in the thick of the

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Jake McGee Jersey . -- On paper, it didnt look like a good matchup for Jeremy Guthrie. The Kansas City Royals starter had
yielded an American League high 12 home runs and the Chicago White Sox rank
second in the AL with 52 long balls. The right-hander didnt get the win, but he
beat the odds. Guthrie, Wade Davis and Greg Holland combined on a four-hitter
and the Kansas City Royals rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Chicago
White Sox 3-1 Wednesday night and avoid being swept in their three-game series.
"I try to win and try not to give up home runs," Guthrie said. "You tell me how
Im doing. Ive got 12 home runs and two wins. So I guess Im not doing so hot on
either." The White Sox had scored 14 runs and hit five home runs in the first
two games. "Today was more defence and pitching," Guthrie said. "They hit for
power, which is obviously dangerous anytime when you have a chance to leave the
yard. It makes it tough to pitch to them." Guthrie, who is winless in seven
starts since an April 9 victory over Tampa Bay, left after seven innings with
the score 1-1. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out two. "He just
moves the ball in and out," White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie said.
"Guthrie throws a lot of pitches out of the zone and it seemed like he does it
on purpose, but not really today. We just kept swinging at it." Guthrie credited
his fastball for his success against the White Sox. "I thought the fastball was
used effectively to both sides of the plate to all the hitters. ..." he said.
"My mindset was to throw strikes and get deep into the game." Wade Davis (3-1)
struck out two in a flawless eighth and has tossed 10 scoreless innings in his
last nine appearances. Greg Holland logged his 13th save in 14 chances, but not
before giving up a single to Dayan Viciedo and walking Adam Dunn in the ninth.
"It makes everybodys job easier when you have Wade and Holland and the way
theyre thrown the ball all season long," Guthrie said. The Royals snapped a 1-1
tie in the eighth when Nori Aoki scored on Billy Butlers sacrifice fly. Aoki
started the one-out rally with a bunt single on a two-strike count. He advanced
to third on Alcides Escobars single. Eric Hosmer was walked intentionally to
load the bases, and Aoki scored on Butlers fly to right. "Thats actually the
first time in my entire baseball career Ive bunted with two strikes," Aoki said.
"I was actually pretty nervous. Pedro (Grifol, hitting coach) convinced me to do
it. I guess I have a pretty high chance of getting a bunt down, so it doesnt
really matter what the count is. Im glad I was able to do that today."
Danny Valencia then walked on five pitches, scoring Escobar with the second run
of the inning. Paul Konerko, who leads all active visiting players with 149 RBIs
at Kauffman Stadium, singled to left in the second to score Alexei Ramirez for
the Chicagos run. The Royals tied it in the third when Aokis groundball single
to left scored Pedro Ciriaco. The Royals wasted a chance to take the lead in the
fourth when they loaded the bases with one out on singles by Butler, Valencia
and Lorenzo Cain. Ciriaco, however, rolled the first pitch back to the mound and
left-hander Jose Quintana started an inning ending double play. Quintana (2-4)
took the loss, charged with three runs on eight hits over 7 1-3 innings. "I feel
a little bit sad for no win," Quintana said. "It was a really hard game. We won
the series and well get ready for the next game. I think next time itll be
better for me. I dont get frustrated. I only have control to pitch a good game."
NOTES: RHP Matt Lindstrom, who tops the White Sox with six saves, will have left
ankle surgery to repair a torn sheath Friday and is expected to be out three
months. RHP Ronald Belisario will close out White Sox games in Lindstroms
absence. . White Sox LHP Chris Sale will come off the disabled list Thursday and
start against the Yankees, his first outing since April 17. . The Royals 20 home
runs rank last in the majors. Jorge De La Rosa Jersey . Left back Armero opened the scoring in the fifth minute when his deflected shot rolled past
Greece goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis. Striker Teofilo Gutierrez poked in Colombias
second goal from a deflected corner in the 58th and James Rodriguez capped it
off with a low shot in stoppage time after a slick backheel flick from Juan
Cuadrado. Nolan Arenado Rockies Jersey . Scolari says that although Brazilians have the right to complain about the government and
demand improvements, perhaps the protests wont be coming at the "right
time.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - While championship weekend caused a
big shake up in the College Football Playoff rankings, it was uneventful in the
Heisman race as the favorite only separated himself from the field even more. 1.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon (last week: No. 1) -- Theres officially no more drama
left in the race for the Heisman Trophy, as Mariota sewed up the award with yet
another dazzling performance in the Pac-12 title game against Arizona (51-13).
