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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MARCH 27. 2014
PAGE 5B
MLB
Shields settles down after rough start in tuneup
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PEORIA, Ariz. — James Shields gave up seven runs in the first inning Wednesday before settling down to throw three scoreless ones in his final start before opening day in the Kansas City Royals' 9-5 loss to the San Diego Padres.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields throws before the start of the second inning of a spring exhibition baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday in Peoria, Ariz.
Shields gave up six hits, walked one and hit a batter as the Padres sent 11 to the plate in the first. Shields allowed only one hit after that and finished with a 4.74 spring ERA.
"They were just hitting groundballs that found some holes," Shields said. "I was trying to stay aggressive. Walking the first guy didn't help. But other than the first inning, I thought it was a pretty good effort."
Shields will start Monday at Detroit as the Royals try to end a 28-year postseason drought, longest in the majors.
Padres starter Ian Kennedy gave up solo home runs to Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez on consecutive pitches in a two-inning stint that included three runs and six hits.
The one Perez hit was hit hard. The one Gordon hit was a flyball the wind got," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Pitch count (53) was a little high for two innings."
Perez left in the third after he has hit in the head by Johnny Barbato's curveball. A team spokesman said he didn't sustain a concussion.
Robbie Erlin, a candidate to start for San Diego while Josh Johnson (forearm) is sidelined, allowed six hits and struck out six in five shutout innings.
STARTING TIME
Royals: Five times in the first inning, the Padres swung at
Shields' first pitch. It resulted in four hits and a sacrifice bunt.
"Last game of spring training, they're swinging early," Shields said.
Padres: It was a mediocre spring for Kennedy, who finished with a 6.33 ERA. He's scheduled to start San Diego's second regular-season game Wednesday against the Dodgers.
PEREZ SCARE
Perez was the batter who hit the liner into Cincinnati reliever Aroldis Chapman's face last week, causing a facial fracture that required surgery.
"I was trying to stay aggressive. Walking the first guy didn't help. But other than the first inning, I thought it was a pretty good effort."
JAMES SHIELDS Kansas City Royals pitcher
This time, the catcher was on the other end of a scary incident, being hit in the head with a pitch.
"I'm fine," Perez said through a team spokesman.
The Padres will decide this weekend whether to carry three catchers or place Yasmani Grandal on the disabled list.
Grandal has made a rapid recovery from right knee ACL surgery in July. He caught nine innings in a minor league game Monday, but is not ready to catch consecutive days.
GRANDAL TO DL?
"I'll be in San Diego, but I think it's going to be more of a see what happens in the next five days, see how it feels," Grandal said.
Royals: Reliever Louis Coleman, who has a 13.50 ERA this spring while pitching with a bruised right middle finger, will stay behind in Arizona and is expected to start the season on the disabled list. Second baseman Omar Infante (elbow) went 2 for 5 and played five innings in the field in a minor league game. Manager Ned Yost said he'd DH in a minor league game Thursday and if that goes well he'll rejoin
TRAINER'S ROOM
the team in Milwaukee.
Padres: Outfielder Carlos Quentin was a late scratch with left knee pain. Outfielder Chris Denorfia (shoulder) will stay in Arizona and play in a minor league game Thursday. Black said he's "still optimistic" Denorfia will be ready for the opener. Outfielder Cameron Maybin (torn biceps) is swinging in the batting cage and playing catch this week. He's expected to miss another two to four weeks.
Right-hander Joe Wieland had surgery to remove loose cartilage in his elbow and won't resume a throwing program for six weeks.
PAYROLL BOOST
The Padres' payroll will surpass $90 million this season for the first time, according to a study of all contracts by The Associated Press.
San Diego ranks 21st among 30 teams, with the Royals 19th at just over $92 million.
The Padres return home to play the Indians on Friday and Saturday at the University of San Diego.
Both teams were leaving Arizona after the game for two final exhibitions.
The Royals will face the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday.
UP NEXT
"I'm excited about taking a good team in there," said Yost, a former Brewers player and manager.
NHL
EDMONTON, Alberta — Joe Pavelski scored three goals and set up another as the San Jose Sharks snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Patrick Marleau and Marty Havlat also scored for the Sharks (47-18-9) who moved four points up on idle Anaheim for the Pacific Division lead and remained two points behind St. Louis for first in the Western Conference.
David Perron and Taylor Hall scored for the second-to-last place Oilers (25-39-9), who have lost three in a row. Edmonton was beaten 8-1 by the Calgary Flames on Sunday after a 3-1 defeat to the lastplace Buffalo Sabres.
Pavelski has 3 goals, 4 points in Sharks win
The Oilers started the scoring just over four minutes in when Perron went around Tyler Kennedy before
San Jose clinched a playoff spot in a shootout loss to Calgary on Monday.
San Jose scored their third man-advantage goal of the game at 1:17 of the third period. Pavelski got the puck with space in front, waited for defender Andrew Ference to go down, and then beat Scrivens
putting a shot past Antti Niemi. It was Perron's team-leading 26th goal.
San Jose tied it 6:28 into the second on Pavelski's first goal of the night. Ben Scrivens made the initial stop on a shot from the slot by Marleau, but the rebound angled to Pavelski at the side of the net for his 35th goal.
The Sharks took a two-goal lead with 30 seconds left in the middle period after Jeff Petry overskated a puck at his blue line, allowing Havat to come in and put a wrist shot past Scrivens stickside.
Another power-play goal midway through the period gave San Jose a 2-1 lead. Pavelski chopped a puck to Marleau at the top of the opposite circle, and he scored before Scrivens could get across. It was Marleau's 31st goal.
Hall brought the Oilers within 5-2 when he got to a rebound in front and hooked in a diving backhand shot for his 25th goal.
The Oilers have been outscored 16-4 in their last three home games. NOTES: It was the fourth of five games this season between the teams. The Sharks won the first two games before the Oilers won on Jan. 29. Laurent Brossoit was called up from the AHL to serve as the Oilers backup goalie after Viktor Fasth was injured in a collision in practice on Wednesday. Oilers forward Nail Yakupov missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury. Sharks forward Logan Couture was unable to play after he sustained a lower-body injury while blocking a shot Wednesday against Calgary. Also out for the Sharks were forwards Tomas Hertl and Raffi Torres.
Pavelski finished his third hat trick of the season with seven minutes left in the third. Pavelski's fourpoint night gave him 71 points on the season.
to make it 4-1.
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