bably be out another six to eight weeks. Heinicke, whos on the non-football injury list after a | Forum

ST. Bruce Matthews Youth Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The resurgence of Rays starter Jake Odorizzi, now with three straight scoreless starts, is a reminder of the strong starting pitching Tampa Bay was supposed to have this season, though its frustrating those starts were seldom found in the previous two months.Obviously wed all like to be like this from the start of the season to the end, Odorizzi said. Its nice to be on it now, and you just keep plugging away and I knew things would get better. You just have to stay the course.Odorizzi hasnt given up a run in his last 20 2/3 innings, four short of the team record for a starting pitcher. His turnaround is what the Rays need from the rest of their rotation such as Thursday starter Drew Smyly, who goes into the series finale against the Kansas City Royals with a 3-11 record and a 5.29 ERA.His last start, however, was what the Rays are looking for -- six innings, four hits and two runs in a victory over the Yankees. To continue where Odorizzi left off, hell have to be nothing like the pitcher the Royals saw May 31.In that start, Smyly lasted only four innings -- matching his shortest outing of the year -- and gave up a season-high 12 hits while tying his high with eight runs in a 10-5 loss.Inconsistency is something the Royals pitchers know well.Thursday starter Ian Kennedy is 6-9 with a 4.23 ERA. His last outing against the Rays, moreover, is something youd want to repeat, holding Tampa Bay to one run (unearned) on three hits in six innings. In 11 starts since, hes given up at least one earned run in every start.Royals manager Ned Yost has tried nearly anything to solve his pitchers problems. Knowing that Wednesday starter Edinson Volquez had struggled in the first inning, Yost had pitching coach Dave Eiland warm Volquez up before the game, but stop early, sitting him down for a moment. He then got him back up for the rest of warmups, thinking the pronounced break would seem like a first inning to his mechanics and bypass his early issues.The four-run first did us in, Yost said, pleased that Volquez held the Rays to two runs in the next five innings before his bullpen imploded. If we eliminate the first inning, were right in the game.The Royals had beaten the Rays in 12 of 13 previous meetings, so a loss Thursday and a season split will be disappointing for a team still just five games below .500 but bearing little resemblance to last years championship team.Fixing those problems will start in the first inning, where Royals pitchers have a 6.48 ERA, the worst in the majors. The Rays hit for the cycle in their first seven at-bats Wednesday -- double, single, home run, triple -- so nearly anything from Kennedy will be a step in the right direction. Corey Davis Jersey . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. A.J. Brown Youth Jersey . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. http://www.authentictitanspro.com/Derrick-henry-titans-jersey/ . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Here he is again, Marcus Sherels, beginning his seventh season in the NFL without assurance of a roster spot with the Minnesota Vikings.Sherels long ago proved his worth as a sure-handed, soft-spoken punt returner, whose self-made career has become one of the best stories in franchise history after starting out in 2010 as an undrafted local invited to rookie camp only on a tryout basis.The depth chart at cornerback is even more crowded now, though, and Sherels isnt in the top six there. Kickoff returner Cordarelle Patterson isnt a significant contributor as a wide receiver, either.So the Vikings could be challenged next week to either keep a pair of limited-role players and hinder their depth at another position, or let go of a valuable returner such as Sherels or Patterson.Not that Sherels would acknowledge any worry about this.Thats the coaches job, he said. We just try to come in and compete.As for the pride the 5-foot-10, 175-pound product of John Marshall High School in Rochester and the University of Minnesota surely takes in lasting this long in a league with an average career thats about half of his, Sherels keeps that quiet, too.Im just taking it year by year, he said.The smile widens, and the lilt in his voice accelerates when the subject of the four former Gophers currently in camp is broached.Wide receiver Troy Stoudermire was signed this summer after three years in the Canadian Football League, and hes getting a look as a punt and kickoff returner. Sherels, naturally, has taken to a mentoring role for a player he spent two seeasons with at Minnesota. Corey Davis Titans Jersey. Hes really talented, and hes been playing well. Im happy for him, and its fun watching him, Sherels said. I remember in college, he did everything.The smile comes freely for Sherels, too, when asked about his interception return for a touchdown last week at Seattle. This came during a trying month for him and his family, following a serious medical issue that popped up recently for his older brother, Mike Sherels, and required two surgeries.There couldnt be a better guy for that to happen to, said wide receiver Adam Thielen, another one of the seven Minnesota natives currently in camp. He works hard for it. He deserves it. Hes a heck of a football player. Obviously, good guys, good things happen to them.Game notes The Vikings will practice on Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium, their new $1.1 billion home set to debut on Sunday for the preseason game against San Diego. ... Coach Mike Zimmer said QB Taylor Heinicke, who wouldve been in line to challenge Shaun Hill for the primary backup role to Teddy Bridgewater, will probably be out another six to eight weeks. Heinicke, whos on the non-football injury list after an off-the-field accident before training camp, had surgery to repair a severed tendon in his left foot. The second-year player from Old Dominion had his walking boot removed this week.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '