By Ryan Lackey, Associate AD for Communications&nbsp;

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;As part of K-State Athletics’ continued effort to provide the Best Fan Experience in the Big 12, all athletics facilities will be cashless venues starting with the 2024-25 season. Going cashless will reduce wait times while providing a faster and more secure payment system for fans. The change will also allow the facilities and staff to operate more efficiently.

K-State Athletics has transitioned to entirely cashless payment systems throughout its venues. This changeover includes the ticket office, concessions, parking, Rally House locations, gameday Cat Cushion purchases and other points of sale in the facilities. Fans can use traditional credit/debit card payment methods, while checks will not be accepted.

K-State team stores transitioned to cashless payments during the 2020 season, and most of the concessions stands were converted to card-only stations over the past two seasons. The main concession stands will also accept Apple Pay.

Single-game parking transactions in the East and West lots of the K-State Athletics Complex will also transition to cashless payments. ADA parking for football will continue to be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis when lots open five hours prior to kickoff.

Men’s and women’s basketball single-game general admission parking will now be available for purchase in advance of gameday through the K-State ticket website (<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>). Fans can also purchase parking using a credit card on gameday when lots open 90 minutes prior to tipoff.

Fans with season parking passes for both football and basketball will continue to receive a hangtag to display containing a QR code that will now be scanned upon entry into the lots.

By Ryan Lackey, Associate AD for Communications&nbsp;MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;As part of K-State Athletics’ continued effort to provide the Best Fan Experience in the Big 12, all athletics facilities will be cashless venues starting with the 2024-25 season. Going cashless will reduce wait times while providing a faster and more secure payment system for fans. The change will also allow the facilities and staff to operate more efficiently.K-State Athletics has transitioned to entirely cashless payment systems throughout its venues. This changeover includes the ticket office, concessions, parking, Rally House locations, gameday Cat Cushion purchases and other points of sale in the facilities. Fans can use traditional credit/debit card payment methods, while checks will not be accepted.K-State team stores transitioned to cashless payments during the 2020 season, and most of the concessions stands were converted to card-only stations over the past two seasons. The main concession stands will also accept Apple Pay.Single-game parking transactions in the East and West lots of the K-State Athletics Complex will also transition to cashless payments. ADA parking for football will continue to be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis when lots open five hours prior to kickoff.Men’s and women’s basketball single-game general admission parking will now be available for purchase in advance of gameday through the K-State ticket website (<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>). Fans can also purchase parking using a credit card on gameday when lots open 90 minutes prior to tipoff.Fans with season parking passes for both football and basketball will continue to receive a hangtag to display containing a QR code that will now be scanned upon entry into the lots.– k-statesports.com –

K-State Athletics moves to cashless facilities in 2024-25

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. had two homers, a double and four RBIs as the Kansas City Royals beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 Wednesday night and salvaged the final game of a three-game series.

“He's just a phenomenal baseball player,” teammate Vinnie Pasquantino said of Witt. “I don't know that there's a word I can say. He's not going to talk about personal accolades, but I will. He deserves to be in (the MVP) conversation.”

With the victory, the Royals moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Boston in the race for a wild-card spot in the American League. In the AL Central, Kansas City moved within a half-game of second-place Minnesota, which lost to the Chicago Cubs. The Royals are four games back of Cleveland, which was swept in a doubleheader by Arizona.

Witt had his fourth multi-homer game of the season, getting the Royals on the scoreboard in the first with his 21st homer. Witt's second homer of the game was a 421-foot blast to center field in the sixth inning. He also added a two-run double.

“The pressure brings me pleasure,” Witt said about his clutch hitting. “I go up there in those situations and try to control what I can control and find a good pitch to hit.”

That attribute is not lost on his manager.

“I think he's the best player in the league,” Matt Quatraro said. “Clearly, I'm going to be biased.”

But the admiration for Witt extended to the visiting clubhouse.

“That kid is special. He’s special,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “The way he conducts himself, the way he plays the game. From our dugout, I hate it, but I love it. He’s so polite. I think the game is in good hands.”

The Royals have homered in 13 consecutive games, tied for the second-longest streak in club history.

Cole Ragans (9-7) allowed four runs, one earned, on six hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two.

“I was confident that he had the stuff to keep them off balance,” Quatraro said. “His efficiency kept him going back out there. He'll get two extra days off before his next start, so we felt confident with where he was.”

Kutter Crawford (7-9) took the loss, working 3 2.3 innings and allowing six runs on five hits. He had three strikeouts and four walks.

After Witt's homer in the first, the Royals added a run in the second on a two-out single by Michael Massey, scoring MJ Melendez.

The Red Sox moved ahead in the third inning when Romy Gonzalez hit a two-out, three-run homer into the left-field bullpen. All three runs were unearned, as Ceddanne Rafaela reached base with no outs on an error on Massey. Danny Jansen lined a home run, his seventh of the season, into the same bullpen leading off the fourth.

The Royals regained the lead with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Kansas City scored its first run of the inning on a wild pitch before Witt's opposite-field double scored two. Pasquantino then hit his 17th homer of the season — a two-run shot — off reliever Brennan Bernardino, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

Red Sox: RHP Chris Martin was reinstated from the 15-day injured list, where he had been since July 5 (retroactive to July 4) with right elbow inflammation. In a corresponding move, LHP Cam Booser was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. ... OF Tyler O'Neill was placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Aug. 4) with a left leg infection. INF/OF Emmanuel Valdez was recalled from Worcester to take his place.

Red Sox: Open a three-game series against the Houston Astros on Friday. No starting pitchers have been named.

Royals: Open a two-game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723112149461.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr., left, is congratulated by Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino (9) after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr., left, is congratulated by Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino (9) after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. had two homers, a double and four RBIs as the Kansas City Royals beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 Wednesday night and salvaged the final game of a three-game series.“He's just a phenomenal baseball player,” teammate Vinnie Pasquantino said of Witt. “I don't know that there's a word I can say. He's not going to talk about personal accolades, but I will. He deserves to be in (the MVP) conversation.”With the victory, the Royals moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Boston in the race for a wild-card spot in the American League. In the AL Central, Kansas City moved within a half-game of second-place Minnesota, which lost to the Chicago Cubs. The Royals are four games back of Cleveland, which was swept in a doubleheader by Arizona.Witt had his fourth multi-homer game of the season, getting the Royals on the scoreboard in the first with his 21st homer. Witt's second homer of the game was a 421-foot blast to center field in the sixth inning. He also added a two-run double.“The pressure brings me pleasure,” Witt said about his clutch hitting. “I go up there in those situations and try to control what I can control and find a good pitch to hit.”That attribute is not lost on his manager.“I think he's the best player in the league,” Matt Quatraro said. “Clearly, I'm going to be biased.”But the admiration for Witt extended to the visiting clubhouse.“That kid is special. He’s special,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “The way he conducts himself, the way he plays the game. From our dugout, I hate it, but I love it. He’s so polite. I think the game is in good hands.”The Royals have homered in 13 consecutive games, tied for the second-longest streak in club history.Cole Ragans (9-7) allowed four runs, one earned, on six hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two.“I was confident that he had the stuff to keep them off balance,” Quatraro said. “His efficiency kept him going back out there. He'll get two extra days off before his next start, so we felt confident with where he was.”Kutter Crawford (7-9) took the loss, working 3 2.3 innings and allowing six runs on five hits. He had three strikeouts and four walks.After Witt's homer in the first, the Royals added a run in the second on a two-out single by Michael Massey, scoring MJ Melendez.The Red Sox moved ahead in the third inning when Romy Gonzalez hit a two-out, three-run homer into the left-field bullpen. All three runs were unearned, as Ceddanne Rafaela reached base with no outs on an error on Massey. Danny Jansen lined a home run, his seventh of the season, into the same bullpen leading off the fourth.The Royals regained the lead with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Kansas City scored its first run of the inning on a wild pitch before Witt's opposite-field double scored two. Pasquantino then hit his 17th homer of the season — a two-run shot — off reliever Brennan Bernardino, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.TRANSACTIONS:Red Sox: RHP Chris Martin was reinstated from the 15-day injured list, where he had been since July 5 (retroactive to July 4) with right elbow inflammation. In a corresponding move, LHP Cam Booser was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. ... OF Tyler O'Neill was placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Aug. 4) with a left leg infection. INF/OF Emmanuel Valdez was recalled from Worcester to take his place.UP NEXT:Red Sox: Open a three-game series against the Houston Astros on Friday. No starting pitchers have been named.Royals: Open a two-game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

