LAS VEGAS&nbsp;– Kansas State hit the media circuit on Tuesday afternoon during the first day of the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Day held at Allegiant Stadium. Linked above is Coach Klieman's press conference and breakout with ESPNU, in addition to Avery Johnson's&nbsp;Interview with ESPNU. A transcript of Coach Klieman's press conference is below. For more content, please visit the K-State Football social media pages on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/kstatefb">X (formerly Twitter)</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kstatefb">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/kstatesports">YouTube</a>)

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It's great to be out here in Vegas. Thanks to Commissioner Yormark for getting this all set up, and we're excited to get things started here at the end of July.

We're excited about our football team. We've got a lot of returning guys, but as everybody does, we've got a lot of new guys as well. So it will be nice to mesh those guys together come August.

Competitive league, as usual. Great parity with the amount of schools and new schools we have, especially the ones we play. We're excited about the challenge.

Q. You obviously came from North Dakota State. There's been a few other notable coaches that have come from FCS, Division II, even NAIA with Kalen DeBoer and his success after his time at Sioux Falls. What does it mean to see these guys getting these opportunities, and do you think those guys tend to be overlooked sometimes?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I've said this since the day I arrived in Manhattan, and football is football, and you just need opportunities, and when you get opportunities, and if you're having success, you're going to get those opportunities. And I've known Kalen for a while. I was so excited for him with the run they made last year.

There's a lot of good football coaches at all different levels. And I think you're going to continue to see coaches from NAIA, Division II, FCS, so forth, get opportunities.

Q. The esteemed voters of the Big 12 preseason poll picked you guys second but they put none of your guys on the All-Conference team. How do you rectify those two decisions?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Don't pay a whole lot of attention to it, to be honest with you. Everybody sees it, but it's not something that we talk about an awful lot. I hope it shows people the overall depth and value of our roster and how important our role players are and how important our players are as far as if you're a successful team, individual honors at the end of the season are going to come.

I'm sure that our players, if you asked them, they probably saw both polls, and I don't know if they're excited, disappointed, but I know they were aware that there was nobody from K-State on one of those teams, but you still have to perform, and we've got a lot of work to do before we get to the end of August.

Q. Hiring Matt Wells, comes in as co-offensive coordinator, huge history with quarterbacks, specifically 2018 Jordan Love at Utah State. What does he bring to Avery Johnson, and what led you to bring him in?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Matt and I have been friends for more than a decade, always talked, even when he was at Tech and I was here at K-State, when he went to Oklahoma. He and I have always stayed in contact.

It was maybe the right time for him to get back on the field and truly coach. We talked all through&nbsp; that bowl prep, and he was the one who I wanted to hire. He was just trying to get through that bowl time, and it worked out.

But a wealth of experience and a wealth of knowledge with quarterbacks, and I've already seen, in a short period of time, just the second semester, the value of him being with Avery.

There's a great mesh there. There's a great comfort between the two guys. They are on the same page an awful lot. And I know that Avery, as well as our offensive staff, coaches, Coach Riley, our offensive coordinator, are excited about some of the things that Coach Wells will bring to K-State, especially the pass game. And everybody wants to know what the heck we'll do, but we'll wait until the fall to unveil that.&nbsp;But super excited to have Matt and his family in Manhattan.

Q. The secondary returns a lot of talent this past year. How important is it as you transition into the season with a fairly similar defensive structure?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It's really important. There's such talented offenses in this league and skilled players, for us to have bookend corners back in Keenan Garber and Jacob Parrish is really important for us. Those guys have played a lot of football. And then to have most of our safeties, VJ Payne and Marques Sigle played a lot of football, Colby McCalister&nbsp;has played a lot.

And then we've got some freshmen that are ready to step up as redshirt freshmen, a couple of transfers, a kid named Jordan Riley&nbsp;that I think people will learn and know an awful lot about by the end of the season.

But you need to have great depth in the secondary, and we feel that that's an area that we have done a really good job of recruiting and developing talent and then sprinkling in a transfer because you need to be really good in the secondary in this league.

Q. You kind of have the unique nature of playing 10 conference games with the Arizona game not counting towards it. Was there any discussion of pushing that off because of the fact that they're in the league now

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I think it was probably too late when everything got finished up with scheduling. And I'm glad that we're playing Arizona. They're a terrific football program, and it's a great early-season game for the Big 12 to get on national TV on a Friday night. So that excites us, and I know it excites Arizona. There's really good talent on both teams.

I'm hoping that we ultimately get to an even number of conference games so that we're not in the nine, five away, four at home, that it's more of a four and four split of eight games, or even a ten, because if you have to play a Power Five, you might as well play it in your league and get five and five. But, no, it's going to be a great game. It's going to be a great showcase for the Big 12 in early September.

Q. I believe you play five teams that are either new to the conference or second year in the Big 12. To what extent, if any, did that mean any extra work in preparation for your coaching staff?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Yeah, it definitely gave us a lot more work in the summer. The month of June is already busy enough with recruiting and camps, and now we don't have the database like you'd have with a Tech or a Baylor or a TCU. We've got five new schools, or even BYU and Cincinnati have been in our league, but we didn't play them last year, so we don't have much data on them. Then we've got the two Arizona schools and Colorado.

So a lot of extra work. I think it's excitement, though, for the fans, for both schools, as far as whether it's us going to Provo and seeing a great environment, because I've been there and I know it's a phenomenal environment, to us going to Boulder and seeing a great environment, or those other schools potentially coming to our place and seeing a great environment in Manhattan.

I think the fan base of all the schools are going to be excited because they're going to see really good football, and they're going to see some different teams that they haven't seen throughout the year.

Q. You lose a lot of senior leadership in (Cooper) Beebe, what he meant to the offensive line, and the offensive line, the quarterback's best friend. How have you kind of just this offseason tried to get the O-line to embody his spirit, and when will he be put in the ring of honor?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I don't probably make that decision, but Beebs had a phenomenal career. He'll be in the ring of honor for sure.But it's interesting, we lost four really good senior offensive linemen, but we have four really good senior offensive linemen returning.

And that's something that maybe goes overlooked a little bit, the value of what Conor Riley&nbsp;does for our offense and for our program and for that room and the offensive line room, to lose the amount of seniors that we had and then still return the amount of seniors. Hadley Panzer, Taylor Poitier, Carver Willis&nbsp;have really taken over the reins from those guys that have left and have tried to kept that engine running.

And we've always been really, really good up front, and it's due to Coach Riley. But it's those guys that have been in the program that want to stay and want to be developed and not want to get in the transfer portal just because they don't play in their first year.

The offensive line is a different deal. It takes sometimes a few years to develop. We've got Hadley and Carver back that have played a lot. T.P. has played a lot. Andrew Leingang&nbsp;is going to play a lot of football that's been around. Sam Hecht&nbsp;will play a lot of football that's been around.

We have experienced guys that have been with our program, they're just going to gain on-field experience quickly in the non-con.

Q. Going from the offensive line to the defensive line here, how important will the physicality and experience up front defensively be, given the talent of the ground games in this conference as well as the importance of the pass rush?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;We've been really fortunate that we've always had a lot of depth in our defensive line. Coach Tui and Coach Wyatt do a great job, and we're probably going to have eight or nine deep on the defensive line, and we've always rotated guys really well.

But we've got two six-year defensive ends in Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean&nbsp;coming back that have been in the program for a long time. And those young kids will play a lot to a high standard, to high expectations.

But I'm really comfortable and excited about the amount of defensive linemen we have that have played a lot of Big 12 football, as well as some of the new guys we have coming on, some freshmen that will be redshirt freshmen that I think can really be effective pass rushers. And there's no doubt about it, you've got to be able to stop the run, and you've got to be able to get a good rush on the passer.

Q. You guys played Oklahoma State last year when Ollie Gordon was just getting going. You obviously know what really good running backs look like at K-State. I'm curious, just what impresses you about him, and obviously in Manhattan this year, what's the challenge of handling him?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;He's a tremendous talent. He's got really good speed. He's a home run hitter, as well as he can run through arm tackles. He a breakout season and it started around our game and he continued to elevate. He's a terrific football player, and we're glad we play him in Manhattan and not Stillwater.

We've struggled in Stillwater and we've played better in Manhattan. But that's the nature of our league. You're going to face really talented running backs each week. You'll face talented quarterbacks, and you've got to stay healthy and you've got to do a great job of trying to eliminate explosive plays and last year Ollie got us on a couple of big ones, and we've got to prevent that.

Q. You have one of the most talented running backs in this league in DJ Giddens. Last season he split carries with Treshaun Ward.&nbsp;Do you plan on giving him more of a workload this year or how will that work out?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It will probably be similar in the fact that DJ can carry it 30 times, and he did that a few times for us last year. He can carry it 20 times. DJ is an every-down back and underrated in our league.DJ is just a phenomenal football player that's a great kid, great pass protection, great out of the backfield catch the ball. He's going to have a dynamite year for us. We've surrounded him now with some more talent that we don't have to rely on him that much. There are some games we are. We're going to give it to him, and he'll be ready for it. There's other games where we've got to spread it around more. We've got to throw the ball a little more so that the offensive or the running game does open up.

So we've got another tailback in Dylan Edwards&nbsp;that's a really good complement to DJ with some speed as well as electricity elusiveness in the open field that's probably the thing that excites us the most offensively we have a lot of guys around Avery.

