The Kansas City Royals have put All-Star catcher Salvador Perez on the 10-day disabled list with a strain on the right side of his chest. Perez was injured on a swing in the sixth inning Friday.
Category: Sports
Royals Roll Past Mariners in Game Two of Doubleheader
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rookie Jakob Junis pitched eight sharp innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 9-1 to split their doubleheader Sunday.
Nelson Cruz homered twice and drove in four runs as the Mariners held off the Royals 8-7 in the first game.
Whit Merrifield homered in both games for the Royals.
Junis (4-2), who was added to Kansas City’s roster as the extra 26th man for the twinbill, allowed one run. He retired his final 19 batters after giving up an RBI double to Danny Espinosa in the second inning.
Junis walked none and struck out a career-high seven.
Melky Cabrera hit a three-run homer off Erasmo Ramirez (4-4) during a four-run third inning. It was Cabrera’s first home run since the Royals acquired him in a July 30 trade with the Chicago White Sox. Cabrera also had an RBI double.
Eric Hosmer homered and drove in three runs for the Royals.
Cruz Homers Twice to Lead Mariners Past Royals in Game One of Doubleheader
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nelson Cruz homered twice and drove in four runs as the Seattle Mariners built a big lead, then held off the Kansas City Royals 8-7 Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader.
Cruz, Danny Valencia and Kyle Seager homered in the first two innings, helping the Mariners take a 7-0 lead off Danny Duffy (7-7).
Cruz, who leads the American League with 84 RBIs, hit a three-run drive in a four-run second. He hit his 24th home run in the seventh off Scott Alexander, a shot estimated at 465 feet to center. It was Cruz’s 22nd multihomer game, his first this season.
Duffy could have been out of the second inning with Robinson Cano striking out, but catcher Drew Butera was charged with a passed ball, allowing Cano to reach first and for Jean Segura to score from second base. Four pitches later, Cruz homered.
Marco Gonzalez, who was making his Mariners’ debut since being acquired in a July 21 with St. Louis, failed to make it through the fifth inning. James Pazos (3-3) won in relief and Edwin Diaz posted his 23rd save in 27 opportunities.
Royals Game on Saturday Night Postponed
The Kansas City Royals game with the Seattle Mariners that had been scheduled Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium has been postponed. The teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday.
The first game of the doubleheader will begin at 1:15 p.m. with the radio broadcast time on 1420 KJCK beginning at 12:30 p.m. The second game will begin within 30 minutes after the first game is completed.
If you had tickets for the game Saturday night you can exchange them for the doubleheader on Sunday or any other remaining game on the 2017 regular season schedule.
Mariners Top Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — James Paxton tied a Mariners’ record by winning his seventh straight start, and Seattle beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Friday night to move back over .500.
Paxton (12-3) did not allow a hit until Mike Moustakas’ single with one out in the fifth, and Brandon Moss’ two-out single ended Paxton’s scoreless streak at 21 innings.
Paxton gave up two runs and four hits in six innings with one walk, seven strikeouts and a pair of wild pitches. Scott Bankhead won seven straight starts in 1989 and Jamie Moyer in 2003.
David Phelps, Nick Vincent and Edwin Diaz each followed with a perfect inning as Seattle improved to 13-8 since the All-Star break. Diaz got his 22nd save in 26 chances.
Jason Hammel (5-9) gave up three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Ryan Hennington — Kansas State Football
Former Junction City Blue Jay Ryan Henington is in the Kansas State football program.
The preferred walk-on participated in K-State football media day on Thursday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. “Kansas State’s program is pretty rigorous but coaches do the right thing to put the athletes in the best position to compete on Saturday.” Henington added, “They demand a lot out of you, but that’s the next level of football, and it gets you really prepared for the season.” Henington worked out in Manhattan this summer.
He was a quarterback for the Blue Jays during his high school years. Right now he is listed as a receiver on the Kansas State roster. “For camp I’m kind of bouncing around, trying to help out wherever. Nothing’s for sure right now, so I’m just trying to be at camp, help out anywhere possible, but I’m definitely getting a broad spectrum of looks right now.”
Fall practices began at Kansas State this week.
K-State Football Media Day
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State’s preparation for the 2017 football season continued Thursday as Fall Camp entered its fourth day with practice number three on the turf at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, but the Wildcats paused for a bit to meet with the media during the team’s annual media day event. Head coach Bill Snyder conducted a media day press conference inside the Vanier Family Football Complex, while student-athletes and members of the coaching staff posed for pictures and answered questions on the field.