⚾ Bobby Witt's 2 homers, 4 RBIs lead the Royals past the Red Sox

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23457&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Offensive Coordinator Conor Riley</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23460&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Quarterback Avery Johnson</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23462&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Running Back DJ Giddens</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23459&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Running Back Dylan Edwards</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23458&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Wide Receiver Keagan Johnson</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23461&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Offensive Lineman Taylor Poitier</a>

<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/fall-camp-press-conference-offense-august-6-2024/4872" target="_blank">Listen (Combined)</a>

<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EumD2G5yXNgLSarXhsUzllnCQ7-ea9GjrtXuVomWN3U/edit?gid=0#gid=0" target="_blank">Media Download</a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State offensive coordinator&nbsp;Conor Riley&nbsp;and five offensive players – quarterback&nbsp;Avery Johnson, running backs&nbsp;DJ Giddens&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dylan Edwards, wide receiver&nbsp;Keagan Johnson&nbsp;and offensive lineman&nbsp;Taylor Poitier&nbsp;– met with members of the media for the first time during fall camp on Tuesday at the Vanier Family Football Complex. Links to video and audio of the media availabilities are above, while a transcript of select Riley quotes are below.

CONOR RILEY, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

On concentrating on installation vs. personnel…

“Really, it's always a combination of both. We are very early in the evaluation phase for those guys because we do go so heavy with our installation in those first five to six practices. In fact, just this morning, as we were looking at our install cut up and our schedule, it was a little bit less. So, you have to keep things in context. You got to stay relative to say, ‘Man, there's this young kid who's really flashing right now,’ or maybe he's making a few of the mistakes, but as we start slowing that down, now, how much can they grow? Because their growth is never linear, and it's hard to explain that to young kids. There's going to be those ebbs and flows. So, it’s really a combination of both, but I'd say that we have the lion's share of our offense in already.”

On wide receiver Keagan Johnson…

“I've always had a ton of respect and admiration for Keagan. It goes back to recruiting his older brothers when I was at the previous school, and even recruiting Keagan. I think his final two schools were us and Iowa. I've always been impressed with his maturity. Where I see a ton of growth is in his confidence, and that confidence comes with just being in the program and understanding what to expect on a day-to-day basis. But I absolutely admire the young man. I heard you guys talking about his ability, but the type of kid that he is fantastic. I’m really glad that he's with us.”

On simplifying the passing game…

“It is a process because there is a simplification of some things, but then, without going into too much detail, there's some ownership that the wide receivers do need to take, and the ownership that they need to take within some of your decision making. What I love about that – and it may look complicated or sound complicated – is it really gives ownership to those guys to say with some of the things that we're doing, ‘What am I seeing? What is my responsibility?’ In my mind, it also builds a little bit better of a relationship between quarterback and the wide receivers. So, I think that it's going very well. Are there still a few mistakes? Absolutely. In part, there's some mistakes because, I believe, that our back end, our secondary, is pretty dang good and they make it pretty difficult on us. So, the pictures that these guys are seeing, they're ever changing. That's probably as we go into install, it's not, ‘Okay, what are we running?’ But now, ‘What do we have to run that against?’ These are great lessons to help us here moving forward.”

On what he likes about Sam Hecht’s progression at center…

“Everything, quite honestly. I couldn’t be more pleased with Sam Hecht. You go back to his story, I recruited his older brother at the last place I was at, and for him to be a walk-on and earn his way into this position, and, interestingly enough, the last two kids are Kansas walk-ons that have started at center, and both have been pretty dang good. I expect that same thing from Sam Hecht. His attention to detail, his physicalness, his coachability, he doesn't make a bunch of mistakes, he takes ownership. Those are things that I absolutely love with Sam. Now, I'd like Sam to vocalize a little bit more, but that's a little bit of his personality as well.”

On what Matt Wells has brought to the table…

“Well, he's not only brought a ton of conceptual thoughts in some of his experience that fit within what we do, he's brought a ton of perspective. This is a system – like I've stated before – that has evolved that I've been a part of since 2013. Just his perspective from having been a coordinator, from having been a head coach, from his responsibilities at Oklahoma last year, just saying, ‘Why do we do this? Why do we do this? Can we become more efficient in how we communicate?’ So, conceptually, in the passing game especially, there's going to be some changes. It's something that he's familiar with. It's something that you can tell Coach (Matthew) Middleton is familiar with as well.”

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23457&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Offensive Coordinator Conor Riley</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23460&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Quarterback Avery Johnson</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23462&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Running Back DJ Giddens</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23459&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Running Back Dylan Edwards</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23458&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Wide Receiver Keagan Johnson</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23461&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Offensive Lineman Taylor Poitier</a><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/fall-camp-press-conference-offense-august-6-2024/4872" target="_blank">Listen (Combined)</a><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EumD2G5yXNgLSarXhsUzllnCQ7-ea9GjrtXuVomWN3U/edit?gid=0#gid=0" target="_blank">Media Download</a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State offensive coordinator&nbsp;Conor Riley&nbsp;and five offensive players – quarterback&nbsp;Avery Johnson, running backs&nbsp;DJ Giddens&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dylan Edwards, wide receiver&nbsp;Keagan Johnson&nbsp;and offensive lineman&nbsp;Taylor Poitier&nbsp;– met with members of the media for the first time during fall camp on Tuesday at the Vanier Family Football Complex. Links to video and audio of the media availabilities are above, while a transcript of select Riley quotes are below.CONOR RILEY, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOROn concentrating on installation vs. personnel…“Really, it's always a combination of both. We are very early in the evaluation phase for those guys because we do go so heavy with our installation in those first five to six practices. In fact, just this morning, as we were looking at our install cut up and our schedule, it was a little bit less. So, you have to keep things in context. You got to stay relative to say, ‘Man, there's this young kid who's really flashing right now,’ or maybe he's making a few of the mistakes, but as we start slowing that down, now, how much can they grow? Because their growth is never linear, and it's hard to explain that to young kids. There's going to be those ebbs and flows. So, it’s really a combination of both, but I'd say that we have the lion's share of our offense in already.”On wide receiver Keagan Johnson…“I've always had a ton of respect and admiration for Keagan. It goes back to recruiting his older brothers when I was at the previous school, and even recruiting Keagan. I think his final two schools were us and Iowa. I've always been impressed with his maturity. Where I see a ton of growth is in his confidence, and that confidence comes with just being in the program and understanding what to expect on a day-to-day basis. But I absolutely admire the young man. I heard you guys talking about his ability, but the type of kid that he is fantastic. I’m really glad that he's with us.”On simplifying the passing game…“It is a process because there is a simplification of some things, but then, without going into too much detail, there's some ownership that the wide receivers do need to take, and the ownership that they need to take within some of your decision making. What I love about that – and it may look complicated or sound complicated – is it really gives ownership to those guys to say with some of the things that we're doing, ‘What am I seeing? What is my responsibility?’ In my mind, it also builds a little bit better of a relationship between quarterback and the wide receivers. So, I think that it's going very well. Are there still a few mistakes? Absolutely. In part, there's some mistakes because, I believe, that our back end, our secondary, is pretty dang good and they make it pretty difficult on us. So, the pictures that these guys are seeing, they're ever changing. That's probably as we go into install, it's not, ‘Okay, what are we running?’ But now, ‘What do we have to run that against?’ These are great lessons to help us here moving forward.”On what he likes about Sam Hecht’s progression at center…“Everything, quite honestly. I couldn’t be more pleased with Sam Hecht. You go back to his story, I recruited his older brother at the last place I was at, and for him to be a walk-on and earn his way into this position, and, interestingly enough, the last two kids are Kansas walk-ons that have started at center, and both have been pretty dang good. I expect that same thing from Sam Hecht. His attention to detail, his physicalness, his coachability, he doesn't make a bunch of mistakes, he takes ownership. Those are things that I absolutely love with Sam. Now, I'd like Sam to vocalize a little bit more, but that's a little bit of his personality as well.”On what Matt Wells has brought to the table…“Well, he's not only brought a ton of conceptual thoughts in some of his experience that fit within what we do, he's brought a ton of perspective. This is a system – like I've stated before – that has evolved that I've been a part of since 2013. Just his perspective from having been a coordinator, from having been a head coach, from his responsibilities at Oklahoma last year, just saying, ‘Why do we do this? Why do we do this? Can we become more efficient in how we communicate?’ So, conceptually, in the passing game especially, there's going to be some changes. It's something that he's familiar with. It's something that you can tell Coach (Matthew) Middleton is familiar with as well.”– k-statesports.com –RYAN LACKEY