Q. For the four new teams to the conference that maybe aren't familiar with Kansas State. How would you describe your brand of football?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Consistent. Don't beat themselves. Try to play really good defense. Try to rush the football. Try to not turn the ball over and hit the explosive plays when you have the opportunity. But hopefully a physical brand of well-disciplined kids that play the game the right way, and I'm excited because of all those teams, we're going to find out a lot about them, too, because there's really talented football teams coming into this league, and that's why it's so hard to predict how any order of finish could be with all the new teams that are coming in.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720572550247.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas State AthleticsLAS VEGAS&nbsp;– Kansas State hit the media circuit on Tuesday afternoon during the first day of the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Day held at Allegiant Stadium. Linked above is Coach Klieman's press conference and breakout with ESPNU, in addition to Avery Johnson's&nbsp;Interview with ESPNU. A transcript of Coach Klieman's press conference is below. For more content, please visit the K-State Football social media pages on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/kstatefb">X (formerly Twitter)</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kstatefb">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/kstatesports">YouTube</a>)CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It's great to be out here in Vegas. Thanks to Commissioner Yormark for getting this all set up, and we're excited to get things started here at the end of July.We're excited about our football team. We've got a lot of returning guys, but as everybody does, we've got a lot of new guys as well. So it will be nice to mesh those guys together come August.Competitive league, as usual. Great parity with the amount of schools and new schools we have, especially the ones we play. We're excited about the challenge.Q. You obviously came from North Dakota State. There's been a few other notable coaches that have come from FCS, Division II, even NAIA with Kalen DeBoer and his success after his time at Sioux Falls. What does it mean to see these guys getting these opportunities, and do you think those guys tend to be overlooked sometimes?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I've said this since the day I arrived in Manhattan, and football is football, and you just need opportunities, and when you get opportunities, and if you're having success, you're going to get those opportunities. And I've known Kalen for a while. I was so excited for him with the run they made last year.There's a lot of good football coaches at all different levels. And I think you're going to continue to see coaches from NAIA, Division II, FCS, so forth, get opportunities.Q. The esteemed voters of the Big 12 preseason poll picked you guys second but they put none of your guys on the All-Conference team. How do you rectify those two decisions?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Don't pay a whole lot of attention to it, to be honest with you. Everybody sees it, but it's not something that we talk about an awful lot. I hope it shows people the overall depth and value of our roster and how important our role players are and how important our players are as far as if you're a successful team, individual honors at the end of the season are going to come.I'm sure that our players, if you asked them, they probably saw both polls, and I don't know if they're excited, disappointed, but I know they were aware that there was nobody from K-State on one of those teams, but you still have to perform, and we've got a lot of work to do before we get to the end of August.Q. Hiring Matt Wells, comes in as co-offensive coordinator, huge history with quarterbacks, specifically 2018 Jordan Love at Utah State. What does he bring to Avery Johnson, and what led you to bring him in?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Matt and I have been friends for more than a decade, always talked, even when he was at Tech and I was here at K-State, when he went to Oklahoma. He and I have always stayed in contact.It was maybe the right time for him to get back on the field and truly coach. We talked all through&nbsp; that bowl prep, and he was the one who I wanted to hire. He was just trying to get through that bowl time, and it worked out.But a wealth of experience and a wealth of knowledge with quarterbacks, and I've already seen, in a short period of time, just the second semester, the value of him being with Avery.There's a great mesh there. There's a great comfort between the two guys. They are on the same page an awful lot. And I know that Avery, as well as our offensive staff, coaches, Coach Riley, our offensive coordinator, are excited about some of the things that Coach Wells will bring to K-State, especially the pass game. And everybody wants to know what the heck we'll do, but we'll wait until the fall to unveil that.&nbsp;But super excited to have Matt and his family in Manhattan.Q. The secondary returns a lot of talent this past year. How important is it as you transition into the season with a fairly similar defensive structure?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It's really important. There's such talented offenses in this league and skilled players, for us to have bookend corners back in Keenan Garber and Jacob Parrish is really important for us. Those guys have played a lot of football. And then to have most of our safeties, VJ Payne and Marques Sigle played a lot of football, Colby McCalister&nbsp;has played a lot.And then we've got some freshmen that are ready to step up as redshirt freshmen, a couple of transfers, a kid named Jordan Riley&nbsp;that I think people will learn and know an awful lot about by the end of the season.But you need to have great depth in the secondary, and we feel that that's an area that we have done a really good job of recruiting and developing talent and then sprinkling in a transfer because you need to be really good in the secondary in this league.Q. You kind of have the unique nature of playing 10 conference games with the Arizona game not counting towards it. Was there any discussion of pushing that off because of the fact that they're in the league nowCHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I think it was probably too late when everything got finished up with scheduling. And I'm glad that we're playing Arizona. They're a terrific football program, and it's a great early-season game for the Big 12 to get on national TV on a Friday night. So that excites us, and I know it excites Arizona. There's really good talent on both teams.I'm hoping that we ultimately get to an even number of conference games so that we're not in the nine, five away, four at home, that it's more of a four and four split of eight games, or even a ten, because if you have to play a Power Five, you might as well play it in your league and get five and five. But, no, it's going to be a great game. It's going to be a great showcase for the Big 12 in early September.Q. I believe you play five teams that are either new to the conference or second year in the Big 12. To what extent, if any, did that mean any extra work in preparation for your coaching staff?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Yeah, it definitely gave us a lot more work in the summer. The month of June is already busy enough with recruiting and camps, and now we don't have the database like you'd have with a Tech or a Baylor or a TCU. We've got five new schools, or even BYU and Cincinnati have been in our league, but we didn't play them last year, so we don't have much data on them. Then we've got the two Arizona schools and Colorado.So a lot of extra work. I think it's excitement, though, for the fans, for both schools, as far as whether it's us going to Provo and seeing a great environment, because I've been there and I know it's a phenomenal environment, to us going to Boulder and seeing a great environment, or those other schools potentially coming to our place and seeing a great environment in Manhattan.I think the fan base of all the schools are going to be excited because they're going to see really good football, and they're going to see some different teams that they haven't seen throughout the year.Q. You lose a lot of senior leadership in (Cooper) Beebe, what he meant to the offensive line, and the offensive line, the quarterback's best friend. How have you kind of just this offseason tried to get the O-line to embody his spirit, and when will he be put in the ring of honor?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I don't probably make that decision, but Beebs had a phenomenal career. He'll be in the ring of honor for sure.But it's interesting, we lost four really good senior offensive linemen, but we have four really good senior offensive linemen returning.And that's something that maybe goes overlooked a little bit, the value of what Conor Riley&nbsp;does for our offense and for our program and for that room and the offensive line room, to lose the amount of seniors that we had and then still return the amount of seniors. Hadley Panzer, Taylor Poitier, Carver Willis&nbsp;have really taken over the reins from those guys that have left and have tried to kept that engine running.And we've always been really, really good up front, and it's due to Coach Riley. But it's those guys that have been in the program that want to stay and want to be developed and not want to get in the transfer portal just because they don't play in their first year.The offensive line is a different deal. It takes sometimes a few years to develop. We've got Hadley and Carver back that have played a lot. T.P. has played a lot. Andrew Leingang&nbsp;is going to play a lot of football that's been around. Sam Hecht&nbsp;will play a lot of football that's been around.We have experienced guys that have been with our program, they're just going to gain on-field experience quickly in the non-con.Q. Going from the offensive line to the defensive line here, how important will the physicality and experience up front defensively be, given the talent of the ground games in this conference as well as the importance of the pass rush?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;We've been really fortunate that we've always had a lot of depth in our defensive line. Coach Tui and Coach Wyatt do a great job, and we're probably going to have eight or nine deep on the defensive line, and we've always rotated guys really well.But we've got two six-year defensive ends in Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean&nbsp;coming back that have been in the program for a long time. And those young kids will play a lot to a high standard, to high expectations.But I'm really comfortable and excited about the amount of defensive linemen we have that have played a lot of Big 12 football, as well as some of the new guys we have coming on, some freshmen that will be redshirt freshmen that I think can really be effective pass rushers. And there's no doubt about it, you've got to be able to stop the run, and you've got to be able to get a good rush on the passer.Q. You guys played Oklahoma State last year when Ollie Gordon was just getting going. You obviously know what really good running backs look like at K-State. I'm curious, just what impresses you about him, and obviously in Manhattan this year, what's the challenge of handling him?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;He's a tremendous talent. He's got really good speed. He's a home run hitter, as well as he can run through arm tackles. He a breakout season and it started around our game and he continued to elevate. He's a terrific football player, and we're glad we play him in Manhattan and not Stillwater.We've struggled in Stillwater and we've played better in Manhattan. But that's the nature of our league. You're going to face really talented running backs each week. You'll face talented quarterbacks, and you've got to stay healthy and you've got to do a great job of trying to eliminate explosive plays and last year Ollie got us on a couple of big ones, and we've got to prevent that.Q. You have one of the most talented running backs in this league in DJ Giddens. Last season he split carries with Treshaun Ward.&nbsp;Do you plan on giving him more of a workload this year or how will that work out?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It will probably be similar in the fact that DJ can carry it 30 times, and he did that a few times for us last year. He can carry it 20 times. DJ is an every-down back and underrated in our league.DJ is just a phenomenal football player that's a great kid, great pass protection, great out of the backfield catch the ball. He's going to have a dynamite year for us. We've surrounded him now with some more talent that we don't have to rely on him that much. There are some games we are. We're going to give it to him, and he'll be ready for it. There's other games where we've got to spread it around more. We've got to throw the ball a little more so that the offensive or the running game does open up.So we've got another tailback in Dylan Edwards&nbsp;that's a really good complement to DJ with some speed as well as electricity elusiveness in the open field that's probably the thing that excites us the most offensively we have a lot of guys around Avery.Q. For the four new teams to the conference that maybe aren't familiar with Kansas State. How would you describe your brand of football?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Consistent. Don't beat themselves. Try to play really good defense. Try to rush the football. Try to not turn the ball over and hit the explosive plays when you have the opportunity. But hopefully a physical brand of well-disciplined kids that play the game the right way, and I'm excited because of all those teams, we're going to find out a lot about them, too, because there's really talented football teams coming into this league, and that's why it's so hard to predict how any order of finish could be with all the new teams that are coming in.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏈 K-State previews 2024 season at Big 12 Football Media Day

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The game between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals originally scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed because of heavy rainfall from the remnants of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-beryl-texas-power-outages-8bfeeed79444eed0bf116d09f1ea7e6c">Hurricane Beryl</a>, which was moving through eastern Missouri on its way north from the Gulf of Mexico.