Selected comments from Snyder’s press conference (also streamed live and archived here) are posted below, along with a collection of comments from K-State’s coordinators and an assortment players. The Wildcats resume Fall Camp and preparation for its Sept. 2 opener against Central Arkansas on Friday. The next public event for K-State is the annual Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, August 12, at 5 p.m.For details on the event, please click here.
K-State Football Media Day Quotes
Head Coach Bill Snyder
On the team’s preparation during the summer…
“During the course of the summer I thought we had a reasonably good response from our players. A lot of what they do, not all of it, but a lot of it is not mandatory so they did a lot of things on their own. I appreciate how the leaders have been responsible and have gotten all of our players to be invested in some of the work they did.”
On Fall Camp…
“We just finished our third practice this morning. We had two practices that have been in shorts and one practice with pads. So we really haven’t had the capacity to have major full contact yet, that will come in a couple of days. Practice has gone well. For the most part we do a lot of individual work and fundamentals, etc., and then we will do group work as well as team work. Our group work and team work is normally what we would call ‘good-on-good’ meaning our ones against our present ones of that day. So it becomes very competitive and I think our youngsters have responded to that. Sometimes our offense has a good day, sometimes our defense has a good day and sometimes it is back and forth.”
On the team’s conditioning at this point of camp…
“I have been reasonably impressed with the conditioning, the vast majority of our players came back well conditioned.”
On how the team does not take things for granted…
“That is a key element. When you have a decent number of returning starters and returning players, the general public will probably say if you have a lot of people coming back then you will have an even better football team. We were pretty decent at the end of the season last year, so there is great expectations. There is nothing wrong with that, that is great. The key element is you have to do something about it. You just can’t be a returning starter or guy that played an awful lot and the same coaches coming back, etc. You have heard me say so many times every season presents new dynamics. Each season is different regardless.”
On the mild weather at camp thus far…
“It has not been unseasonably hot at all, so weather has really played in their favor.”
On having so many returners on offense…
“The experience is beneficial to them because when they take advantage of the experience they have had, and if they have learned, now they feel more comfortable. If they understand schemes offensively and defenses better, then they can probably react quicker. They probably get in and out of assignments a lot faster and it probably makes them quicker on the field.”
On Trent Tanking’s role with the linebackers…
“Trent Tanking has taken over the leadership of the linebackers and has become a firm leader with our entire defense. He has done well. He has had a good summer and has done well in the three practice days we have had so far. I think he has really stepped forward.”
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Sean Snyder
On dealing with Bill Snyder’s health issues…
“As far as the work side goes, we have a lot of veteran coaches here, so really we were able to move forward and pick up where things needed to be. We also kept dad informed on what was going on. On the family side, a lot of concern and worry. I know he is tough. I know he is going to fight it. I know he is going to beat it. Since he has been giving a clean bill of health, he has made it to every practice and meeting. As a matter of fact, he is probably wearing us down more than he is wearing himself down. I think right now he is doing great.”
On returning so many pieces of special team…
“It is great. Obviously, I have not been able to work with them during the summer, but what they have done with the program with Coach (Chris) Dawson and the strength program which is phenomenal. They have gained strength and gained speed. Our core guys have done a great job during the summer, getting their craft perfected. We always have a long way to go, but we are working towards it. I think the summer went well for them.”
On building off last year’s bowl win…
“A win really promotes a positive energy going into the offseason, which you start off a little higher on the ladder and you have a chance to advance higher on the ladder. Through offseason to summer, when you end on such a great positive note, you are able to move forward faster. At the end of the day, I think the jump you get from a win is a real positive. Now, it does not win any games for this season. We have to go out and do our job. Players have to play and we have to do a good job coaching, and if things go right and the ball bounces the right way, we will have a pretty good season.”
Offensive Coordinator Dana Dimel
On the explosiveness of the offense…
“We do not want to make predictions. We are just excited to have a lot of guys back that are good players that are more experienced in the system that have worked very hard. All these guys do their stuff the right way off the field, so they are fun guys to work with. I love working with these guys, and, obviously, there is some talent there as well.”
On running back Alex Barnes…
“When he gets his touches, he does a very good job with it. He will obviously get a chance to showcase what he can this year for sure. We also have some other backs. Justin Silmon ran very well last year when he got his opportunities and did really well toward the end of the season when Alex was hurt. Dalvin (Warmack) has had a great fall camp and is really coming into his own too, so there are some choices for us back there.”
On the cohesion of the offensive line…
“Having those guys back since we do so much is so important to us. Having quarterback and offensive line back are the two groups that, because of the all the concepts and schemes, that having experience is so important to us.”
