6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MLB
THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2007
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas City Royals 'Emil Brown, back, scores behind Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez who prepares to throw to second in the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo. Browny and Billy hit scored on Tony Pena's single, and the Royals won 5-0.
Royals pounce on Tigers; Greinke strong in 5-0 win
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The AL Central gap is growing for the Detroit Tigers.
Esteban German hit a go-ahead triple in a five-run first innings against Andrew Miller, and the Kansas City Royals beat Detroit 5-0 Wednesday night in only the second shutout against the Tigers this year.
Detroit fell $4\frac{1}{2}$ games behind division-leading Cleveland, matching the largest deficit of the season for the defending AL champions. Detroit, also that far out after play on June 1, has dropped the first two games of this three-game series in a stadium where the Tigers had been 14-1 in their 15 previous outings.
Miller (5-5) got only two outs in his 13th major league start, allowing five runs, five hits, two walks and two hit batters. Detroit has lost eight of its last 12 games.
Zack Greinke pitched four shutout innings in his second strong start since rejoining the rotation on Aug. 24. On a strict pitch count, the righthander allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked one.
Rookie Ryan Braun (2-0) pitched
2-3 innings of two-hit relief for
his second major league win. David Riske pitched the final 2 1-3 innings and got his fourth save in seven chances, his first since May 16.
Miller, the sixth overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft, began the game by hitting leadoff batter David Dejesus, giving the Royals a team-record 77 hit batters. It was also the 17th time Dejesus has been plunked,
leaving him one short of the team season mark.
A f e r German's RBI triple, the Royals loaded the bases on Mark Grudzielanek's RBI single, another hit batter and Brown's single.
Still with no
Miller walked Jason LaRue and Dejesus, Zach Miner came out of the bullpen and ended the inning with a forceout.
Detroit loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but Riske came on and retarded Placido Folanco on his first pitch, getting a flyout.
Still with no one out, Alex Gordon grounded an RBI single into right field, and Tony Pena Jr. made it 5-0 with a two-run single into almost the same spot.
Detroit fell 4 1/2 games behind division-leading Cleveland, matching the largest deficit of the season for the defending AL champions.
Notes: Detroit lost 3-0 to the New York Mets on June 8. .. When
the Royals beat Detroit 6-3
Tuesday night, despite getting outhit 16-6, it was the first time a team had 10 more hits than its opponent but lost a nine-inning game since Detroit beat Anaheim 4-3
No. 8 hitter Joey Gathright fanned for the first out, and catcher Ivan Rodriguez turned it into a double play by throwing out Gordon carelessly straying off second. After
on May 17, 1998 (four hits to the Angels' 14). The Royals had never done it. ... LHP Kenny Rogers is to throw a three-inning simulated game on Friday in Oakland. ... With 31 games left, the Royals need only four more victories to snap a streak of three straight 100-loss years.
Maria Sharapova of Russia serves to Roberta Vinci of Italy at the US Open tennis tournament in New York on Tuesday. Sharapova won the US Open last year.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sharapova goes for repeat
Tennis star wants second victory in US Open
US OPEN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — The lady in red shanked a backhand wide, prompting Maria Sharapova's opponent to 'leap in the air and pump her fist and smile as though shed won the match — or, indeed, the US Open championship itself.
Uh, not quite. That little celebration by 51st-ranked Roberta Vinci of Italy was for winning one game Tuesday night, allowing her to narrow the dressed-for-success Sharapova's lead to 6-0, 5-1.
"I win one game, I'm happy," Vinci said. "6-love, 6-love? No. 6-love, 6-1? OK."
A few minutes and one hold of serve later, Sharapova's 50-minute day was done, and she was into the second round at the tournament where she produced her second Grand Slam title a year ago.
"There's no way to get rid of the memories when I walk on the court and feel the vibe," the second-seeded Russian said, 600 crystals on her red dress sparkling in the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights. "Every corner I turn here, I get goose bumps."
Andy Roddick might very well have similar sentiments as he walks around the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. He did, after all, win the 2003 US Open for his only major title, and he won his first-round match Tuesday night, following Sharapova on court and beating Justin Gimelstob 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-3.
The 30-year-old Gimelstob is retiring, and Roddick hugged him at the net afterward. Gimelstob knelt down to kiss the blue court
"We're going to miss one of the funniest guys on tour," Roddick said.
after his last US Open match, then held court for a while, conducting a postmatch interview with Roddick for the fans.
They're pals and engaged in a bit of levity in the second set, with Gimelstob arguing good-naturedly with the chair umpire about whether he should have a first serve or a second serve after fans interrupted play by applauding a group of military members in the stands.
After a lengthy delay, Gimelstob wound up double-faulting.
"You go on for an hour," Roddick shouted, "then you do that?"
Sharapova, meanwhile, compiled 15 winners before Vinci hit her first and finished with a 30-3 edge in that category during the 6-0, 6-1 victory. It was part of a mini-parade of past champions in first-round action, including victories for Martina Hingis, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Lleyton Hewitt.
Allison Able
Caitlin Adams
Laura Augustine
Jennifer Babcock
Christina Bartlett
Liz Belew
Allie Clary
Megan Collins
Jenny Conner
Chelsea Czarneck
Tiffany Dilello
Ellen Duffy
Sarah Duke
Kelly Engler
Jenna Fritsche
Cherie Gossett Monika Harper Alex Hinderliter Megan Hopp Rachel Hughes Cassie Johnson Kelsey Johnson Caroline Johnson Katie Johnston Sarah Kelly Riley King Megan Kraft Dayna Langdon Cara Lauster Emmy Lieser Morgan Matavosku Hall McCord
Caitlin McCormick
Caitlin McCormick
Stephanie Miller
Jessica Nelson
Laura Perkins
Jen Redel
Nicole Schneider
Natalie Sellers
Lauren Shipley
Alyson Smith
Alex Solis
Sara Sommer
Sara Swezy
Ellen Thomas
Courtney Trent
Calli VanOsdel
Retta Webb
Kristin Werp
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