The cross-state rivals will play a split doubleheader on Wednesday at Busch Stadium. The first pitch for the opener will be at 12:45 p.m., and the nightcap will begin at the originally scheduled time of 6:45 p.m.

The Royals' Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.74 ERA) is scheduled to face Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.00) of the Cardinals in Game 1, though pitching plans could change because of the postponement. Alec Marsh (6-6, 4.57) is the scheduled starter for Kansas City in Game 2 against Sonny Gray (9-5, 3.30) for St. Louis.

Tuesday's forecast called for rain lasting throughout the day and localized flooding. The rain was not supposed to ease up until Tuesday night, though the forecast for Wednesday calls for warm weather and a sunny sky.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The game between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals originally scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed because of heavy rainfall from the remnants of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-beryl-texas-power-outages-8bfeeed79444eed0bf116d09f1ea7e6c">Hurricane Beryl</a>, which was moving through eastern Missouri on its way north from the Gulf of Mexico.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Due to inclement weather in the St. Louis area, tonight&#39;s game has been postponed. <a href="https://t.co/SC8XXvAn17">pic.twitter.com/SC8XXvAn17</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1810718228823343175?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The cross-state rivals will play a split doubleheader on Wednesday at Busch Stadium. The first pitch for the opener will be at 12:45 p.m., and the nightcap will begin at the originally scheduled time of 6:45 p.m.The Royals' Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.74 ERA) is scheduled to face Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.00) of the Cardinals in Game 1, though pitching plans could change because of the postponement. Alec Marsh (6-6, 4.57) is the scheduled starter for Kansas City in Game 2 against Sonny Gray (9-5, 3.30) for St. Louis.Tuesday's forecast called for rain lasting throughout the day and localized flooding. The rain was not supposed to ease up until Tuesday night, though the forecast for Wednesday calls for warm weather and a sunny sky.

⚾  Royals, Cardinals game Tuesday in St. Louis postponed

The Junction City Brigade beat the Midwest A's 7-3 last night at Rathert Stadium.

The Junction City Brigade beat the Midwest A's 7-3 last night at Rathert Stadium.

Brigade beat Midwest A's on Monday night

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Major League Baseball announced today the rosters for the 2024 All-Star Game, which will be played on Tuesday, July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The American League team will feature four Royals players, including&nbsp;Salvador Perez,&nbsp;Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;and&nbsp;Seth Lugo&nbsp;(who were elected by the players) and&nbsp;Cole Ragans&nbsp;(who was selected by the Commissioner’s Office).

The four All-Star players are the most for the Royals since 2016, when Perez led the American League in All-Star votes and&nbsp;Eric Hosmer&nbsp;started and was named All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player.&nbsp;Kelvin Herrera&nbsp;and&nbsp;Wade Davis&nbsp;were also named All-Stars that year, though Davis didn’t pitch due to injury.

Last week, Major League Baseball announced that Royals Strength and Conditioning Coach,&nbsp;Ryan Stoneberg, will join Manager&nbsp;Bruce Bochy’s&nbsp;American League staff for the 2024 All-Star Game.

Perez is an American League All-Star for the ninth time in his career, which leads all active catchers and ranks 2nd in Royals history to&nbsp;George Brett’s&nbsp;13 All-Star selections. His nine All-Star selections are tied with&nbsp;Jose Altuve&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dave Concepción&nbsp;for the 3rd most by a Venezuela-born player, trailing only&nbsp;Miguel Cabrera&nbsp;(12) and&nbsp;Luis Aparicio&nbsp;(10).

Salvy, 34, entered today among the American League leaders at catcher this season (min. 50% games at the position) in extra-base hits (30, tied for 1st), hits (88, 2nd) and RBI (55, 2nd). His 18 go-ahead RBI rank tied for 5th in the Majors among players at all positions. Perez had 2 more hits in today’s win, including the 1,500th&nbsp;hit of his career.

The 2024 All-Star Game will be a homecoming of sorts for first-time All-Star Witt Jr., who grew up in Colleyville, Texas, which is less than 20 miles north of Globe Life Field. The 24-year-old entered today ranking among the top 5 in the Majors in several offensive categories, including hits (116, 2nd), batting average (.320, 2nd), multi-hit games (36, 2nd), extra-base hits (48, 4th), total bases (201, 4th), runs (70, tied for 4th) and stolen bases (22, tied for 5th). He added 3 hits in today’s win, including a 3-run home run. On defense, Witt Jr.’s 12 Outs Above Average lead all shortstops and trail only&nbsp;Marcus Semien&nbsp;and&nbsp;Michael Siani&nbsp;(13 each) at all positions.

Witt Jr. is the third Royals shortstop to be named an All-Star, following&nbsp;Fred Patek&nbsp;(1972, 1976, 1978) and&nbsp;Alcides Escobar&nbsp;(2015).

Witt Jr.’s 49 extra-base hits including today are already the 2nd most by any Royals player before the All-Star break, trailing&nbsp;Mike Sweeney’s&nbsp;56 extra-base hits before the break in 2001. With 1 extra-base hit in the next 5 games, Witt Jr. would become just the sixth player to record at least 50 extra-base hits and 20 steals before the All-Star break, and would join&nbsp;Bobby Bonds&nbsp;(1973),&nbsp;Alfonso Soriano&nbsp;(2002),&nbsp;Ian Kinsler&nbsp;(2008),&nbsp;Mike Trout&nbsp;(2013) and&nbsp;José Ramírez&nbsp;(2018).

Lugo, 34, is a first-time All-Star in his ninth Major League season. He entered today leading the Majors in ERA (2.21), innings (122.0) and quality starts (15). His 11 wins are tied with&nbsp;Chris Sale&nbsp;for the Major League lead and his .786 win percentage (11-3) is tied for 3rd best in the Majors. Lugo has completed at least 6.0 innings in 17 of his 19 starts, the most such starts in the Majors.

Ragans, 26, was Kansas City’s Opening Day starter this season and is now an All-Star for the first time in his career. He’s 5-6 with a 3.28 ERA (40 ER in 109.2 IP) in 19 starts, and his 134 strikeouts were the 3rd most in the Majors entering today, trailing&nbsp;Garrett Crochet&nbsp;(146) and&nbsp;Tyler Glasnow&nbsp;(143).

Ragans was a 2016 1st-round pick of the Rangers, who are hosting this year’s All-Star Game. He made his Major League debut with the Rangers in 2022 and made Texas’ Opening Day roster in 2023, before being acquired by Kansas City on June 30, 2023 in a three-player trade that sent&nbsp;Aroldis Chapman&nbsp;to the Rangers.