K-State's Offense meets the media

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dominic Smith scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning on a call that was overturned on a challenge, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Smith doubled to open the sixth and moved to third on a single to center field by Eric Sogard. After David Hamilton struck out looking, Smith charged home on a pitch by KC's Seth Lugo that bounced in front of the plate and got away from catcher Salvador Perez. Perez chased the ball to the backstop, wheeled and threw to Lugo, who appeared to tag a diving Smith for an apparent out.

The Red Sox challenged the call, which was overturned on review.

“Dom (Smith) wasn’t too sure,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Mikey (Brenly, the Red Sox’s replay coordinator) right away said, ‘Challenge it. He got in.’”

Smith called his diving toward the plate a “freestyle” when asked what stroke he used.

“I tried to make a move," Smith said. "I wasn’t sure when (Royals pitcher Seth Lugo) tagged me, but when I saw (manager Alex Cora) go for the challenge, I felt good about it.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of our speedy guys (use the swim move) all year. My slide is a little bit slower than other people’s, so I might have a little more time to make a move.”

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and two out Yoshida singled through the right side, driving in two more runs.

The Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game set, trail the Royals by a half-game for the third American League wild-card spot.

Brennan Bernadino (4-3) worked a third of an inning and earned the win in relief. Kenley Jansen picked up his 21st save, striking out Bobby Witt Jr., the MLB leader in hits and batting average, to end it.

“That’s the best I’ve seen the big boy, especially in that last at bat,” Cora said of Jansen. “It was cutter, sinker, cutter. The velocity, the movement, to have him rested was very important.”

Lugo (13-6) allowed six runs, four earned, on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in the loss.

“Another competitive outing,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “His command was a little bit off, I think. He was maybe trying to be a little too fine. We were looking up there in the sixth and we were right in the game.”

Lugo said overturning the call was the right call.

“I could tell that I didn’t get his arm and his hand got the plate,” Lugo said. “I was hoping they didn’t have a good enough video to show that.”

Boston held a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning when the Royals' MJ Melendez lined a two-run double to the wall, scoring Vinnie Pasquantino and Perez and cutting the deficit to a run.

Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. lined a one-out double in the first before Pasquantino pulled one through the right side of the infield for an RBI single.

The Red Sox answered with a pair of unearned runs in the second. Connor Wong singled. Smith hit a grounder to second, but Michael Massey failed to field it. With one out, David Hamilton bounced one over the wall, scoring Wong. Smith scored on a groundout by Ceddanne Rafaela.

Masataka Yoshida homered with one out in the third to extend the Boston lead to 3-1.

The Royals used three straight two-out hits to tie the game in the fifth. Massey launched a 434-foot home run to right center. Witt followed with a bloop single and scored on a double by Pasquantino.

Red Sox: Boston manager Alex Cora said RHP Chris Martin played catch Monday and felt good Tuesday, so it's likely he'll be activated from the injured list before Wednesday's game. He has been on the IL since July 5 (retroactive to July 4) with right elbow inflammation. ... OF Tyler O'Neill, who has been out of the lineup with an illness since Aug. 3, feels better and is also likely to return to the lineup Wednesday.

The Red Sox and Royals will conclude their three-game series Wednesday night. Boston will start RHP Brayan Bello (7-8, 3.81 ERA) against KC's LHP Cole Ragans (8-7, 3.35 ERA).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723023745529.jpeg" alt="Boston Red Sox's Dominic Smith (2) beats the tag by Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo to score during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)" />
 <figcaption>Boston Red Sox's Dominic Smith (2) beats the tag by Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo to score during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dominic Smith scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning on a call that was overturned on a challenge, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Tuesday night.Smith doubled to open the sixth and moved to third on a single to center field by Eric Sogard. After David Hamilton struck out looking, Smith charged home on a pitch by KC's Seth Lugo that bounced in front of the plate and got away from catcher Salvador Perez. Perez chased the ball to the backstop, wheeled and threw to Lugo, who appeared to tag a diving Smith for an apparent out.The Red Sox challenged the call, which was overturned on review.“Dom (Smith) wasn’t too sure,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Mikey (Brenly, the Red Sox’s replay coordinator) right away said, ‘Challenge it. He got in.’”Smith called his diving toward the plate a “freestyle” when asked what stroke he used.“I tried to make a move," Smith said. "I wasn’t sure when (Royals pitcher Seth Lugo) tagged me, but when I saw (manager Alex Cora) go for the challenge, I felt good about it.“I’ve been seeing a lot of our speedy guys (use the swim move) all year. My slide is a little bit slower than other people’s, so I might have a little more time to make a move.”Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and two out Yoshida singled through the right side, driving in two more runs.The Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game set, trail the Royals by a half-game for the third American League wild-card spot.Brennan Bernadino (4-3) worked a third of an inning and earned the win in relief. Kenley Jansen picked up his 21st save, striking out Bobby Witt Jr., the MLB leader in hits and batting average, to end it.“That’s the best I’ve seen the big boy, especially in that last at bat,” Cora said of Jansen. “It was cutter, sinker, cutter. The velocity, the movement, to have him rested was very important.”Lugo (13-6) allowed six runs, four earned, on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in the loss.“Another competitive outing,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “His command was a little bit off, I think. He was maybe trying to be a little too fine. We were looking up there in the sixth and we were right in the game.”Lugo said overturning the call was the right call.“I could tell that I didn’t get his arm and his hand got the plate,” Lugo said. “I was hoping they didn’t have a good enough video to show that.”Boston held a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning when the Royals' MJ Melendez lined a two-run double to the wall, scoring Vinnie Pasquantino and Perez and cutting the deficit to a run.Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. lined a one-out double in the first before Pasquantino pulled one through the right side of the infield for an RBI single.The Red Sox answered with a pair of unearned runs in the second. Connor Wong singled. Smith hit a grounder to second, but Michael Massey failed to field it. With one out, David Hamilton bounced one over the wall, scoring Wong. Smith scored on a groundout by Ceddanne Rafaela.Masataka Yoshida homered with one out in the third to extend the Boston lead to 3-1.The Royals used three straight two-out hits to tie the game in the fifth. Massey launched a 434-foot home run to right center. Witt followed with a bloop single and scored on a double by Pasquantino.TRAINING ROOM:Red Sox: Boston manager Alex Cora said RHP Chris Martin played catch Monday and felt good Tuesday, so it's likely he'll be activated from the injured list before Wednesday's game. He has been on the IL since July 5 (retroactive to July 4) with right elbow inflammation. ... OF Tyler O'Neill, who has been out of the lineup with an illness since Aug. 3, feels better and is also likely to return to the lineup Wednesday.UP NEXT:The Red Sox and Royals will conclude their three-game series Wednesday night. Boston will start RHP Brayan Bello (7-8, 3.81 ERA) against KC's LHP Cole Ragans (8-7, 3.35 ERA).