Mariota successfully avenged the Ducks only loss of the season to the Wildcats
back in October by completing 25-of-38 passes for 313 yards with two touchdowns
and no interceptions, while rushing for an additional three scores. After
Mariotas big-game presence was questioned in recent seasons with crucial losses
late in the year, the star signal caller has stepped up with one of the greatest
seasons in recent memory, passing for 3,783 yards while throwing just two
interceptions in 372 attempts, and rushing for 669 yards. Hes accounted for 53
total touchdowns, the most by an FBS player in a single season since 2008 (Chase
Clement 57, Sam Bradford 55). Expect a near- unanimous vote in Mariotas favor on
Saturday night in an exciting precursor to Oregons College Football Playoff
experience. 2. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin (last week: No. 2) -- It was an
anticlimactic finish to the season for Gordon and the Badgers, who were
embarrassed in the Big Ten Championship Game by Ohio State, 59-0. For the first
time since Sept. 9 (a span of 10 straight games), Gordon failed to top 100 yards
rushing in the blowout loss, as he turned 26 carries into only 76 yards. The
stud tailback had worked his way into a neck-and-neck competition with Mariota
for the award with his outstanding play of late, which was highlighted by a
then- FBS single-game record 408 yards against Nebraska on Nov. 15, but he
needed a much better performance against Ohio State to earn additional
first-place votes. Ending the campaign on a whimper has all but locked up the
award for Mariota, but Gordon and his Big Ten-record 2,336 rushing yards and 29
touchdowns is a deserving No. 2. 3. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (last week: No 3)
-- The Crimson Tide dominated Missouri in the SEC Championship Game with a 42-13
victory, and Cooper capped the regular season with his fifth double-digit
reception game of the year, as he finished with 12 catches for 83 yards. The
performance left Cooper with 115 receptions on the year, which is not only tops
in the nation but an SEC record, breaking Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt) previous
mark of 112 set last season. Cooper is the most dominant receiver in the country
-- his 1,656 yards is also most in the FBS and his 14 touchdowns are tied for
second. Alabama was heavily reliant on Cooper this season, as the teams 16 other
pass-catchers combined for just 153 receptions, and its likely Bama wouldnt be
the No. 1 team ready to take on Ohio State in the College Football Playoff
without Cooper. 4. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU (last week: No 4) -- The Horned Frogs
have experienced several different emotions over the past week. They were riding
high into their matchup with Iowa State as the No. 3 team in the College
Football Playoff rankings, and took care of business with a resounding 55-3
victory over the Cyclones, only to get leapfrogged by Ohio State in the final
version of the rankings to miss out on the tournament. Its certainly a
frustrating time for TCU, but at least it can hang its hat on Boykin as a
Heisman finalist. The signal caller saved his best performance for last, as he
threw for a career-high 460 yards on 30-of-41 passing against ISU, rushing for
44 yards and even caught a 55-yard touchdown. Boykins not going to win the
award, but with more than 4,400 total yards and 39 touchdowns, he deserves to be
mentioned among the best of the best. 5. Cody Kessler, QB, USC (last weeek: No.
Custom Colorado Rockies Jersey. 5) -- Last year, six players were invited to New York City as finalists, a rarity, but
expect the number to go back to the traditional four this year, with Kessler
falling just shy of finalist distinction. Kessler was arguably the nations best
pocket passer with 3,505 yards on 70.7 percent completions, 36 touchdowns and
just four interceptions, and if he decides to return for his senior season he
can expect another shot at the award in 2015. 6. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor (last
week: No. 6) -- The Bears have all the same beefs as TCU, a team they defeated
on their way to an 11-1 record, but ultimately the College Football Playoff
committee punished the Big 12 for not having a conference championship game.
Petty ended the year on a high note to give his team the best opportunity to
sneak into the field. In a 38-27 victory over nationally-ranked Kansas State,
Petty completed 85 percent of his passes (34-of-40) for 412 yards with a
touchdown and an interception, while adding a rushing touchdown. Petty failed to
make the finalist field last season with 46 touchdowns, and he fell well short
of that number this time around with 31, but his accomplishments as the captain
of the nations most prolific offense are still worth noting. 7. Tevin Coleman,
RB, Indiana (last week: No. 7) -- Gordon has cast a large shadow over the
running backs this season, but Coleman quietly went about his business for a
three-win Indiana team by recording a 2,000-yard season of his own (2,036 to be
exact) while scoring 15 touchdowns. The tailbacks accomplishments are even
greater considering he chewed up some impressive defenses like Missouri,
Michigan State, Ohio State and Iowa in a one- dimensional offense where he was
the only weapon. 8. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State (last week: unranked) --
Its difficult to gauge which is more impressive: the Seminoles undefeated record
or their uncanny ability to pull out nail-biting wins without looking very good.
FSU was up to their usual shenanigans in the ACC Championship Game, as it held
off Georgia Tech for a 37-35 to secure its spot in the College Football Playoff.
After struggling mightily leading up to the game with 11 interceptions in the
previous five contests, Winston finally looked like his old self in the victory,
completing 21-of-30 passes for 309 yards with three touchdowns and no
interceptions. But it was too little, too late for the reigning Heisman winner,
who sits with 3,559 yards, 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Now well have to
see if the Seminoles can continue their magic against Oregon in the playoff, and
ultimately if Winston returns for his junior season to try and rebound from a
disappointing individual campaign this year. 9. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi
State (last week: No. 10) -- All of the momentum Prescott built up while leading
his team to a 9-0 start came to a screeching halt once the Bulldogs closed out
the regular season with losses in two of three games, but even with a poor
finish the quarterback put together a fantastic year with 2,996 passing yards,
939 rushing yards and 38 total touchdowns. If Prescott improves as much next
season as he did from his sophomore to junior years, hell be in the thick of the
2015 Heisman race as well. 10. Gerod Holliman, DB, Louisville -- Holliman
finally sneaks onto the list after weeks of being relegated to honorable mention
status. One of the best defensive players in the nation, Holliman was a
game-changer in the secondary for the 9-3 Cardinals with an FBS-record tying 14
interceptions, including two off Winston back on Oct. 30. Holliman will have a
chance to break Al Worleys 46-year-old record in the Belk Bowl against Georgia.
Dropped Out: Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma; Anu Solomon, QB, Arizona. Honorable
Mention: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska; Nick Marshall, QB, Auburn; Bo Wallace,
QB, Ole Miss. Cheap Jerseys ' ' '