Lugo and Ragans are the first Royals pitchers to be named to an All-Star Game since&nbsp;Jason Vargas&nbsp;in 2017. This marks the first time in franchise history that the Royals will have two All-Star&nbsp;starting pitchers&nbsp;in the same season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Major League Baseball announced today the rosters for the 2024 All-Star Game, which will be played on Tuesday, July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The American League team will feature four Royals players, including&nbsp;Salvador Perez,&nbsp;Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;and&nbsp;Seth Lugo&nbsp;(who were elected by the players) and&nbsp;Cole Ragans&nbsp;(who was selected by the Commissioner’s Office).The four All-Star players are the most for the Royals since 2016, when Perez led the American League in All-Star votes and&nbsp;Eric Hosmer&nbsp;started and was named All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player.&nbsp;Kelvin Herrera&nbsp;and&nbsp;Wade Davis&nbsp;were also named All-Stars that year, though Davis didn’t pitch due to injury.Last week, Major League Baseball announced that Royals Strength and Conditioning Coach,&nbsp;Ryan Stoneberg, will join Manager&nbsp;Bruce Bochy’s&nbsp;American League staff for the 2024 All-Star Game.Perez is an American League All-Star for the ninth time in his career, which leads all active catchers and ranks 2nd in Royals history to&nbsp;George Brett’s&nbsp;13 All-Star selections. His nine All-Star selections are tied with&nbsp;Jose Altuve&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dave Concepción&nbsp;for the 3rd most by a Venezuela-born player, trailing only&nbsp;Miguel Cabrera&nbsp;(12) and&nbsp;Luis Aparicio&nbsp;(10).Salvy, 34, entered today among the American League leaders at catcher this season (min. 50% games at the position) in extra-base hits (30, tied for 1st), hits (88, 2nd) and RBI (55, 2nd). His 18 go-ahead RBI rank tied for 5th in the Majors among players at all positions. Perez had 2 more hits in today’s win, including the 1,500th&nbsp;hit of his career.The 2024 All-Star Game will be a homecoming of sorts for first-time All-Star Witt Jr., who grew up in Colleyville, Texas, which is less than 20 miles north of Globe Life Field. The 24-year-old entered today ranking among the top 5 in the Majors in several offensive categories, including hits (116, 2nd), batting average (.320, 2nd), multi-hit games (36, 2nd), extra-base hits (48, 4th), total bases (201, 4th), runs (70, tied for 4th) and stolen bases (22, tied for 5th). He added 3 hits in today’s win, including a 3-run home run. On defense, Witt Jr.’s 12 Outs Above Average lead all shortstops and trail only&nbsp;Marcus Semien&nbsp;and&nbsp;Michael Siani&nbsp;(13 each) at all positions.Witt Jr. is the third Royals shortstop to be named an All-Star, following&nbsp;Fred Patek&nbsp;(1972, 1976, 1978) and&nbsp;Alcides Escobar&nbsp;(2015).Witt Jr.’s 49 extra-base hits including today are already the 2nd most by any Royals player before the All-Star break, trailing&nbsp;Mike Sweeney’s&nbsp;56 extra-base hits before the break in 2001. With 1 extra-base hit in the next 5 games, Witt Jr. would become just the sixth player to record at least 50 extra-base hits and 20 steals before the All-Star break, and would join&nbsp;Bobby Bonds&nbsp;(1973),&nbsp;Alfonso Soriano&nbsp;(2002),&nbsp;Ian Kinsler&nbsp;(2008),&nbsp;Mike Trout&nbsp;(2013) and&nbsp;José Ramírez&nbsp;(2018).Lugo, 34, is a first-time All-Star in his ninth Major League season. He entered today leading the Majors in ERA (2.21), innings (122.0) and quality starts (15). His 11 wins are tied with&nbsp;Chris Sale&nbsp;for the Major League lead and his .786 win percentage (11-3) is tied for 3rd best in the Majors. Lugo has completed at least 6.0 innings in 17 of his 19 starts, the most such starts in the Majors.Ragans, 26, was Kansas City’s Opening Day starter this season and is now an All-Star for the first time in his career. He’s 5-6 with a 3.28 ERA (40 ER in 109.2 IP) in 19 starts, and his 134 strikeouts were the 3rd most in the Majors entering today, trailing&nbsp;Garrett Crochet&nbsp;(146) and&nbsp;Tyler Glasnow&nbsp;(143).Ragans was a 2016 1st-round pick of the Rangers, who are hosting this year’s All-Star Game. He made his Major League debut with the Rangers in 2022 and made Texas’ Opening Day roster in 2023, before being acquired by Kansas City on June 30, 2023 in a three-player trade that sent&nbsp;Aroldis Chapman&nbsp;to the Rangers.Lugo and Ragans are the first Royals pitchers to be named to an All-Star Game since&nbsp;Jason Vargas&nbsp;in 2017. This marks the first time in franchise history that the Royals will have two All-Star&nbsp;starting pitchers&nbsp;in the same season.

Four Royals Selected to 2024 All-Star Game

DENVER (AP) — Maikel Garcia, MJ Melendez and Bobby Witt Jr. homered, Brady Singer won for the first time on the road this season and the Kansas City Royals beat the Colorado Rockies 10-1 on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak.

Garcia’s three-run homer capped a four-run second inning off right-hander Tanner Gordon (0-1), who was making his major league debut. Garcia homered for first time since May 17, a span of 183 at-bats. He has six homer this season.

Melendez homered in the seventh, and Witt hit his 15th to cap a three-hit day in a three-run ninth.

Singer (5-5) gave one run and six hits — all singles — and stuck out seven in seven innings for his first road victory since Aug. 8, 2023, in Boston. He is 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA in eight road starts this season.

Nolan Jones hit run-scoring single to break Singer’s shutout with two outs in the seventh inning, but Singer retired Aaron Schunk on a fly to deep left field to preserve a 5-1 lead.

Salvador Perez had two singles, the first the 1,500th of his 13-year career, and Michael Massey and Garcia also had two hits. The Royals were 4 for 7 with runners in scoring position after going 4 for 51 in their previous nine road games. They had lost five straight on the road.

Gordon gave up eight hits and stuck out four without a walk in an economical 6 1/3 innings. He threw 78 pitches, 62 strikes.

Jake Cave had two hits and Michael Toglia reached base on a single and two walks for the Rockies, who had a three-game winning streak broken. Ezequiel Tovar was 0 for 4 and is hitless in his last 24 at-bats, a career long.

Perez singled to open second inning off Gordon, and singles by Massey and Felix Fermin drove in the first run. Garcia homered on a one-out 1-2 changeup, his 382-foot fly just clearing the left field fence. Massey and Fermin had RBIs in the eighth.

Royals: 2B/OF Adam Frazier (thumb) was hitless in four at-bats from the leadoff spot in his first game since being activated from the injured list Friday. He was replaced for defensive purposes in the seventh inning.

Rockies: Gordon was purchased from Triple-A Albuquerque to make the start and RHP Dakota Hudson (2-12, 5.84 ERA) was designated for assignment. Hudson set a franchise record for most losses before the All-Star Game. … RHP German Marquez (Tommy John surgery) nearing a return to the rotation and is expected to make a final rehab start Tuesday, likely for Double-A Hartford. The Rockies roster is at 39. … OF Kris Bryant (oblique strain) will accompany the team on the seven-game road trip and will begin hitting on the field Monday. “That’s another big step,” manager Bud Black said. Bryant has been out since June 3.

Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-7, 5.60 ERA) was set to face Cincinnati LHP Andrew Abbott (8-6, 3.28) in the first game of a four-game series Monday at Great American Ball Park. ... Royals RHP Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.74) was scheduled to oppose Cardinals RHP Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.00) on Tuesday night in St. Louis.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720431731860.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Maikel Garcia gestures to the bullpen as he circles the bases after hitting a three-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tanner Gordon in the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Maikel Garcia gestures to the bullpen as he circles the bases after hitting a three-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tanner Gordon in the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)</figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — Maikel Garcia, MJ Melendez and Bobby Witt Jr. homered, Brady Singer won for the first time on the road this season and the Kansas City Royals beat the Colorado Rockies 10-1 on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak.Garcia’s three-run homer capped a four-run second inning off right-hander Tanner Gordon (0-1), who was making his major league debut. Garcia homered for first time since May 17, a span of 183 at-bats. He has six homer this season.Melendez homered in the seventh, and Witt hit his 15th to cap a three-hit day in a three-run ninth.Singer (5-5) gave one run and six hits — all singles — and stuck out seven in seven innings for his first road victory since Aug. 8, 2023, in Boston. He is 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA in eight road starts this season.Nolan Jones hit run-scoring single to break Singer’s shutout with two outs in the seventh inning, but Singer retired Aaron Schunk on a fly to deep left field to preserve a 5-1 lead.Salvador Perez had two singles, the first the 1,500th of his 13-year career, and Michael Massey and Garcia also had two hits. The Royals were 4 for 7 with runners in scoring position after going 4 for 51 in their previous nine road games. They had lost five straight on the road.Gordon gave up eight hits and stuck out four without a walk in an economical 6 1/3 innings. He threw 78 pitches, 62 strikes.Jake Cave had two hits and Michael Toglia reached base on a single and two walks for the Rockies, who had a three-game winning streak broken. Ezequiel Tovar was 0 for 4 and is hitless in his last 24 at-bats, a career long.Perez singled to open second inning off Gordon, and singles by Massey and Felix Fermin drove in the first run. Garcia homered on a one-out 1-2 changeup, his 382-foot fly just clearing the left field fence. Massey and Fermin had RBIs in the eighth.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: 2B/OF Adam Frazier (thumb) was hitless in four at-bats from the leadoff spot in his first game since being activated from the injured list Friday. He was replaced for defensive purposes in the seventh inning.Rockies: Gordon was purchased from Triple-A Albuquerque to make the start and RHP Dakota Hudson (2-12, 5.84 ERA) was designated for assignment. Hudson set a franchise record for most losses before the All-Star Game. … RHP German Marquez (Tommy John surgery) nearing a return to the rotation and is expected to make a final rehab start Tuesday, likely for Double-A Hartford. The Rockies roster is at 39. … OF Kris Bryant (oblique strain) will accompany the team on the seven-game road trip and will begin hitting on the field Monday. “That’s another big step,” manager Bud Black said. Bryant has been out since June 3.UP NEXTRockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-7, 5.60 ERA) was set to face Cincinnati LHP Andrew Abbott (8-6, 3.28) in the first game of a four-game series Monday at Great American Ball Park. ... Royals RHP Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.74) was scheduled to oppose Cardinals RHP Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.00) on Tuesday night in St. Louis.___

⚾ Garcia, Melendez, Witt homer as Royals rout Rockies to end losing streak

DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle homered for the fourth time in five games, Austin Gomber won for the first time in seven weeks and the Colorado Rockies beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Saturday night.

Gomber (2-5) allowed a run on six hits in seven innings and struck out three in his first victory since May 15. He outdueled Royals ace Seth Lugo, with Ryan McMahon having three hits to help Colorado win its third straight.

“That was the best result that I’ve had in a while, but I’ve felt really good the last couple of weeks. I’ve just been kind of honing it in," Gomber said. “I thought I had a really good fastball, a good curveball, some good sliders at times. But really I thought it was kind of the fastball, curveball that kind of carried it for me today.”

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said the way Gomber mixed his fastball and breaking pitches kept his hitters off balance.

“I think when we looked hard, he threw soft and vice versa,” Quatraro said. “We didn’t square up a whole lot of balls, so you’ve got to give him credit.”

Lugo (11-3) went six innings, allowing five hits and three runs — two earned. He struck out five and walked two.

In the second inning, Doyle hit his 11th homer of the season after Brendan Rodgers reached on third baseman Maikel Garcia’s throwing error.