⚾ Dominic Smith scores go-ahead run on wild pitch as Red Sox beat Royals

&nbsp;USD 475 has announced that the Junction City High School football home opener versus Lawrence High School has been rescheduled to Thursday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Blue Jays will open their 2024 season at Haysville Campus in Wichita on Friday, Sept. 6.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722988205516.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By Dewey TerrillJC Post&nbsp;USD 475 has announced that the Junction City High School football home opener versus Lawrence High School has been rescheduled to Thursday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.The Blue Jays will open their 2024 season at Haysville Campus in Wichita on Friday, Sept. 6.&nbsp;

Blue Jay football home opener moves to Thursday Sept. 12

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — James Paxton pitched six solid innings, Masataka Yoshida tied his career high with four of Boston's 18 hits and the Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 9-5 on Monday night.

Boston, which has won four of its last five, now trails the Royals by 1 1/2 games for the final American League wild card spot.

“It was a humble approach,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We hit the ball all over the place. We ran the bases well. The kids did a great job in the bottom of the lineup.

"We just kept putting pressure on them. They have a good team; it took a lot. But give our guys credit, they showed up today and did their job. Now we have to win the series, either tomorrow or the next day.”

Paxton (9-3) allowed two runs on five hits to pick up his first win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sox-trades-sims-garcia-28244b06789dd496ce5101d6149df8d3">since being traded to the Red Sox</a>&nbsp;by the Dodgers.

“I felt good out there,” Paxton said. “To have (Cora) have that confidence in me was awesome.”

Boston catcher Connor Wong said Paxton was exactly who the Red Sox thought they were getting in the trade.

“We knew from last year that he gets better as the game went on,” Wong said of Paxton, who had 19 starts with Boston in 2023. “He did that against us in L.A. That's just who he is.”

Brady Singer (8-7) allowed four runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed at least one hit in every inning.

“I thought he pitched well,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Singer. “He really battled. They made a lot of contact, a lot of singles early. (Singer) couldn't quite put them away. Where he was in the sixth, after giving up those two runs in the second, we had a really good chance to win that game.”

Singer wasn't happy with his performance.

“I felt like the sinker in was going to be a huge part of it,” he said. “But I left a few over the middle of the plate and gave up a few hits on it.”

David Hamilton pulled a double down the right field line for Boston's first run in the second. Jarren Duran added an RBI with a slow roller.

The Royals got on the board in the third. Kyle Isbel coaxed a one-out walk from Paxton and advanced to second on a groundout. Bobby Witt Jr. lined a single to right, scoring Isbel.

Michael Massey tripled off the top of the wall in right center in the fourth and scored when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/james-paxton-in-play-run-s-to-freddy-fermin?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Freddy Fermin tapped one off the end of the bat</a>&nbsp;that resulted in an RBI single.

Boston regained the lead in the sixth. Reliever Angel Zerpa gave up a line drive down the left field line to Duran, scoring two runs.

The Red Sox added four more runs off Zerpa, including two on Romy Gonzalez’s pinch-hit home run, before recording an out in the seventh.

“With a 2-0 count I thought he was going to challenge me,” Gonzalez said. “He made a pitch where I wanted it and I put a good swing on it.”

The Royals scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh off Cooper Criswell.

Red Sox: OF Tyler O'Neill, who missed Boston's last two games with an illness, was not in the lineup. Manager Alex Cora said O'Neill was “feeling better, but not great. Still available, but not starting.”

The Red Sox and Royals will play the second game of a three-game series Tuesday night. Boston will send RHP Brayan Bello (10-5, 5.13 ERA) to the mound to face RHP Seth Lugo (13-5, 2.57 ERA).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722937257358.jpeg" alt="Boston Red Sox starting pitcher James Paxton throws to a Kansas City Royals batter during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)" />
 <figcaption>Boston Red Sox starting pitcher James Paxton throws to a Kansas City Royals batter during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — James Paxton pitched six solid innings, Masataka Yoshida tied his career high with four of Boston's 18 hits and the Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 9-5 on Monday night.Boston, which has won four of its last five, now trails the Royals by 1 1/2 games for the final American League wild card spot.“It was a humble approach,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We hit the ball all over the place. We ran the bases well. The kids did a great job in the bottom of the lineup."We just kept putting pressure on them. They have a good team; it took a lot. But give our guys credit, they showed up today and did their job. Now we have to win the series, either tomorrow or the next day.”Paxton (9-3) allowed two runs on five hits to pick up his first win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sox-trades-sims-garcia-28244b06789dd496ce5101d6149df8d3">since being traded to the Red Sox</a>&nbsp;by the Dodgers.“I felt good out there,” Paxton said. “To have (Cora) have that confidence in me was awesome.”Boston catcher Connor Wong said Paxton was exactly who the Red Sox thought they were getting in the trade.“We knew from last year that he gets better as the game went on,” Wong said of Paxton, who had 19 starts with Boston in 2023. “He did that against us in L.A. That's just who he is.”Brady Singer (8-7) allowed four runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed at least one hit in every inning.“I thought he pitched well,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Singer. “He really battled. They made a lot of contact, a lot of singles early. (Singer) couldn't quite put them away. Where he was in the sixth, after giving up those two runs in the second, we had a really good chance to win that game.”Singer wasn't happy with his performance.“I felt like the sinker in was going to be a huge part of it,” he said. “But I left a few over the middle of the plate and gave up a few hits on it.”David Hamilton pulled a double down the right field line for Boston's first run in the second. Jarren Duran added an RBI with a slow roller.The Royals got on the board in the third. Kyle Isbel coaxed a one-out walk from Paxton and advanced to second on a groundout. Bobby Witt Jr. lined a single to right, scoring Isbel.Michael Massey tripled off the top of the wall in right center in the fourth and scored when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/james-paxton-in-play-run-s-to-freddy-fermin?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Freddy Fermin tapped one off the end of the bat</a>&nbsp;that resulted in an RBI single.Boston regained the lead in the sixth. Reliever Angel Zerpa gave up a line drive down the left field line to Duran, scoring two runs.The Red Sox added four more runs off Zerpa, including two on Romy Gonzalez’s pinch-hit home run, before recording an out in the seventh.“With a 2-0 count I thought he was going to challenge me,” Gonzalez said. “He made a pitch where I wanted it and I put a good swing on it.”The Royals scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh off Cooper Criswell.TRAINER'S ROOMRed Sox: OF Tyler O'Neill, who missed Boston's last two games with an illness, was not in the lineup. Manager Alex Cora said O'Neill was “feeling better, but not great. Still available, but not starting.”UP NEXTThe Red Sox and Royals will play the second game of a three-game series Tuesday night. Boston will send RHP Brayan Bello (10-5, 5.13 ERA) to the mound to face RHP Seth Lugo (13-5, 2.57 ERA).___

⚾ Boston's 18 hits lifts Red Sox over Royals

USD 475 has announced that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JCHSUSD475?__cft__[0]=AZVyDZlf65Nh_uF4yj3G9rjze-TSo1ZsvLKtx3spFwt-KgwbIf4TrvOWg9FrUaL7iy8a_MYL6c2H8Qc_aOMLRb9drFLHRUiTNY8lHSx45B37ZWxJk97UgA5hLrKwiuGMGDMlMw5xS-l7KsEMGKg7xTUK8zmO-fUnA2ev8Y7-ua8vAqf3Fl2cslwiEdS_UkrpoSpHLpR6UVg__cx5yZM-36dF&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Junction City High School </a>&nbsp;will host an All Fall Sports Parent Meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. For more information, please contact Chris Bogenhagen, JCHS athletic director, at 785-717-4214

USD 475 has announced that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JCHSUSD475?__cft__[0]=AZVyDZlf65Nh_uF4yj3G9rjze-TSo1ZsvLKtx3spFwt-KgwbIf4TrvOWg9FrUaL7iy8a_MYL6c2H8Qc_aOMLRb9drFLHRUiTNY8lHSx45B37ZWxJk97UgA5hLrKwiuGMGDMlMw5xS-l7KsEMGKg7xTUK8zmO-fUnA2ev8Y7-ua8vAqf3Fl2cslwiEdS_UkrpoSpHLpR6UVg__cx5yZM-36dF&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Junction City High School </a>&nbsp;will host an All Fall Sports Parent Meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. For more information, please contact Chris Bogenhagen, JCHS athletic director, at 785-717-4214

All Fall Sports Parent meeting is scheduled

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23456&amp;type=Archive">Watch Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/chris-klieman-press-conference-august-5-2024/4871">Listen to Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kstatesports.evenue.net/events/FBSG">Buy Tickets</a>

<a target="_blank" href="https://kstatesports.evenue.net/events/FBSG"></a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;met with members of the media for the first time during fall camp on Monday at the Vanier Family Football Complex. Links to video and audio of the press conference – which was streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ – are above, while a transcript of Klieman’s opening statement is below.