Defensive Coordinator Tom Hayes
On D.J. Reed’s leadership…
“He’s been elected captain on defense, and anytime you are elected captain it is a great responsibility. In other words, you are kind of between the players and the coaches and that is the way it has always been. He is capable of doing that, he has a single purpose in mind and is very focused. He works his tail off on the field and is not afraid to say something to someone that is not. That is a good sign of a leader.”
On the linebacker position …
“Trent (Tanking) is a captain along with D.J. Reed and is doing a nice job. Jayd Kirby is doing some nice things. Sam Sizelove is in that hunt as well. There is several guys competing. We do not necessarily play lot of linebackers because of the all the spread offenses we play. We expect a lot out of those guys. They have to do a lot of things, make a lot of calls and checks, and I think all these guys are capable of doing it.”
On building off last year’s defensive success…
“I told the players that a great standard was set last year. A lot of these guys in the room right now that are still with us are a big part of that. They should have a quick memory to draw on. As long as they keep working, having daily improvement, stay together, play together, we will find replacements for those five or six guys we lost, but that is just the landscape of college football. It is our job as coaches to identify them and certainly the players’ job to go earn them and that is what they are doing.”
Junior Fullback Winston Dimel
On offensive versatility…
“We try to do what we have always done here at Kansas State. We try to control the ball, control the clock and play hard-nosed football. We try to be a balanced team as well. A lot of people say that we are run-heavy, but we like to consider ourselves a balanced team. It helps us in this league. Most defenses do not match us each week.”
On K-State quarterback Jesse Ertz…
“That dude works harder than anybody I know and gives everything to this game. He is up here watching film all the time. Just everything that a champion does, he does. To have him as my quarterback, I could not ask for anything else.”
On offensive talent…
“I think we are unique. Like I said, we have a lot of confidence coming back from last year and now we are just trying to come out every day and get better.”
Sophomore Running Back Alex Barnes
On where the offense ranks in the Big 12…
“We are up there for sure. We have a lot of guys coming back and I think the passing game is going to be good. This is going to be a fun year.”
On depth of skill position talent…
“I think we have a ton of talent, especially with the guys coming back from last year. Last year, we knew we had the talent but we did not have the experience. Now everyone has that experience and has gotten their feet wet in the Big 12.”
On where the offense will improve the most this season…
“In the passing game. Jesse (Ertz) and the receivers have been getting a bunch of extra film work and running extra routes after practice. It is going to special. There are some really good connections going on with Jesse and the receivers.”
Junior Wide Receiver Byron Pringle
On motivation going into this season…
“I have a lot of motivation. I knew that once I learned everything I could do, I could be a special player on this team along with my teammates.”
On underrated passing game…
“We have big running backs, so that is why some people overlook us. But we can pass just as much as any other school in the Big 12 and we can run with anybody.”
On the wide receiver unit…
“We are deep. We have a lot of special talent. We have guys that can do a lot of things. We can move guys around, they can line up in the backfield. It does not even matter. We have a lot of special talent.”
Sophomore Defensive Tackle Trey Dishon
On the defensive focus…
“I think the defensive focus would be rushing the quarterback, especially after losing Jordan Willis, who was a big guy in our pass rush game. Putting pressure on the quarterback and rushing the quarterback every step whether it is third down or not, is going to be helpful for us.”
Junior Defensive Back Duke Shelley
On how experience ties into confidence…
“Having guys around you that have already had the experience definitely brings the defensive backs’ corps ten times higher. It is awesome, from spring ball to now has all been clicking and working. It has been a great experience playing with those guys. It brings up my game because I have D.J. (Reed) and other guys on the other side of me making plays so it just makes me want to make plays.”
On what he sees out of his teammates…
“Work. They come in everyday trying to get better.”
On Eli Walker…
“D.J. (Reed) and I got with Eli the first day he got here. We worked with him, went through film and he has always had good work ethic and that is what I liked about him. He reminded me of how D.J. came in last year. Just how it is working out for D.J., I could see it working out for him too.”
On expectations from this year’s competition…
“Nothing less than the best they have to offer. I know the Big 12 is full of surprises. With the different offenses and schemes and things like that, it all works out for those teams. I just try to take nothing for granted and go in everyday with the mindset that he could be the best first-round quarterback coming out of the draft this year so just attack it like that and we will be fine.”
Junior Defensive Back Kendall Adams
On confidence since last year…
“My confidence level is at an all-time high. Playing my redshirt freshman year a few games and getting a full season the next year, I feel like I know everything. Now I can just slow down a little bit and I am to the point where I can help the other guys.”