Doyle has had an exceptionally strong homestand, going 11 for 17 with four doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs in five games.

Doyle drove Lugo’s 1-1 offering over the fence in right-center and into the Rockies bullpen 408 feet away.

“Guys like him are not easy to face and he’s been doing really well all year,” Doyle said about Lugo. “He’s been throwing really well all year and to get a hit like that off him is pretty huge for me, and to fire the team up a little bit. We played a good rest of the game.”

The drive snapped Lugo’s scoreless innings streak at 13 and led to his first loss on the road this season. He had dominated in his nine previous road starts, going 7-0 with a 1.93 ERA.

“I felt like I really had to battle out there,” Lugo said. “A few little things mechanically were off, but I felt like I made some good pitches. I made a few mistakes, but the defense played great behind me and we kept the team in the game and had a chance the whole way. So that's a positive I can take away from that."

Vinnie Pasquantino homered for Kansas City, and Hunter Renfroe had three hits. The Royals are 2-9 in their last 11 road games.

Pasquantino connected off Gomber with two outs in the sixth inning. Salvador Perez followed Pasquantino’s homer with a drive down the line in right that Jake Cave caught on the run, crashing into the wall. Kansas City right fielder Kyle Isbel reciprocated in the bottom of the sixth when he robbed Doyle of extra bases, snaring a sinking line drive to center at the end of a long run.

With Kansas City runners at the corners with two outs in the ninth, Victor Vodnik retired pinch-hitter Michael Massey on an infield grounder for his first save.

McMahon’s RBI single fifth made it 3-0.

Royals: LHP Kris Bubic has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list, completing a 447-day rehab and recovery from Tommy John surgery. He made just three starts in 2023 before undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery in April 2023. He’ll work out of the bullpen, at least initially. LHP Walter Pennington, who retired both batters that he faced Friday night in his major league debut, has been optioned to Omaha to make roster room for Bubic.

Rockies: Trying to give Ryan Feltner bit of a break from a heavy workload, manager Bud Black opted to push back Feltner’s scheduled start Sunday by a day. Feltner is now slated to start Monday night in Cincinnati. The Rockies called up RHP Tanner Gordon from their Triple A affiliate in Albuquerque and he’s slated to make his major league debut as the starter for the Rockies in Sunday’s series finale.

DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle homered for the fourth time in five games, Austin Gomber won for the first time in seven weeks and the Colorado Rockies beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Saturday night.Gomber (2-5) allowed a run on six hits in seven innings and struck out three in his first victory since May 15. He outdueled Royals ace Seth Lugo, with Ryan McMahon having three hits to help Colorado win its third straight.“That was the best result that I’ve had in a while, but I’ve felt really good the last couple of weeks. I’ve just been kind of honing it in," Gomber said. “I thought I had a really good fastball, a good curveball, some good sliders at times. But really I thought it was kind of the fastball, curveball that kind of carried it for me today.”Royals manager Matt Quatraro said the way Gomber mixed his fastball and breaking pitches kept his hitters off balance.“I think when we looked hard, he threw soft and vice versa,” Quatraro said. “We didn’t square up a whole lot of balls, so you’ve got to give him credit.”Lugo (11-3) went six innings, allowing five hits and three runs — two earned. He struck out five and walked two.In the second inning, Doyle hit his 11th homer of the season after Brendan Rodgers reached on third baseman Maikel Garcia’s throwing error.Doyle has had an exceptionally strong homestand, going 11 for 17 with four doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs in five games.Doyle drove Lugo’s 1-1 offering over the fence in right-center and into the Rockies bullpen 408 feet away.“Guys like him are not easy to face and he’s been doing really well all year,” Doyle said about Lugo. “He’s been throwing really well all year and to get a hit like that off him is pretty huge for me, and to fire the team up a little bit. We played a good rest of the game.”The drive snapped Lugo’s scoreless innings streak at 13 and led to his first loss on the road this season. He had dominated in his nine previous road starts, going 7-0 with a 1.93 ERA.“I felt like I really had to battle out there,” Lugo said. “A few little things mechanically were off, but I felt like I made some good pitches. I made a few mistakes, but the defense played great behind me and we kept the team in the game and had a chance the whole way. So that's a positive I can take away from that."Vinnie Pasquantino homered for Kansas City, and Hunter Renfroe had three hits. The Royals are 2-9 in their last 11 road games.Pasquantino connected off Gomber with two outs in the sixth inning. Salvador Perez followed Pasquantino’s homer with a drive down the line in right that Jake Cave caught on the run, crashing into the wall. Kansas City right fielder Kyle Isbel reciprocated in the bottom of the sixth when he robbed Doyle of extra bases, snaring a sinking line drive to center at the end of a long run.With Kansas City runners at the corners with two outs in the ninth, Victor Vodnik retired pinch-hitter Michael Massey on an infield grounder for his first save.McMahon’s RBI single fifth made it 3-0.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: LHP Kris Bubic has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list, completing a 447-day rehab and recovery from Tommy John surgery. He made just three starts in 2023 before undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery in April 2023. He’ll work out of the bullpen, at least initially. LHP Walter Pennington, who retired both batters that he faced Friday night in his major league debut, has been optioned to Omaha to make roster room for Bubic.Rockies: Trying to give Ryan Feltner bit of a break from a heavy workload, manager Bud Black opted to push back Feltner’s scheduled start Sunday by a day. Feltner is now slated to start Monday night in Cincinnati. The Rockies called up RHP Tanner Gordon from their Triple A affiliate in Albuquerque and he’s slated to make his major league debut as the starter for the Rockies in Sunday’s series finale.UP NEXT

⚾ Gomber outduels Lugo in the Rockies victory over the Royals

DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run double in the Colorado Rockies' 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Doyle finished with three hits, the tiebreaking double coming off reliever John Schreiber (3-3). Michael Toglia had a solo home run for Colorado that weathered a replay review.

Salvador Perez had an RBI single and Freddy Fermin added three hits, including a single off Jalen Beeks leading off the ninth inning. Nick Loftin followed with a single before Beeks retired the next three batters for his eighth save. Victor Vodnik (2-1) worked a scoreless inning in relief for the victory.

The Royals went up 1-0 in the first inning when Bobby Witt Jr. doubled and scored an out later on a single by Perez.

Toglia connected on a 2-2 offering from Cole Ragans in the third inning, sending it the opposite way and just barely over the left field fence. Left fielder Dairon Blanco made a leaping attempt at the wall, his glove appearing to make glancing contact with the cupped hands of a fan who also tried to catch the ball. The ball dropped into the first row of the bleachers. The replay review upheld the home run call, ruling there was no conclusive evidence the spectator had interfered with Blanco in the field of play.

The Royals moved in front on an unearned run in the fourth inning, and the Rockies tied it at 2 in the sixth on Elias Díaz's RBI single.

Both starters turned in solid performances, with Ragans going seven innings and allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out eight but had four wild pitches, the most in a game by a pitcher this season. Colorado’s Kyle Freeland also went seven innings and allowed two runs — one earned — on seven hits.

Rockies RHP Germán Márquez is getting closer to returning from reconstructive elbow surgery. Márquez threw 69 pitches for Double-A Hartford on Thursday in his second rehab start, striking out two and walking one. He reached 99 mph with his fastball. “He came out of that fine,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He’s healthy. He feels good.” Márquez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023, is expected to have one more rehab start Tuesday with Hartford and could rejoin the Rockies during their seven-game road trip next week that leads up to the All-Star break July 15-18.

DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run double in the Colorado Rockies' 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.Doyle finished with three hits, the tiebreaking double coming off reliever John Schreiber (3-3). Michael Toglia had a solo home run for Colorado that weathered a replay review.Salvador Perez had an RBI single and Freddy Fermin added three hits, including a single off Jalen Beeks leading off the ninth inning. Nick Loftin followed with a single before Beeks retired the next three batters for his eighth save. Victor Vodnik (2-1) worked a scoreless inning in relief for the victory.The Royals went up 1-0 in the first inning when Bobby Witt Jr. doubled and scored an out later on a single by Perez.Toglia connected on a 2-2 offering from Cole Ragans in the third inning, sending it the opposite way and just barely over the left field fence. Left fielder Dairon Blanco made a leaping attempt at the wall, his glove appearing to make glancing contact with the cupped hands of a fan who also tried to catch the ball. The ball dropped into the first row of the bleachers. The replay review upheld the home run call, ruling there was no conclusive evidence the spectator had interfered with Blanco in the field of play.The Royals moved in front on an unearned run in the fourth inning, and the Rockies tied it at 2 in the sixth on Elias Díaz's RBI single.Both starters turned in solid performances, with Ragans going seven innings and allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out eight but had four wild pitches, the most in a game by a pitcher this season. Colorado’s Kyle Freeland also went seven innings and allowed two runs — one earned — on seven hits.TRAINER’S ROOMRockies RHP Germán Márquez is getting closer to returning from reconstructive elbow surgery. Márquez threw 69 pitches for Double-A Hartford on Thursday in his second rehab start, striking out two and walking one. He reached 99 mph with his fastball. “He came out of that fine,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He’s healthy. He feels good.” Márquez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023, is expected to have one more rehab start Tuesday with Hartford and could rejoin the Rockies during their seven-game road trip next week that leads up to the All-Star break July 15-18.UP NEXT

⚾ Brenton Doyle's 2-run double lifts Rockies over the  Royals

Beginning tennis lessons will be offered at the 12th Street Community Center. They are being sponsored by R2B4. The dates are July 22-25. The cost for participants is $20 per person.