“Well, good afternoon. We just finished practice (number) five. It’s been good so far. (Today was our) third day in our half pads. Tomorrow, we'll get to put on full pads. We’re still evaluating a ton of guys, and that's kind of what we're doing right now — all our install on offense and defense, looking at our younger guys, looking at new guys, especially the ones that just arrived here in the summer, as well as the kids that are redshirt freshmen that have kind of been on the program a little while. So, it's a work in progress.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23456&amp;type=Archive">Watch Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/chris-klieman-press-conference-august-5-2024/4871">Listen to Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kstatesports.evenue.net/events/FBSG">Buy Tickets</a><a target="_blank" href="https://kstatesports.evenue.net/events/FBSG"></a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;met with members of the media for the first time during fall camp on Monday at the Vanier Family Football Complex. Links to video and audio of the press conference – which was streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ – are above, while a transcript of Klieman’s opening statement is below.CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACHOpening Statement…“Well, good afternoon. We just finished practice (number) five. It’s been good so far. (Today was our) third day in our half pads. Tomorrow, we'll get to put on full pads. We’re still evaluating a ton of guys, and that's kind of what we're doing right now — all our install on offense and defense, looking at our younger guys, looking at new guys, especially the ones that just arrived here in the summer, as well as the kids that are redshirt freshmen that have kind of been on the program a little while. So, it's a work in progress.”– k-statesports.com –

K-State Holds Initial Fall Camp Press Conference

DETROIT (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1820189388908933148">MJ Melendez hit a pinch-hit three-run homer</a>&nbsp;in the ninth inning to rally the Kansas City Royals to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

Trailing 2-0 going into the top of the ninth, Hunter Renfroe and Freddy Fermin reached on singles with one out. Adam Frazier nearly hit a pinch-hit homer, but the ball curled foul and he flew out to center field.

Melendez then hit a 362-foot blast, his 13th of the season, to give Kansas City the lead.

“I like to be in those situation — it is do or die and that's a lot of fun,” Melendez said. “I'm going to be ready late in games, whether they need me to hit or play defense. I have to stay as locked in as possible, just like I'm in the game.”

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch used lefty Shelby Miller in the ninth, knowing the Royals would be sending up their left-handed hitters.

“I think Shelby had given up eight hits against lefties all year going into that inning,” Hinch said. “They got two, two-strike hits from Renfroe and Fermin, and then a bad splitter to a guy who can hit the ball out of the park.”

Chris Stratton (4-3) got the win with a scoreless eighth. The Royals' Hunter Harvey, who squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning of a 6-5, 11-inning loss on Saturday, pitched the ninth for his first save.

“We acquired (Harvey) to pitch in high-leverage situations, and that was high leverage,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “There's a reason we gave up good players to get him, so we're not going to run away from one bad outing.”

The Royals have won six of their last seven games.

“We talked a lot about how they got one from us yesterday late, and then we turned around and did that today,” Quatraro said. “That's why you can't get too high or too low, because the same thing will happen to you.”

The Tigers went 2-7 on a nine-game homestand against Minnesota, Cleveland and Kansas City.

The Tigers have two healthy starting pitchers after trading Jack Flaherty, so manager Hinch has relied heavily on his bullpen. On Sunday, he got four scoreless innings from Alex Faedo and Brenan Hanifee before turning the ball over to Brant Hurter for his major league debut.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead when Zach McKinstry tripled and scored on Gio Urshela's two-out single in the second inning. Matt Vierling made it 2-0 in the fifth, driving in Javier Baez with a sacrifice fly.

Hurter struck out Salvador Perez and Paul DeJong to get out of a jam in the sixth inning, and allowed two hits before leaving after the seventh. Will Vest pitched the eighth, but Miller couldn't finish it.

“Our pitching was awesome,” Hinch said. “Faedo had to battle and Hanifee came in and got the ball on the ground. They stacked the lineup expecting to see Hurter, and he got us once through the order. After that, we had avenues to get it done, so it is a gut-punch to lose.”

Miller (5-7) worked two-thirds of an inning and took the loss.

Royals: Open a three-game home series against the Red Sox on Monday. RHP Brady Singer (8-6, 2.88) is scheduled to start against Boston LHP James Paxton (8-3, 4.52).

Tigers: After an off day Monday, take on the Mariners for three games in Seattle. Detroit's RHP Keider Montero (1-5, 6.18) is scheduled to start Tuesday. Seattle has not named a starter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722821513239.jpeg" alt="Photo Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1820189388908933148">MJ Melendez hit a pinch-hit three-run homer</a>&nbsp;in the ninth inning to rally the Kansas City Royals to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.Trailing 2-0 going into the top of the ninth, Hunter Renfroe and Freddy Fermin reached on singles with one out. Adam Frazier nearly hit a pinch-hit homer, but the ball curled foul and he flew out to center field.Melendez then hit a 362-foot blast, his 13th of the season, to give Kansas City the lead.“I like to be in those situation — it is do or die and that's a lot of fun,” Melendez said. “I'm going to be ready late in games, whether they need me to hit or play defense. I have to stay as locked in as possible, just like I'm in the game.”Tigers manager A.J. Hinch used lefty Shelby Miller in the ninth, knowing the Royals would be sending up their left-handed hitters.“I think Shelby had given up eight hits against lefties all year going into that inning,” Hinch said. “They got two, two-strike hits from Renfroe and Fermin, and then a bad splitter to a guy who can hit the ball out of the park.”Chris Stratton (4-3) got the win with a scoreless eighth. The Royals' Hunter Harvey, who squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning of a 6-5, 11-inning loss on Saturday, pitched the ninth for his first save.“We acquired (Harvey) to pitch in high-leverage situations, and that was high leverage,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “There's a reason we gave up good players to get him, so we're not going to run away from one bad outing.”The Royals have won six of their last seven games.“We talked a lot about how they got one from us yesterday late, and then we turned around and did that today,” Quatraro said. “That's why you can't get too high or too low, because the same thing will happen to you.”The Tigers went 2-7 on a nine-game homestand against Minnesota, Cleveland and Kansas City.The Tigers have two healthy starting pitchers after trading Jack Flaherty, so manager Hinch has relied heavily on his bullpen. On Sunday, he got four scoreless innings from Alex Faedo and Brenan Hanifee before turning the ball over to Brant Hurter for his major league debut.The Tigers took a 1-0 lead when Zach McKinstry tripled and scored on Gio Urshela's two-out single in the second inning. Matt Vierling made it 2-0 in the fifth, driving in Javier Baez with a sacrifice fly.Hurter struck out Salvador Perez and Paul DeJong to get out of a jam in the sixth inning, and allowed two hits before leaving after the seventh. Will Vest pitched the eighth, but Miller couldn't finish it.“Our pitching was awesome,” Hinch said. “Faedo had to battle and Hanifee came in and got the ball on the ground. They stacked the lineup expecting to see Hurter, and he got us once through the order. After that, we had avenues to get it done, so it is a gut-punch to lose.”Miller (5-7) worked two-thirds of an inning and took the loss.UP NEXTRoyals: Open a three-game home series against the Red Sox on Monday. RHP Brady Singer (8-6, 2.88) is scheduled to start against Boston LHP James Paxton (8-3, 4.52).Tigers: After an off day Monday, take on the Mariners for three games in Seattle. Detroit's RHP Keider Montero (1-5, 6.18) is scheduled to start Tuesday. Seattle has not named a starter.___

⚾ Melendez pinch-hit homer in the 9th lifts Royals past Tigers

DETROIT (AP) — Wenceel Pérez singled with two out in the 11th inning and the Detroit Tigers rallied three times to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night.

