The second game they played us in Texas they beat us pretty handily. Its weird how teams that are so tight in the standings that when they play one team seems to control the other a little bit. But fortunately its been us more times than not." Scott Glennie had a pair of goals, while Brett Ritchie, Jyrki Jokipakka, and Mike Hedden also scored for Texas (29-15-6), which moves the club to within two points of the Heat for first in the Western Conference. "Its good for us, but we know theyre a good team," said Glennie. "The games, it seems, have been one-sided this year, one way or another. Its been fun playing them and well have a tough matchup in the future." The Stars boast the top-two goal scorers in the AHL in Sceviour and points leader Travis Morin. "(Sceviour) is such a big part of the team," said Glennie. "We need those guys to be scoring for us to be successful, and they bring it every single night. But obviously when we get the secondary scoring, like tonight, its huge for us as well. When youre playing a team like Abbotsford you need that." Cristopher Nilstorp made 33 saves for the win. "(Nilstorp) was fantastic," added Glennie. &quoot;They had a lot of good opportunities to get back in the game and he was there to stop them every single time and that was great. Air Force 1 Discount. " Max Reinhart and Shane OBrien replied for Abbotsford (31-15-4), which had a five-game winning streak snapped. Olivier Roy allowed four goals on 24 shots before being replaced by Joni Ortio, who was reassigned to the Heat by the Calgary Flames for the Olympic break. Ortio let in the first shot he faced and three of the first six shots that went his way. "The second period was a big outburst and that was kind of a shock for both teams," said Glennie. The Stars opened the scoring when Dustin Jeffreys pass deflected in off Sceviours skate, and after review the goal stood. The Heat tied the game at 11:19. Corban Knight jammed at the puck down low, and with the puck sitting on the goal line Reinhart swooped around the net to tuck it in for his 12th of the season. OBrien gave the Heat their only lead of the game at 2:14 of the second. After leading a shorthanded rush he dropped the puck to Markus Granlund and went to the net. Granlund had two assists on the night. Ritchie tied the game a little more than a minute later on a power play. His wrist shot from the left face-off dot found its way through a pair of bodies into the top right corner for his 11th of the season, beginning the offensive onslaught. "We knew we let it snowball on us, and give them credit - they smelled some blood and they took advantage," said OBrien. Glennie then scored two goals in a three-minute span. First he one-timed a feed from Chris Mueller while shorthanded. Then he was the beneficiary of a lucky bounce, with the puck going off a defencemans backside and in. Ortio came in to play goal, but allowed Jokipakka to score on the first shot he faced. "Goals four and five were the absolute backbreakers for me and our team," said Heat head coach Troy Ward. "The ones that were on the power play after, thats a frenzy of wolves feeding. They just smelled blood, and they went for it and they got it." Hedden and Sceviour then scored on successive power plays for their 18th and 29th goals respectively to round out the scoring. ' ' '