Beginning tennis lessons will be offered at the 12th Street Community Center. They are being sponsored by R2B4. The dates are July 22-25. The cost for participants is $20 per person.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720209818622.png" alt="" />
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Tennis lessons will be provided

The Hays Larks beat the Junction City Brigade by a final score of 10-9 on the Fourth of July. With the loss, the Brigade's record falls to 11-8 on the season. 

The Hays Larks beat the Junction City Brigade by a final score of 10-9 on the Fourth of July. With the loss, the Brigade's record falls to 11-8 on the season.

Brigade fall to Larks, now set for a couple of weekend home games

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jonny DeLuca and Brandon Lowe homered, eight Rays players drove in runs, and Tampa Bay pounced on some erratic Kansas City pitching to squeak out a 10-8 victory over the Royals on Thursday night.

Zach Eflin (5-5), riding a 10-inning scoreless streak coming into the game, allowed six runs — five earned — and seven hits with a walk over five innings. That was still good enough to pick up his first win in his last five road starts.

“The offense was tremendous tonight,” Eflin said. “They carried us.”

Alec Marsh (6-6) allowed five runs and six hits with three walks in just three innings. The Kansas City bullpen fared no better as five relievers combined to allow five more runs, 10 hits and five walks.

“It was a game of adjustments and I wasn't able to make them,” Marsh said. “Feels like you're battling yourself out there.”

Michael Massey and Bobby Witt Jr. homered for the Royals, who trailed 9-4 before scoring three times in the sixth inning. The rally ended when Witt — representing the potential tying run — was thrown out trying to steal second.

Pete Fairbanks surrendered Witt's solo homer in the ninth before picking up his 14th save.

“They kept going, getting big hits after big hits,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said, “but it felt like when we really needed a play, we made it.”

Marsh struggled with his command from the start, walking Richie Palacios on four pitches and Isaac Paredes on a full-count to start the game — both eventually scored. DeLuca homered in the second and Palacios added an RBI single for a 4-0 lead.

The Royals got a run back on Massey's homer in the second. And after Tampa Bay restored a four-run lead on DeLuca's single in the third, Witt hit a sacrifice fly and Pasquantino an RBI single to get Kansas City to 5-3.

Carlos Hernandez didn't have much better command than Marsh for Kansas City. He walked the bases loaded to begin the fifth, and Taylor Walls and Ben Rortvedt made sure all three runners scored, extending the Tampa Bay lead.

The Rays hung on the rest of the way for their fifth straight series win.

“We got a lot of big hits. We had a lot of big at-bats, tough matchups,” said Cash, whose club has won 11 of its last 16 games to leave Kansas City above .500 at 43-42. “There were a lot of guys who contributed offensively.”

Massey played the field for the first time since May 24, when a lower back issue forced him onto the injured list. He had been limited to DH duties since returning to the club on June 24. ... Royals INF/OF Adam Frazier (right thumb strain) began what is expected to be a short rehab stint at Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Friday night.

The Rays have not announced a starter for Friday night's series-opener at Texas, though RHP Shane Baz is expected to get the ball in place of Aaron Civale, who was traded to the Brewers earlier this week. Baz missed last season after Tommy John surgery, but he's been dominant at Triple-A Durham, compiling a 1.57 ERA over his last five outings.

The Royals begin a nine-game trip leading into the All-Star break with the first of three in Colorado on Friday night. RHP Cole Ragans (5-6, 3.33) will try to bounce back from a shaky outing last Saturday against Cleveland.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720172251915.jpeg" alt="Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe runs home past Kansas City Royals catcher Freddy Fermin (34) to score on a sacrifice fly hit by Taylor Walls during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe runs home past Kansas City Royals catcher Freddy Fermin (34) to score on a sacrifice fly hit by Taylor Walls during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jonny DeLuca and Brandon Lowe homered, eight Rays players drove in runs, and Tampa Bay pounced on some erratic Kansas City pitching to squeak out a 10-8 victory over the Royals on Thursday night.Zach Eflin (5-5), riding a 10-inning scoreless streak coming into the game, allowed six runs — five earned — and seven hits with a walk over five innings. That was still good enough to pick up his first win in his last five road starts.“The offense was tremendous tonight,” Eflin said. “They carried us.”Alec Marsh (6-6) allowed five runs and six hits with three walks in just three innings. The Kansas City bullpen fared no better as five relievers combined to allow five more runs, 10 hits and five walks.“It was a game of adjustments and I wasn't able to make them,” Marsh said. “Feels like you're battling yourself out there.”Michael Massey and Bobby Witt Jr. homered for the Royals, who trailed 9-4 before scoring three times in the sixth inning. The rally ended when Witt — representing the potential tying run — was thrown out trying to steal second.Pete Fairbanks surrendered Witt's solo homer in the ninth before picking up his 14th save.“They kept going, getting big hits after big hits,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said, “but it felt like when we really needed a play, we made it.”Marsh struggled with his command from the start, walking Richie Palacios on four pitches and Isaac Paredes on a full-count to start the game — both eventually scored. DeLuca homered in the second and Palacios added an RBI single for a 4-0 lead.The Royals got a run back on Massey's homer in the second. And after Tampa Bay restored a four-run lead on DeLuca's single in the third, Witt hit a sacrifice fly and Pasquantino an RBI single to get Kansas City to 5-3.Carlos Hernandez didn't have much better command than Marsh for Kansas City. He walked the bases loaded to begin the fifth, and Taylor Walls and Ben Rortvedt made sure all three runners scored, extending the Tampa Bay lead.The Rays hung on the rest of the way for their fifth straight series win.“We got a lot of big hits. We had a lot of big at-bats, tough matchups,” said Cash, whose club has won 11 of its last 16 games to leave Kansas City above .500 at 43-42. “There were a lot of guys who contributed offensively.”TRAINER'S ROOMMassey played the field for the first time since May 24, when a lower back issue forced him onto the injured list. He had been limited to DH duties since returning to the club on June 24. ... Royals INF/OF Adam Frazier (right thumb strain) began what is expected to be a short rehab stint at Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Friday night.UP NEXTThe Rays have not announced a starter for Friday night's series-opener at Texas, though RHP Shane Baz is expected to get the ball in place of Aaron Civale, who was traded to the Brewers earlier this week. Baz missed last season after Tommy John surgery, but he's been dominant at Triple-A Durham, compiling a 1.57 ERA over his last five outings.The Royals begin a nine-game trip leading into the All-Star break with the first of three in Colorado on Friday night. RHP Cole Ragans (5-6, 3.33) will try to bounce back from a shaky outing last Saturday against Cleveland.

⚾ Rays get Independence Day victory over the Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael Wacha allowed one run on two hits over six innings, Salvador Perez drove in a pair of runs and the Kansas City Royals got a spectacular defensive play from Kyle Isbel in the ninth to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Wednesday night.

After reliever Chris Stratton gave up a run in the eighth, Royals closer James McArthur entered the game and got Jose Siri to fly out to right field and Richie Palacios to pop foul, leaving runners stranded on second and third.

McArthur came back for the ninth and gave up a leadoff single to Ben Rortvedt before striking out Yandy Diaz. Taylor Walls followed with a shot to deep center, where Isbel leaped up and slammed into the wall, barely hanging onto the catch as he hit the ground. McArthur then got Isaac Paredes to ground back to the pitcher to finish off his 15th save.

“I was kind of surprised I hung onto it. The wall is pretty hard out there," Isbel said. “I knew there was going to be a collision, but the game is on the line right there.”

Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino also drove in runs, pushing Kansas City to its AL-leading 31st home victory.

Wacha (5-6), who pitched for the Rays in 2021, walked three and struck out eight. The only run he allowed came on Paredes’ homer in the first, making it eight consecutive starts allowing two earned runs or fewer.

“He's really thrown the ball all season,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We just couldn't get anything going. Mixed speeds really well, altered his delivery when we got guys on base. Slide-stepping and throwing timing off. Good performance.”

Ryan Pepiot (4-5) allowed two runs on four his over four innings for Tampa Bay. He struck out three.

After the series opener was delayed 2 1/2 hours by rain and finished after midnight, and Wednesday night's game started amid a drizzle, the clouds finally cleared off and a brilliant double rainbow appeared beyond the right-field wall at sunset.

Tampa Bay jumped ahead on Parades' two-out homer, but that was all the Rays could manage with Wacha on the mound. He left Amed Rosario on third in the second inning, stranded two in the third and worked around a leadoff double in the fourth.

The Royals took advantage of the opening, stringing together three hits in the third inning to take the lead. Isbel led off with a single, but it was Witt's double to left and Pasquantino's single moments later that pushed the runs across.

Kansas City still led 2-1 in the seventh when Shawn Armstrong walked Maikel Garcia and Witt. Perez stepped to the plate and got just enough barrel on the ball to bloop a single to right, scoring both of them and giving the Royals a cushion.

McArthur and Isbel made sure in the ninth that a two-run lead was enough.

“That was the most amazing catch I've seen,” McArthur said. “I knew (Isbel) had a chance on it because he's such a good outfielder, but that was just incredible.”

Tampa Bay traded RHP Aaron Civale to the NL Central-leading Brewers, who hope he can help a starting rotation decimated by injuries. The Rays received INF Gregory Barrios in the deal and assigned him to Class-A Bowling Green. Tampa Bay filled Civale's roster spot by recalling RHP Justin Sterner from Triple-A Durham.