The Tigers trailed in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings, and ended a five-game losing streak. Kansas City had won five straight.

Parker Meadows led off the 11th with an RBI triple and the Royals intentionally walked Javier Báez. Jake Rogers hit into a double play, but Pérez lined a ball off the wall in right center field off James McArthur (4-5).

The Royals led 3-1 going into the ninth, but Bligh Madris led off the ninth inning with a home run off Hunter Harvey. Zach McKinstry followed with a pinch-hit double.

McKinstry took third on Parker Meadows' groundout and scored on Báez's double. Báez stole third without a throw, but Pérez grounded out to end the inning.

The Royals took a 4-3 lead in the 10th on Bobby Witt Jr.'s sacrifice fly off Jason Foley (3-3), but Justyn-Henry Malloy tied the game with a two-out double.

Vinnie Pasquatino made it 1-0 in the sixth inning with a long homer off Kenta Maeda — his fourth homer in as many games — but Andy Ibáñez tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

Paul DeJong put the Royals back in front 3-1 with a seventh-inning homer — the 18th homer off Maeda in 80 innings this season.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made an unusual defensive move early in the game. Pérez started the game in left field with Matt Vierling playing right, but they reversed positions for the second.

The first pitch was delayed 25 minutes by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/leyland-tigers-retired-number-522e49ae4cfd62961b61df59aeaec815">a ceremony to retire the No. 10 worn by</a>&nbsp;former Tigers manager and 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Jim Leyland.

The teams finish the four-game series on Sunday afternoon, with Royals RHP Michael Wacha (8-6, 3.58 ERA) pitching against the Tigers' bullpen.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722782048166.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals pitcher James McArthur throws against the Detroit Tigers in the 11th inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals pitcher James McArthur throws against the Detroit Tigers in the 11th inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Wenceel Pérez singled with two out in the 11th inning and the Detroit Tigers rallied three times to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night.The Tigers trailed in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings, and ended a five-game losing streak. Kansas City had won five straight.Parker Meadows led off the 11th with an RBI triple and the Royals intentionally walked Javier Báez. Jake Rogers hit into a double play, but Pérez lined a ball off the wall in right center field off James McArthur (4-5).The Royals led 3-1 going into the ninth, but Bligh Madris led off the ninth inning with a home run off Hunter Harvey. Zach McKinstry followed with a pinch-hit double.McKinstry took third on Parker Meadows' groundout and scored on Báez's double. Báez stole third without a throw, but Pérez grounded out to end the inning.The Royals took a 4-3 lead in the 10th on Bobby Witt Jr.'s sacrifice fly off Jason Foley (3-3), but Justyn-Henry Malloy tied the game with a two-out double.Vinnie Pasquatino made it 1-0 in the sixth inning with a long homer off Kenta Maeda — his fourth homer in as many games — but Andy Ibáñez tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.Paul DeJong put the Royals back in front 3-1 with a seventh-inning homer — the 18th homer off Maeda in 80 innings this season.Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made an unusual defensive move early in the game. Pérez started the game in left field with Matt Vierling playing right, but they reversed positions for the second.The first pitch was delayed 25 minutes by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/leyland-tigers-retired-number-522e49ae4cfd62961b61df59aeaec815">a ceremony to retire the No. 10 worn by</a>&nbsp;former Tigers manager and 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Jim Leyland.UP NEXTThe teams finish the four-game series on Sunday afternoon, with Royals RHP Michael Wacha (8-6, 3.58 ERA) pitching against the Tigers' bullpen.___

⚾ Wenceel Pérez's single in the 11th lifts Tigers to win over Royals

DETROIT (AP) — Salvador Perez had three hits, including a home run, and the Kansas City Royals won their fifth straight by routing Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers 9-2 on Friday night.

Cole Ragans (8-7) held the Tigers to two runs on two hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out six.

Skubal (12-4) allowed a season-worst five runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Skubal, who struck out eight, is 2-9 against the Royals with a 5.05 ERA in 14 games, 12 of them starts.

“They don't have a lot of swing and misses over there, and if you chase them, you can get into some bad counts,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I thought Tarik did a job of pitching to the game situation, but they had a good approach and continued it against our bullpen.”

The Royals chased Skubal in a six-run seventh inning that included nine straight hits, two stolen bases and a wild pitch.

“You can't ever plan for that, for sure, but the approaches were so good, especially once we got going a little bit,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That inning was remarkable.”

The Tigers, who have been outscored 34-7 during a five-game losing streak, took a 2-0 lead on Justyn-Henry Malloy's first-inning homer, but Perez led off the second with a homer off the bricks behind the stands in left-center field to make it 2-1.

“I thought he set the tone for us with the home run,” Quatraro said. “Skubal has no-hit stuff every night, and he goes up there and crushed that slider. That got us right back in the game after they got two."

Perez scored from first on Hunter Renfroe's double in the fourth, and Paul DeJong made it 3-2 with a sacrifice fly on his 31st birthday to score Renfroe.

The Royals blew the game open in the seventh. Dairon Blanco and Maikel Garcia singled with one out to end Skubal's night. Bobby Witt Jr. greeted Shelby Miller with an infield single to load the bases.

“You don't want to let anyone see a pitcher for a fourth time, and as the inning developed, we wanted to get a different look to the middle of the order,” Hinch said. “It's frustrating when that doesn't work, and it obviously didn't tonight.”

Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run single, making it 5-2, followed by a double steal and a run-scoring wild pitch. Perez hit an RBI double for his third hit.

Renfroe and Freddy Fermin singled to make it seven straight hits and an 8-2 lead. Beau Brieske gave up singles to Garrett Hampson and DeJong before getting the last two outs.

Wenceel Pérez made a spectacular running catch in the eighth inning to rob Perez of a fourth hit and a possible triple that would have given him a cycle.

The teams play the third game of the series on Saturday with Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (5-6, 3.81) making his Kansas City debut. Lorenzen was a 2023 All-Star with the Tigers. Detroit, down to two healthy starters, will use its bullpen for another nine innings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722662336303.jpeg" alt="Photo Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Salvador Perez had three hits, including a home run, and the Kansas City Royals won their fifth straight by routing Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers 9-2 on Friday night.Cole Ragans (8-7) held the Tigers to two runs on two hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out six.Skubal (12-4) allowed a season-worst five runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Skubal, who struck out eight, is 2-9 against the Royals with a 5.05 ERA in 14 games, 12 of them starts.“They don't have a lot of swing and misses over there, and if you chase them, you can get into some bad counts,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I thought Tarik did a job of pitching to the game situation, but they had a good approach and continued it against our bullpen.”The Royals chased Skubal in a six-run seventh inning that included nine straight hits, two stolen bases and a wild pitch.“You can't ever plan for that, for sure, but the approaches were so good, especially once we got going a little bit,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That inning was remarkable.”The Tigers, who have been outscored 34-7 during a five-game losing streak, took a 2-0 lead on Justyn-Henry Malloy's first-inning homer, but Perez led off the second with a homer off the bricks behind the stands in left-center field to make it 2-1.“I thought he set the tone for us with the home run,” Quatraro said. “Skubal has no-hit stuff every night, and he goes up there and crushed that slider. That got us right back in the game after they got two."Perez scored from first on Hunter Renfroe's double in the fourth, and Paul DeJong made it 3-2 with a sacrifice fly on his 31st birthday to score Renfroe.The Royals blew the game open in the seventh. Dairon Blanco and Maikel Garcia singled with one out to end Skubal's night. Bobby Witt Jr. greeted Shelby Miller with an infield single to load the bases.“You don't want to let anyone see a pitcher for a fourth time, and as the inning developed, we wanted to get a different look to the middle of the order,” Hinch said. “It's frustrating when that doesn't work, and it obviously didn't tonight.”Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run single, making it 5-2, followed by a double steal and a run-scoring wild pitch. Perez hit an RBI double for his third hit.Renfroe and Freddy Fermin singled to make it seven straight hits and an 8-2 lead. Beau Brieske gave up singles to Garrett Hampson and DeJong before getting the last two outs.Wenceel Pérez made a spectacular running catch in the eighth inning to rob Perez of a fourth hit and a possible triple that would have given him a cycle.UP NEXTThe teams play the third game of the series on Saturday with Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (5-6, 3.81) making his Kansas City debut. Lorenzen was a 2023 All-Star with the Tigers. Detroit, down to two healthy starters, will use its bullpen for another nine innings.

