team.Thornwell had averaged 18.7 points and 6 | Forum

ST. Kansas City Royals Store . PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Brad Miller took a punch to the gut on Monday when told he was losing his starting shortstop role and being moved primarily to first base.On Thursday, he delivered the knockout blow in a victory.Miller hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2.I just go out there and play, Miller said. Its all I can really do. Try and get after it. I think Ive shown them all year how valuable I am, but at the end of the day, I have to go out and play. Thats all that matters.Tampa Bay acquired Matt Duffy on Monday in a four-player deal that sent left-hander Matt Moore to San Francisco. Duffy will take over at short when he returns next week from a strained left Achilles tendon.Miller connected on his 19th homer off Joakim Soria (4-5), who gave up three of the Rays overall four hits during his one inning.Were lucky to have him, and it doesnt matter where plays, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. We know his bat plays.Kanas City dropped to 40-2 when ahead after seven innings.In my view, it was a good pitch . it was down in the zone, Soria said. He hit it out, so it wasnt a good pitch.Brad Boxberger (1-0) worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth before Alex Colome got his 26th save despite giving up two hits during the ninth. Drew Smyly allowed two runs, five hits, one walk and struck out 10 in seven innings.Ian Kennedy gave up one hit, walked four and had nine strikeouts in six-plus innings for the Royals. Alex Gordon hit his eighth home.Tampa Bay won the final two games to split the four-game series. The Rays are 8-25 against Kansas City since the start of the 2012 season.Gordon had not homered or driven in a run in his previous 72 at-bats against left-handers this season before hitting a two-run drive off Smyly that put Kansas City ahead 2-0 in the fourth.Smyly has given up 23 homers, including six to left-handed hitters. He didnt allow a homer to a lefty last season.Kennedy entered tied with teammate Chris Young and Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey with a major league-high 26 homers allowed but hasnt given up a long ball in three consecutive starts.TRAINERS ROOMRays: RHP Chase Whitley (Tommy John surgery) will make his fourth rehab start Friday night with Double-A Montgomery.MLB SANCTIONSRoyals DH Kendrys Morales received a one-game suspension and a fine for his actions following a ninth inning ejection, which included returning to the field, in Tuesday nights game. Morales appealed the ruling and started.FUTURE IN BLUE?Major League Baseball will hold a one-day free umpiring clinic for all ages at Tropicana Field on Aug. 20. Baseball officials, including MLB umpire supervisor Charlie Reliford, will also be looking for scholarship candidates to attend a one-day pro mini-camp in December. Umpire Carlos Torres, who worked the Royals-Rays series, is a one-time camp participant that received an umpiring school scholarship.MOVING DAYTampa Bay claimed C Bobby Wilson off waivers from Texas and optioned C Curt Casali to Triple-A Durham.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Dillon Gee (3-5) will face recently acquired Toronto LHP Francisco Liriano, who went 6-11 with Pittsburgh.Rays: Rookie LHP Blake Snell (3-4) will go against Minnesota RHP Ervin Santana (4-9) in the opener of a three-game series Friday between the ALs two worst teams. Royals Jerseys 2019 . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Royals Jerseys 2020 . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points.  Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. Suspended South Carolina guard Sindarius Thornwell was arrested for possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended license last May, according to an incident report from the Cayce Department of Public Safety.Thornwell was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center and paid a fine, according to the department.Thornwell, the Gamecocks leading scorer and rebounder over their first six games, was suspended indefinitely by coach Frank Martin on Dec. 4 for violating athletic department policy. Martin has said he will not detail Thornwells transgression, calling it a mental mistake.The Post and Courier of Charleston first reported Thornwells arrest.A team spokeswoman said Tuesday nothing had changed with Thornwells suspension and would not say if the arrest figured into the discipline.The 16th-ranked Gamecocks (8-1) lost 67-64 to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.Thornwell, from Lancasteer, was seen making an aggressive lane change while driving in Cayce not far from campus on May 22, according to the report. Fake Royals Jerseys. The officer who stopped Thornwell said he found his driving privileges in South Carolina were suspended for two failure to pay traffic offenses.The officer said in the report he detected the odor of marijuana in the car and uncovered two blunts.Martin said last week that Thornwell would return to the court, but did not say when. He has continued to practice and travel with the team.Thornwell had averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds this season, helping South Carolina to victories over then No. 25 Michigan and No. 18 Syracuse in a four-day stretch last month. The Gamecocks rose to 16th this week in the Top 25 for their highest ranking in 18 years. ' ' '