Rays RHP Zach Eflin (4-5, 3.92 ERA) will start the season finale Thursday night. He is coming off six scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over Washington, his first victory since May 13. Royals RHP Alec Marsh (6-5, 4.19) gets the nod for the finale of a 10-game homestand.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720090132598.png" alt="Photo Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael Wacha allowed one run on two hits over six innings, Salvador Perez drove in a pair of runs and the Kansas City Royals got a spectacular defensive play from Kyle Isbel in the ninth to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Wednesday night.After reliever Chris Stratton gave up a run in the eighth, Royals closer James McArthur entered the game and got Jose Siri to fly out to right field and Richie Palacios to pop foul, leaving runners stranded on second and third.McArthur came back for the ninth and gave up a leadoff single to Ben Rortvedt before striking out Yandy Diaz. Taylor Walls followed with a shot to deep center, where Isbel leaped up and slammed into the wall, barely hanging onto the catch as he hit the ground. McArthur then got Isaac Paredes to ground back to the pitcher to finish off his 15th save.“I was kind of surprised I hung onto it. The wall is pretty hard out there," Isbel said. “I knew there was going to be a collision, but the game is on the line right there.”Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino also drove in runs, pushing Kansas City to its AL-leading 31st home victory.Wacha (5-6), who pitched for the Rays in 2021, walked three and struck out eight. The only run he allowed came on Paredes’ homer in the first, making it eight consecutive starts allowing two earned runs or fewer.“He's really thrown the ball all season,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We just couldn't get anything going. Mixed speeds really well, altered his delivery when we got guys on base. Slide-stepping and throwing timing off. Good performance.”Ryan Pepiot (4-5) allowed two runs on four his over four innings for Tampa Bay. He struck out three.After the series opener was delayed 2 1/2 hours by rain and finished after midnight, and Wednesday night's game started amid a drizzle, the clouds finally cleared off and a brilliant double rainbow appeared beyond the right-field wall at sunset.Tampa Bay jumped ahead on Parades' two-out homer, but that was all the Rays could manage with Wacha on the mound. He left Amed Rosario on third in the second inning, stranded two in the third and worked around a leadoff double in the fourth.The Royals took advantage of the opening, stringing together three hits in the third inning to take the lead. Isbel led off with a single, but it was Witt's double to left and Pasquantino's single moments later that pushed the runs across.Kansas City still led 2-1 in the seventh when Shawn Armstrong walked Maikel Garcia and Witt. Perez stepped to the plate and got just enough barrel on the ball to bloop a single to right, scoring both of them and giving the Royals a cushion.McArthur and Isbel made sure in the ninth that a two-run lead was enough.“That was the most amazing catch I've seen,” McArthur said. “I knew (Isbel) had a chance on it because he's such a good outfielder, but that was just incredible.”RAYS MAKE A DEALTampa Bay traded RHP Aaron Civale to the NL Central-leading Brewers, who hope he can help a starting rotation decimated by injuries. The Rays received INF Gregory Barrios in the deal and assigned him to Class-A Bowling Green. Tampa Bay filled Civale's roster spot by recalling RHP Justin Sterner from Triple-A Durham.UP NEXTRays RHP Zach Eflin (4-5, 3.92 ERA) will start the season finale Thursday night. He is coming off six scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over Washington, his first victory since May 13. Royals RHP Alec Marsh (6-5, 4.19) gets the nod for the finale of a 10-game homestand.

⚾ Salvador Perez drives in 2 as the Royals beat the Rays 

The Junction City Brigade beat the Baldwin City Blues 17-7 last night at Rathert Field. With the win, the Brigade’s record improves to 11-7 on the year.

Junction City is on the road tonight and will face the Blues again, but tonight in Baldwin City.

The Junction City Brigade beat the Baldwin City Blues 17-7 last night at Rathert Field. With the win, the Brigade’s record improves to 11-7 on the year.Junction City is on the road tonight and will face the Blues again, but tonight in Baldwin City.

Brigade beat Baldwin City Blues by 10

A local girls' travel softball team has had a successful summer on the softball fields. The 18 and under team, Chaos Fastpitch, is based out of Milford but also has girls from Abilene, Chapman, Clay Center, and Junction City. 

The Chaos team has captured three first-place finishes and a third-place finish. The girl's softball team played six weekends straight to end their 2024 summer season with a record of 27-6-2. 

Their best accomplishment of the summer season was winning the Kansas/Missouri USSSA 18B State Tournament on the weekend of June 21-23. The girls went undefeated on the weekend, winning all six games and only allowing one run throughout the tournament.

Other accomplishments from the season include:

First place at the Under Armour Championship (May 25-27 in Shawnee, KS)

Third place at the USSSA A/B Tournament (June 14-16 in Goddard, KS)

First Place at the Bite of the Little Apple Tournament (June 29-30 in Manhattan, KS)

By Anthony GorgesJC PostA local girls' travel softball team has had a successful summer on the softball fields. The 18 and under team, Chaos Fastpitch, is based out of Milford but also has girls from Abilene, Chapman, Clay Center, and Junction City. The Chaos team has captured three first-place finishes and a third-place finish. The girl's softball team played six weekends straight to end their 2024 summer season with a record of 27-6-2. Their best accomplishment of the summer season was winning the Kansas/Missouri USSSA 18B State Tournament on the weekend of June 21-23. The girls went undefeated on the weekend, winning all six games and only allowing one run throughout the tournament.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720021572760.jpeg" alt="Players and Coaches from the Chaos Fastpitch team celebrate with a team photo after winning the&nbsp;Kansas/Missouri USSSA 18B State Tournament on the weekend of June 21-23.&nbsp;(Pictured Top row- Coach Clint Harold, Maddie Harold, Brooklyn Haaga, Allison Adam’s, Isabelle Peabody, Reagan McDonald, Anja VonSpreckelsen, Substitute Coach Dustin Jensen. Front Row- Elliot Jensen, Kaci Heller, Rilynn Hotard, Hannah Walter. Not pictured- Coach Scott Miller, Cassidy Miller. - (Photo submitted by Kayla Ragan)" />
 <figcaption>Players and Coaches from the Chaos Fastpitch team celebrate with a team photo after winning the&nbsp;Kansas/Missouri USSSA 18B State Tournament on the weekend of June 21-23.&nbsp;(Pictured Top row- Coach Clint Harold, Maddie Harold, Brooklyn Haaga, Allison Adam’s, Isabelle Peabody, Reagan McDonald, Anja VonSpreckelsen, Substitute Coach Dustin Jensen. Front Row- Elliot Jensen, Kaci Heller, Rilynn Hotard, Hannah Walter. Not pictured- Coach Scott Miller, Cassidy Miller. - (Photo submitted by Kayla Ragan)</figcaption>
 </figure>Other accomplishments from the season include:First place at the Under Armour Championship (May 25-27 in Shawnee, KS)Third place at the USSSA A/B Tournament (June 14-16 in Goddard, KS)First Place at the Bite of the Little Apple Tournament (June 29-30 in Manhattan, KS)

Local softball team wins Kansas/Missouri State Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Zack Littell pitched five innings of four-hit ball before rain arrived, four Tampa Bay relievers allowed one run once play resumed, and the Rays beat beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 in a game that ended just after midnight Wednesday.

Brandon Lowe homered, Isaac Paredes drove in a pair of runs, and Richie Palacios had three hits, drove in a run and scored from third on a wild pitch by Brady Singer (4-5), the only run either team scored before the 2 1/2-hour delay.

When the game continued, the trio of Kevin Kelly, Colin Poche and Jason Adam surrendered just one run — Bobby Witt Jr.‘s homer in the sixth — before handing the ball to Pete Fairbanks. The Rays’ closer took care of the ninth to wrap up the win.

“Guys stayed pretty dialed in,” Littell said. “It obviously showed the way they went back out there and jumped on them.”

Littell (3-5) was pretty dialed in, too, wiggling out of one last jam just as thunder began to sound through Kauffman Stadium. MJ Melendez had hit a two-out pitch to right in the fifth and CJ Alexander followed with his first career big league hit, only for Littell to strike out Kyle Isbel and leave runners on the corners.

Sheets of rain began to fall moments after the teams walked off the field.

“We were really just chilling in here. Talking trash. Keeping it light,” Palacios said, “and making sure we had some energy when we got back on the field. We wanted to make sure we came out there and grabbed some more runs.”

Tampa Bay added to its lead when Palacios ripped an RBI double off John Schreiber in the sixth. Paredes added a two-run double off Chris Stratton in the seventh before Lowe homered off Nick Anderson in the ninth inning.

“You have to give them credit,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “One run wasn't going to be enough.”

Singer allowed one run on three hits and three walks over five innings for Kansas City. He escaped most of his messes except for the second inning, when Palacios singled, reached third on a double by Jose Siri and scored on his wild pitch.

Singer has not won since May 19, going 0-3 in his last seven starts. But the lousy record is not entirely his fault. He's allowed one earned run apiece in each of his last three starts, yet received two runs of support or fewer in 11 of 17 this season.

“Our bullpen matched up really well,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Everybody who came in threw really well.”