⚾ Salvador Perez homers and doubles and Royals rout Tigers 

DETROIT (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino homered twice, Seth Lugo gave up just four hits over eight strong innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 7-1 on Thursday night.

Bobby Witt Jr. also homered for the Royals, who are 4-0 on their current road trip. Detroit has lost four in a row and been outscored 25-5 in those games.

Lugo (13-5) gave up one run, struck out three and walked one after going 1-3 in July. He is 7-0 with a 1.31 ERA in nine starts against the AL Central this season.

Keider Montero (1-5) allowed four runs on six hits in a career-high seven innings. The rookie, one of Detroit's only two healthy starting pitchers, allowed three runs before he got an out, but settled down.

Maikel Garcia started the game with a single and stole second and third without throws. Witt walked and Pasquantino lined his 13th homer into the right-field stands for a 3-0 lead.

Bligh Madris got the Tigers on the board with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly, but Freddy Fermin's RBI single gave Kansas City a 4-1 lead in the seventh.

Witt and Pasquantino hit back-to-back homers in the eighth off Brenan Hanifee. It was Pasquantino's first multi-homer game, coming in the same stadium where he hit his first major league homer on July 1, 2022.

The Tigers, who only had 23 players on the active roster after the trading deadline, activated SS Javier Baez from the bereavement list and selected Hanifee and LHP Sean Guenther from Triple-A Toledo. Detroit will have 11 relievers for the four-game Royals series.

The teams play the second of the four-game series on Friday night, with Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (12-3, 2.35) facing LHP Cole Ragans (7-7, 3.37).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722561010515.png" alt="Photo Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino homered twice, Seth Lugo gave up just four hits over eight strong innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 7-1 on Thursday night.Bobby Witt Jr. also homered for the Royals, who are 4-0 on their current road trip. Detroit has lost four in a row and been outscored 25-5 in those games.Lugo (13-5) gave up one run, struck out three and walked one after going 1-3 in July. He is 7-0 with a 1.31 ERA in nine starts against the AL Central this season.Keider Montero (1-5) allowed four runs on six hits in a career-high seven innings. The rookie, one of Detroit's only two healthy starting pitchers, allowed three runs before he got an out, but settled down.Maikel Garcia started the game with a single and stole second and third without throws. Witt walked and Pasquantino lined his 13th homer into the right-field stands for a 3-0 lead.Bligh Madris got the Tigers on the board with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly, but Freddy Fermin's RBI single gave Kansas City a 4-1 lead in the seventh.Witt and Pasquantino hit back-to-back homers in the eighth off Brenan Hanifee. It was Pasquantino's first multi-homer game, coming in the same stadium where he hit his first major league homer on July 1, 2022.Witt added an RBI double in the ninth.TRAINER'S ROOMThe Tigers, who only had 23 players on the active roster after the trading deadline, activated SS Javier Baez from the bereavement list and selected Hanifee and LHP Sean Guenther from Triple-A Toledo. Detroit will have 11 relievers for the four-game Royals series.UP NEXTThe teams play the second of the four-game series on Friday night, with Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (12-3, 2.35) facing LHP Cole Ragans (7-7, 3.37).

⚾ Pasquantino homers twice, Lugo goes 8 strong innings and Royals beat Tigers

CHICAGO (AP) — Freddy Fermin launched a two-run homer among his four hits and the Kansas City Royals pounded the White Sox 10-3 on Wednesday, extending Chicago’s franchise-record losing streak to 17 games.

Vinnie Pasquantino added a two-run shot and finished with three RBIs. Salvador Perez had three hits and drove in two runs in his 1,500th career game as the Royals won their third straight.

Perez joked that Fermin had his first four-hit game in the majors because the two natives of Venezuela chatted beforehand. Fermin appreciated the humor, then went to work.

“Just created my plan and tried to make a good swing and I did,” said Fermin, who is getting increased playing time and raised his batting average to .304. “I just want to continue to do that.”

Major league batting leader Bobby Witt Jr. lengthened his hitting streak to 13 games with two infield singles, boosting his average to .349. The star shortstop walked twice, scored three runs and stole his 24th base as the middle of the Royals lineup produced.

“That's why they are the heart of the order,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “That's what we need from them and they know that. When they're driving in runs and getting on base, we're a deep lineup.”

Andrew Benintendi drove in two runs with a double and finished with two hits for the major league-worst White Sox, whose slide is the longest since Arizona dropped 17 straight games in 2021.

“Show up in Minnesota,” Benintendi suggested as a way to end the skid. “I mean, if you dwell on it too long, I guess it will eat you up. So focus on the next one.”

Chicago (27-84) is 57 games below .500 for the first time and on pace for a worse finish than the 1962 New York Mets, whose 40-120 mark during their inaugural season is the poorest in baseball’s modern era (since 1900).

Brady Singer (8-6) allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings in his third straight win. The right-hander struck out four, walked none and was touched up only when Chicago scored three times in the second.

Singer settled down and retired 17 of his last 19 hitters.

“I was struggling a little bit at the beginning of the year,” he said. “I'm happy to get deep into ballgames toward the end of the year here.”

Kansas City is 60-49, a 26-win improvement over 2023 through 109 games, and holds an AL wild card.

White Sox rookie Drew Thorpe (3-3) yielded six runs and seven hits over five innings in a second consecutive rough outing following five quality starts.

The Royals jumped ahead 1-0 in the first on Pasquantino’s single. Fermin’s sixth homer in the second upped it to 3-0.

The White Sox tied it in the bottom half. Benintendi drove in two runs with his double and scored on Dominic Fletcher’s single.

Witt came home on Perez’s single in the third to put Kansas City back on top 4-3.

The Royals increased it to 6-3 in the fifth. Perez’s liner rolled out of Fletcher's glove in center for a double to drive in a run. Hunter Renfroe followed with a sacrifice fly.

Pasquantino's 12th homer iced it in a four-run eighth.

Kansas City RHP Michael Lorenzen, acquired from Texas in a trade Monday, will start Saturday at Detroit.

Lorenzen will fill the slot of righty Alec Marsh, who was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. Marsh was sent down to make room for reliever Lucas Erceg, who reported to the Royals and pitched a perfect eighth following a trade from Oakland.

White Sox 3B Yoán Moncada, out since April 9 with a left adductor strain, is “ramping up” activity at the team’s Arizona training facility, manager Pedro Grifol said.

Royals: RHP Seth Lugo (12-5, 2.66 ERA) faces Tigers RHP Keider Montero (1-4, 6.38) in Detroit on Thursday.