On what he learned from Dante Barnett…
“I learned a ton from him. Being around him for three years really helped me. I am the old head as far as safeties now. We brought in a bunch of new safeties this year, so being able to tell them what to do and helping them, and watching extra film, Dante [Barnett] did that for me. He rubbed off on me and now I can give it to them.”
On the potential of the secondary…
“I feel like our secondary can match up with anybody in the Big 12. I have always felt like the Big 12 has the best offenses, so I do not see why we cannot match up with anybody in the nation. I have a lot of confidence in those guys. D.J. (Reed), Cre (Moore), Denzel (Goolsby), and a couple new safeties, we just got in are learning and they are really talented. Once they learn what to do they are going to be really good and help us a lot.”
RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics
K-State Ranked 19th in Preseason Amway Coaches Poll
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Thanks to the backing of 18 returning starters, Kansas State was ranked 19th in the nation in the Preseason Amway Coaches Poll released on Thursday.
It was the first time the Wildcats were ranked in the preseason coaches’ poll since checking in at No. 21 in 2014. K-State also ranked 21st in the 2012 preseason survey, while this year’s ranking is the highest since the Wildcats were 12th in 2004.
Other Big 12 programs joining the Wildcats in the 2017 Preseason Amway Coaches Poll were Oklahoma (8th), Oklahoma State (11th), West Virginia (20th) and Texas (23rd).
K-State returns 44 letterwinners from last year’s squad that earned a 9-4 record, featured by a 6-1 mark over the final seven games. The season was capped by a 33-28 victory over Texas A&M in the 2016 Texas Bowl. The Wildcats, who were predicted to finish third in the Big 12 by the league’s media, placed four players on the Preseason All-Big 12 team in fullback Winston Dimel, offensive lineman Dalton Risner, defensive back D.J. Reed, and defensive end Reggie Walker.
Head coach Bill Snyder, a 2015 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, begins his 26th year at the helm of the Wildcats with a 202-105-1 record, including a 118-80-1 mark in Big 8/12 play.
RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics
Orioles Defeat Royals
BALTIMORE (AP) — Dylan Bundy allowed three hits over a career-high eight innings, newcomer Tim Beckham had two hits and scored twice and the resurgent Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.
Seth Smith drove in three runs to help the Orioles move within two games of .500 (52-54) for the first time since July 3.
Kansas City will seek to avoid a three-game sweep on Wednesday. The Royals came to town having won 10 of 11, but they’ve only scored three runs in these two games at Camden Yards.
Bundy (10-8) struck out five and walked one. The right-hander had not pitched more than seven innings in any of his previous 34 major league starts.
All three hits Bundy allowed were singles — none after the third inning — and he retired the final 13 batters he faced. The only run he allowed was unearned.
K-State, Weber Agree to 2-Year Contract Extension
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Director of Athletics Gene Taylor announced today that head coach Bruce Weber has agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2020-21 season to continue his leadership of the Kansas State men’s basketball program.
Compensation terms for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons will remain per an extension Weber signed in April 2013. The sixth-year head coach will be paid $2.15 million for the 2017-18 season, $2.25 million in 2018-19, $2.35 million in 2019-20 and $2.45 million in 2020-21. The remaining provisions of Weber’s original contract are unchanged for the next two years, while the final two years of the agreement include a reduced buyout provision.
The extension was unanimously approved by the K-State Athletics, Inc., Board of Directors.
“I have had the opportunity to observe our men’s basketball program and visit with Bruce on multiple occasions since I became athletics director,” said Taylor. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the type of person we have leading our program – Coach Weber is well-regarded throughout college basketball as an outstanding coach and a man who conducts his program with integrity and class. I have been able to interact with his team this offseason, and I see the respect our current and former players who have regularly returned to Manhattan have for him. Off the court, Bruce and his wife, Megan, are very involved in the community and his players excel in the classroom with a near perfect graduation rate.
“My goal is to provide the support and resources for all our teams to find success and have the opportunity to win championships,” Taylor added. “We have won a Big 12 Championship under his leadership and are confident about the state of the program and the potential of this year’s team. It is our hope we can continue to build upon the success of last season’s NCAA Tournament berth and First Round victory.”