Royals: INF/OF Adam Frazier (right thumb strain) could begin a rehab assignment this week, Quatraro said. Frazier went on the injured list June 24. He has spent the past few days ramping up baseball activity.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720002823157.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' CJ Alexander watches his single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' CJ Alexander watches his single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Zack Littell pitched five innings of four-hit ball before rain arrived, four Tampa Bay relievers allowed one run once play resumed, and the Rays beat beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 in a game that ended just after midnight Wednesday.Brandon Lowe homered, Isaac Paredes drove in a pair of runs, and Richie Palacios had three hits, drove in a run and scored from third on a wild pitch by Brady Singer (4-5), the only run either team scored before the 2 1/2-hour delay.When the game continued, the trio of Kevin Kelly, Colin Poche and Jason Adam surrendered just one run — Bobby Witt Jr.‘s homer in the sixth — before handing the ball to Pete Fairbanks. The Rays’ closer took care of the ninth to wrap up the win.“Guys stayed pretty dialed in,” Littell said. “It obviously showed the way they went back out there and jumped on them.”Littell (3-5) was pretty dialed in, too, wiggling out of one last jam just as thunder began to sound through Kauffman Stadium. MJ Melendez had hit a two-out pitch to right in the fifth and CJ Alexander followed with his first career big league hit, only for Littell to strike out Kyle Isbel and leave runners on the corners.Sheets of rain began to fall moments after the teams walked off the field.“We were really just chilling in here. Talking trash. Keeping it light,” Palacios said, “and making sure we had some energy when we got back on the field. We wanted to make sure we came out there and grabbed some more runs.”Tampa Bay added to its lead when Palacios ripped an RBI double off John Schreiber in the sixth. Paredes added a two-run double off Chris Stratton in the seventh before Lowe homered off Nick Anderson in the ninth inning.“You have to give them credit,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “One run wasn't going to be enough.”Singer allowed one run on three hits and three walks over five innings for Kansas City. He escaped most of his messes except for the second inning, when Palacios singled, reached third on a double by Jose Siri and scored on his wild pitch.Singer has not won since May 19, going 0-3 in his last seven starts. But the lousy record is not entirely his fault. He's allowed one earned run apiece in each of his last three starts, yet received two runs of support or fewer in 11 of 17 this season.“Our bullpen matched up really well,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Everybody who came in threw really well.”TRAINER'S ROOMRoyals: INF/OF Adam Frazier (right thumb strain) could begin a rehab assignment this week, Quatraro said. Frazier went on the injured list June 24. He has spent the past few days ramping up baseball activity.UP NEXT

⚾ Rays beat the Royals after 2 1/2-hour rain delay

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gregg Berhalter gave a single-word answer after the United States was eliminated from the Copa America with a loss to Uruguay when asked whether he was the right man to lead the Americans into the 2026 World Cup.

Plenty of others are sure to have plenty more to say about his future with the national team.

After a disastrous loss to Panama put the U.S. in a dire predicament, Berhalter's lineup of players from European clubs created precious few opportunities against Uruguay. And when Mathías Olivera found the back of the net for a questionable second-half goal, La Celeste walked out of Arrowhead Stadium with a 1-0 victory on Monday night and the Americans were left wondering how everything had gone so wrong.

“We're all going to do a review of the whole tournament and see where we fell short,” Berhalter said. “It's obvious the Panama game hurt us, put us behind the 8-ball, and I think collectively — the staff, the players, the sporting department — have to look at where do we improve. How do we get better? We know it's a talented team, one with big potential, and we didn't show it.”

Berhalter and the U.S. hoped to show the team had advanced since its round-of-16 elimination against the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup. Instead, the U.S. managed only a 2-0 win over lowly Bolivia and were upset 2-1 by the Panamanians.

“We had a good start and brought a lot of energy but at the end of the day, just not enough quality,” U.S. captain Christian Pulisic said. “I felt like we gave it everything but we just couldn’t score.”

Indeed, the lone goal Monday night came in the 66th minute when Nicolas De La Cruz swung a free kick in front of the American goal. Matt Turner parried a header by Ronald Araújo, who out-jumped defender Tim Ream, but the rebound went right to Olivera and he tapped the ball in with his left foot.

Olivera appeared to be offside on the initial header but the goal stood after a video review.

Three minutes before Uruguay scored, the U.S. was in position to advance.

Bruno Miranda had tied the score for Bolivia against Panama in a game started simultaneously in Orlando, Florida, which meant the U.S. would only need a tie. But Panama went on to a 3-1 victory to claim the second spot in Group C behind Uruguay, and the U.S. was bounced from the group stage for the first time in 20 continental and global tournaments on home soil.

“This is still a young team. Still a lot of potential. But potential doesn't really matter if you go out on the pitch and you don't get the job done,” defender Antonee Robinson said. “Everyone needs to try and up the level, myself included.”

Berhalter was rehired in June 2023 and given a contract through the upcoming World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. But despite a lineup that included Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, the U.S. failed to even match its last Copa America appearance, when it lost to Argentina in the 2016 semifinals.

During the second half Monday night, the home crowd of 55,460 in less-than-full Arrowhead Stadium began chanting, “Fire Gregg.”

The U.S. next plays September friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.

“It wasn't only Copa America. It's learning from these high-level games we're playing pre-tournament,” Berhalter said, “and having this collective understanding that the margins are so small, and there is very little separating any of these teams.”

Uruguay played without coach Marcelo Bielsa, suspended for sending his team out late for the second half of its first two games. Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga were in charge on a mild but humid night in Kansas City.

Berhalter and the Americans knew the difficulty of their situation — Pulisic at one point said they would need to play “the best game of our lives” to advance — and they looked like a team with nothing to lose for most of the first half.

It was one marked by physical play and questionable calls.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719912817542.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States greets goalkeeper Matt Turner after losing 0-1 against Uruguay at the end of a Copa America Group C soccer match in Kansas City, Mo., Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffman)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States greets goalkeeper Matt Turner after losing 0-1 against Uruguay at the end of a Copa America Group C soccer match in Kansas City, Mo., Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffman)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gregg Berhalter gave a single-word answer after the United States was eliminated from the Copa America with a loss to Uruguay when asked whether he was the right man to lead the Americans into the 2026 World Cup.“Yes,” Berhalter said.Plenty of others are sure to have plenty more to say about his future with the national team.After a disastrous loss to Panama put the U.S. in a dire predicament, Berhalter's lineup of players from European clubs created precious few opportunities against Uruguay. And when Mathías Olivera found the back of the net for a questionable second-half goal, La Celeste walked out of Arrowhead Stadium with a 1-0 victory on Monday night and the Americans were left wondering how everything had gone so wrong.“We're all going to do a review of the whole tournament and see where we fell short,” Berhalter said. “It's obvious the Panama game hurt us, put us behind the 8-ball, and I think collectively — the staff, the players, the sporting department — have to look at where do we improve. How do we get better? We know it's a talented team, one with big potential, and we didn't show it.”Berhalter and the U.S. hoped to show the team had advanced since its round-of-16 elimination against the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup. Instead, the U.S. managed only a 2-0 win over lowly Bolivia and were upset 2-1 by the Panamanians.“We had a good start and brought a lot of energy but at the end of the day, just not enough quality,” U.S. captain Christian Pulisic said. “I felt like we gave it everything but we just couldn’t score.”Indeed, the lone goal Monday night came in the 66th minute when Nicolas De La Cruz swung a free kick in front of the American goal. Matt Turner parried a header by Ronald Araújo, who out-jumped defender Tim Ream, but the rebound went right to Olivera and he tapped the ball in with his left foot.Olivera appeared to be offside on the initial header but the goal stood after a video review.Three minutes before Uruguay scored, the U.S. was in position to advance.Bruno Miranda had tied the score for Bolivia against Panama in a game started simultaneously in Orlando, Florida, which meant the U.S. would only need a tie. But Panama went on to a 3-1 victory to claim the second spot in Group C behind Uruguay, and the U.S. was bounced from the group stage for the first time in 20 continental and global tournaments on home soil.“This is still a young team. Still a lot of potential. But potential doesn't really matter if you go out on the pitch and you don't get the job done,” defender Antonee Robinson said. “Everyone needs to try and up the level, myself included.”Berhalter was rehired in June 2023 and given a contract through the upcoming World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. But despite a lineup that included Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, the U.S. failed to even match its last Copa America appearance, when it lost to Argentina in the 2016 semifinals.During the second half Monday night, the home crowd of 55,460 in less-than-full Arrowhead Stadium began chanting, “Fire Gregg.”The U.S. next plays September friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.“It wasn't only Copa America. It's learning from these high-level games we're playing pre-tournament,” Berhalter said, “and having this collective understanding that the margins are so small, and there is very little separating any of these teams.”Uruguay played without coach Marcelo Bielsa, suspended for sending his team out late for the second half of its first two games. Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga were in charge on a mild but humid night in Kansas City.Berhalter and the Americans knew the difficulty of their situation — Pulisic at one point said they would need to play “the best game of our lives” to advance — and they looked like a team with nothing to lose for most of the first half.It was one marked by physical play and questionable calls.Folarin Balogun, who had two goals already in the tournament, bore the brunt of several challenges. He was left calling for help after a collision with Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, then was left rolling on the field after Araújo’s challenge later in the half. Balogun eventually had to leave with a hip pointer and Ricardo Pepi took his place.Uruguay lost Maximiliano Araújo earlier in the half after a scary collision with Ream near the U.S. goal. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, though he was able to move his arms before heading up the tunnel.In the middle of the chaos was 32-year-old Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega, whose several questionable calls hurt the U.S.The first came when Ortega began to pull a yellow card and stop play, then allowed it to continue — while still holding the card — as Uruguay nearly scored on an attack. The second came when the U.S. had a clear advantage after a hand ball on Uruguay, but the Peruvian referee eventually blew his whistle and called the play back for a free kick.“This referee was awful,” Robinson said. “I've never seen a referee, you know, let a quick free kick go while he's got a yellow card in his hand. And it's literally embarrassing. And I hope something happens to him from that.”Uruguay applied more pressure midway through the second half, then had the Americans in desperation mode after the goal. And while the U.S. had a few good runs and a couple of good opportunities in the box, a team that had such big expectations was unable to find the two goals it needed — or even one.

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