White Sox: RHP Davis Martin (0-0, 3.38 ERA) makes his first start since returning from Tommy John surgery against Twins RHP Joe Ryan (6-7, 3.69) on Friday in Minnesota.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722463224192.png" alt="Photo Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) — Freddy Fermin launched a two-run homer among his four hits and the Kansas City Royals pounded the White Sox 10-3 on Wednesday, extending Chicago’s franchise-record losing streak to 17 games.Vinnie Pasquantino added a two-run shot and finished with three RBIs. Salvador Perez had three hits and drove in two runs in his 1,500th career game as the Royals won their third straight.Perez joked that Fermin had his first four-hit game in the majors because the two natives of Venezuela chatted beforehand. Fermin appreciated the humor, then went to work.“Just created my plan and tried to make a good swing and I did,” said Fermin, who is getting increased playing time and raised his batting average to .304. “I just want to continue to do that.”Major league batting leader Bobby Witt Jr. lengthened his hitting streak to 13 games with two infield singles, boosting his average to .349. The star shortstop walked twice, scored three runs and stole his 24th base as the middle of the Royals lineup produced.“That's why they are the heart of the order,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “That's what we need from them and they know that. When they're driving in runs and getting on base, we're a deep lineup.”Andrew Benintendi drove in two runs with a double and finished with two hits for the major league-worst White Sox, whose slide is the longest since Arizona dropped 17 straight games in 2021.“Show up in Minnesota,” Benintendi suggested as a way to end the skid. “I mean, if you dwell on it too long, I guess it will eat you up. So focus on the next one.”Chicago (27-84) is 57 games below .500 for the first time and on pace for a worse finish than the 1962 New York Mets, whose 40-120 mark during their inaugural season is the poorest in baseball’s modern era (since 1900).Brady Singer (8-6) allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings in his third straight win. The right-hander struck out four, walked none and was touched up only when Chicago scored three times in the second.Singer settled down and retired 17 of his last 19 hitters.“I was struggling a little bit at the beginning of the year,” he said. “I'm happy to get deep into ballgames toward the end of the year here.”Kansas City is 60-49, a 26-win improvement over 2023 through 109 games, and holds an AL wild card.White Sox rookie Drew Thorpe (3-3) yielded six runs and seven hits over five innings in a second consecutive rough outing following five quality starts.The Royals jumped ahead 1-0 in the first on Pasquantino’s single. Fermin’s sixth homer in the second upped it to 3-0.The White Sox tied it in the bottom half. Benintendi drove in two runs with his double and scored on Dominic Fletcher’s single.Witt came home on Perez’s single in the third to put Kansas City back on top 4-3.The Royals increased it to 6-3 in the fifth. Perez’s liner rolled out of Fletcher's glove in center for a double to drive in a run. Hunter Renfroe followed with a sacrifice fly.Pasquantino's 12th homer iced it in a four-run eighth.RETOOLED ROTATIONKansas City RHP Michael Lorenzen, acquired from Texas in a trade Monday, will start Saturday at Detroit.Lorenzen will fill the slot of righty Alec Marsh, who was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. Marsh was sent down to make room for reliever Lucas Erceg, who reported to the Royals and pitched a perfect eighth following a trade from Oakland.TRAINER’S ROOMWhite Sox 3B Yoán Moncada, out since April 9 with a left adductor strain, is “ramping up” activity at the team’s Arizona training facility, manager Pedro Grifol said.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Seth Lugo (12-5, 2.66 ERA) faces Tigers RHP Keider Montero (1-4, 6.38) in Detroit on Thursday.White Sox: RHP Davis Martin (0-0, 3.38 ERA) makes his first start since returning from Tommy John surgery against Twins RHP Joe Ryan (6-7, 3.69) on Friday in Minnesota.

⚾ Fermin, Pasquantino homer as Royals hand White Sox 17th straight loss

CHICAGO (AP) — The staggering Chicago White Sox lost their 16th straight game, extending a franchise record, as Michael Massey homered and Michael Wacha pitched seven strong innings to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 victory Tuesday night.

Bobby Witt Jr. ran his hitting streak to 12 games and had the first RBI in an eighth-inning rally that gave the Royals the lead for good.

“We’ve had big at-bats all year,” Massey said. “We know we’re capable.”

Chicago’s Andrew Vaughn homered for the second consecutive night and rookie Jonathan Cannon pitched seven terrific innings, allowing only Massey’s solo shot while walking three and striking out two. He gave way to rookie Fraser Ellard (0-1), who walked two in his major league debut to set the stage for Kansas City's comeback.

Down 2-1, the Royals got a bloop single from Witt to tie it before Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run single off Justin Anderson.

Vaughn had an RBI groundout in the bottom half, but Sam Long worked a clean ninth for his fourth career save and first this season.

Wacha (8-6) scattered five hits over seven innings, walking two and striking out five. He’s won five of his last six starts, and Kansas City has won 11 of 17.

“He was really good,” Pasquantino said. “It’s awesome to play behind him because you always feel like you’re in it.”

Chicago dropped to a major league-worst 27-83 and is threatening to break the record for most losses in a 162-game season, set by the expansion New York Mets when they finished with 120 in 1962.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722418991857.jpeg" alt="The Kansas City Royals from left, Salvador Perez, Sam Long (73), Vinnie Pasquantino (9) and Bobby Witt Jr. celebrate the team's 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox after a baseball game Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)" />
 <figcaption>The Kansas City Royals from left, Salvador Perez, Sam Long (73), Vinnie Pasquantino (9) and Bobby Witt Jr. celebrate the team's 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox after a baseball game Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)</figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) — The staggering Chicago White Sox lost their 16th straight game, extending a franchise record, as Michael Massey homered and Michael Wacha pitched seven strong innings to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 victory Tuesday night.Bobby Witt Jr. ran his hitting streak to 12 games and had the first RBI in an eighth-inning rally that gave the Royals the lead for good.“We’ve had big at-bats all year,” Massey said. “We know we’re capable.”Chicago’s Andrew Vaughn homered for the second consecutive night and rookie Jonathan Cannon pitched seven terrific innings, allowing only Massey’s solo shot while walking three and striking out two. He gave way to rookie Fraser Ellard (0-1), who walked two in his major league debut to set the stage for Kansas City's comeback.Down 2-1, the Royals got a bloop single from Witt to tie it before Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run single off Justin Anderson.Vaughn had an RBI groundout in the bottom half, but Sam Long worked a clean ninth for his fourth career save and first this season.Wacha (8-6) scattered five hits over seven innings, walking two and striking out five. He’s won five of his last six starts, and Kansas City has won 11 of 17.“He was really good,” Pasquantino said. “It’s awesome to play behind him because you always feel like you’re in it.”Chicago dropped to a major league-worst 27-83 and is threatening to break the record for most losses in a 162-game season, set by the expansion New York Mets when they finished with 120 in 1962.“It’s not for the lack of effort. We’re busting our (tails) trying to get that win,” shortstop Nicky Lopez said. “It just always seems like there’s that one inning or one situation where we have to come through and we haven’t done that.”It was a busy trade-deadline day for both teams. Kansas City acquired right-hander Lucas Erceg from Oakland for outfielder Jared Dickey and pitchers Mason Barnett and Will Klein. The move came after the Royals swapped minor league pitcher Jarold Rosado for White Sox infielder Paul DeJong.Chicago designated hitter Eloy Jiménez went to Baltimore for left-hander Trey McGough and cash, and lefty Tanner Banks was traded to Philadelphia for minor league infielder William Bergolla.A move many thought the White Sox might make never materialized. All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet, the subject of much speculation in the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s deadline, is staying put. His demand for a new contract and a starting role from any potential new team reportedly affected the team’s ability to trade him. Chicago outfielder Luis Robert Jr. also remained with the club despite persistent trade talk.ROSTER MOVESRoyals: RHP Jonathan Bowlan was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. INF Nick Lofton was optioned to Omaha and RHP John McMillon was designated for assignment.White Sox: INF Lenyn Sosa was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte, LHP Fraser Ellard was promoted from Charlotte and former Los Angeles Dodgers INF Miguel Vargas was signed before the first pitch.UP NEXTKansas City’s Brady Singer (7-6, 2.82 ERA) faces fellow right-hander Drew Thorpe (3-2, 4.81) in the series finale Wednesday afternoon.___