Hired on March 31, 2012 as the 24th head coach in school history, Weber has guided K-State to a 100-68 (.595) overall record and three NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons, including a record-setting inaugural campaign in 2012-13 in which he helped the school to its first conference championship in 36 seasons. He became the fifth coach in school history to achieve 100 career victories in the Wildcats’ 95-88 win over Wake Forest in the NCAA First Four on March 14. Weber is the fifth coach to lead K-State to at least three NCAA Tournaments (2013, 2014, 2017), while he joined three others as the only coaches to accomplish it three times in a 5-year period.
“I’m appreciative of the support that President (Richard) Myers and Gene (Taylor) have given me and our coaching staff with this extension,” said Weber. “Longevity is at the core of building a successful program and this commitment from the administration ensures that we have everything necessary to build on what we have already accomplished these last five seasons. We have had a great summer in the gym and I’m excited about current players and where they are taking us a program in the coming years.”
Weber’s latest campaign helped navigate K-State to the NCAA Tournament for the 29th time in school history, as the Wildcats tallied a 21-14 record to go with an 8-10 mark in the ultra-competitive Big 12, which included seven NCAA Tournament teams and NIT champion TCU in 2016-17. He led the Wildcats to win over the Demon Deacons in the First Four in Dayton before falling to a 30-win and nationally-ranked Cincinnati squad in the NCAA South Regional. Among the 21 victories were eight over teams that advanced to the postseason, including NCAA Tournament participants Baylor (twice), Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
Senior Wesley Iwundu repeated his selection to the Coaches’ All-Big 12 Third Team, while fellow senior D.J. Johnson, who set school records for both single season (62.3) and career field goal percentage (59.5), nabbed honorable mention accolades. Iwundu became the first player in school history to tally at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals in a career, while sophomore Barry Brown smashed the school’s single-season mark for steals with 82, which included a Big 12-best 45 in league-only games.
Iwundu capped off his impressive senior campaign by becoming the 50th Wildcat selected in the NBA Draft and the first since 2008 when he was taken with the 33rd overall pick in the second round by the Orlando Magic. He was the fourth college senior selected in the 2017 NBA Draft and one of just 10 taken in its two rounds.
Weber led the Wildcats to 47 wins and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in his first two seasons highlighted by his record-setting inaugural campaign which saw the Wildcats tally a 27-8 overall record and a 14-4 mark in league play en route to its first-ever Big 12 regular-season championship. The 27 wins were the second-most in school history, while the 14 in league play tied the school record held by the 1958-59 team. The league championship was the 18th in school history and the first since the 1976-77 season.
For his efforts, Weber was named the 2013 Big 12 Coach of the Year by both the league coaches and The Associated Press and District Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
Weber’s second season included his 10th NCAA Tournament appearance and 12th 20-win campaign, as K-State compiled a 20-13 record to go with a 10-8 mark in Big 12 play in 2013-14. The season was highlighted by a 10-game winning streak from Nov. 24, 2013 to Jan. 7, 2014 and a 15-game home court winning streak.
After a trying 2014-15 season that saw K-State drop 10 games by 10 points or less, Weber helped a youthful Wildcat squad rebound to a 17-win campaign in 2015-16 which included the school’s fifth victory over a No. 1 team – No. 1 Oklahoma on February 6, 2016. A core of that 17-win season were three freshmen – Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade – who went on to start all 35 games for this past season’s NCAA Tournament team.
In his tenure, Weber has helped coach nine players to All-Big 12 honors 12 times to go with three Big 12 All-Newcomer Team selections and a pair of All-Defensive Team members.
The Wildcats have also excelled off the basketball court under Weber’s leadership, as all 17 student-athletes to finish their eligibility have earned their degrees since he became head coach in 2012. He has coached 12 Academic All-Big 12 recipients, including a school-record five in 2016-17, while student-athletes have made a combined 56 appearances on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll in the last eight semesters.
The 2016-17 academic year was a particularly impressive one off the court for the Wildcats, as a school-record five players (Austin Budke, Wesley Iwundu, D.J. Johnson, Mason Schoen, Zach Winter) were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team, including a program-best four First Team selections (Budke, Iwundu, Schoen and Winter). Ten student-athletes, including three players with 4.0 GPAs, were selected to the Spring 2017 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll after 11 were chosen to the Fall 2016 Honor Roll.
Weber, 60, has compiled a 413-223 (.649) record in his 19 seasons as a head coach, which includes stints at Southern Illinois (1998-2003) and Illinois (2003-11). His .649 winning percentage ranks 37th among active Division I head coaches, while he is the 41st coach (21st active coach) in NCAA history to take three different schools to the NCAA Tournament. Weber’s teams have participated in postseason play in 13 of his 19 seasons, including 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. He has averaged 21.7 victories a season in his head coaching career.