Kansas
DeLuca and Lowe homer as Tampa Bay Rays pounce on poor Kansas City pitching in 10-8 victory over Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – 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.
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.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JULY 04: Brandon Lowe #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays heads to home plate after hitting a home run against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium on July 4, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Ri
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.
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.
TRAINER’S ROOM
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.
UP NEXT
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.
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Kansas
2025 NFL Draft scouting report: Devin Neal, RB, Kansas
Cutback Ability
The first thing you see when you watch Devin Neal is his ability to make decisive decisions as a runner. It allows him to see and find running lanes as they develop or while they are. It is also showcased when he breaks into the second level and is tasked with making a defender miss.
Speed
Neal can finish runs when in space, break off long runs, and find the endzone when given the chance. He shows whenever he is given the chance to be a receiver and already has momentum built up. With any touch of the ball he has, he can go to the endzone with his speed.
Receiving Ability
Neal has some drops on his film, he isn’t perfect, but he gets open when tasked with running a route. He does a good job of moving without the ball in his hands, and it allows him to be in a position to be a reliable receiver. Once he gets the focus drops out of the way, he can really find some nice receiving work in the NFL if given the chance.
Kansas
Kansas State Fans Unload On Jerome Tang After Wichita State Loss
Kansas State’s meltdown loss to the Stockers can be attributed to many on the team.
But it was coach Jerome Tang who was the center of the criticism Saturday night. This is the second time in the last three games where the Wildcats were outdone dramatically in the second half.
Kansas State stars Coleman Hawkins and David N’Guessan combined for just 15 points on 35 percent shooting. Meanwhile, David Castillo went 0 of 7 from 3-point range, contributing to a 28 percent shooting performance from the arc.
On the other end, Wichita State’s Xavier Bell and Corey Washington combined for 42 points. The Shockers collectively got to the paint and free-throw line very often Saturday.
“I saw this live,” one user said. “Competitive for 30 minutes, the Cats freaked out being down by 4 and couldn’t stop chucking threes and play horrible defense. Tang tries but this squad has no heart and grit. Soft. Fragile.”
Kansas State starts facing conference opponents next week, with their first Big 12 matchup against Cincinnati (9-1) Monday night. But honestly, most fans are ready to throw in the towel on the season already.
“I love this college with my whole heart,” another fan said. “Will always support the University but this is one of the worst starts to a season I have ever seen. This is not the standard we have built and something needs to change. The program should be embarrassed because the fans sure are.”
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
Kansas
Chiefs Suffer Several Big Injuries Before Steelers Game
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been pummeled with injuries over recent weeks. They aren’t alone in that predicament, however, as their Christmas Day opponent in the Kansas City Chiefs are currently dealing with their fair share of bumps and bruises.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf), wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle), offensive tackle Jawann Taylor (knee) and linebacker Jack Cochrane (ankle) all went down in Kansas City’s win over the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon, casting doubt on their collective statuses for Wednesday’s meeting with Pittsburgh in a short week.
Jones, widely regarded as one of the NFL’s elite defensive talents for the better part of a decade, sustained his injury in the fourth quarter. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid described it as a strain, and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to go against the Steelers.
The five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro has recorded five sacks on the season to go with 30 total tackles, nine of which have gone for losses, and a forced fumble.
Worthy, who was selected with the No. 28 pick of the first round in the 2024 draft, posted a career-high six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown versus Houston. He departed with his injury in the second quarter before returning after halftime and remaining available from that point forward, meaning he’s likely good to go against the Steelers.
Reid also described Taylor’s injury as a strain after he was pulled in the third quarter of Saturday’s contest. The 27-year-old has held a spot on the Chiefs’ injury report since Week 13 with a knee issue, though he’s yet to miss a game both this season and throughout his entire six-year career.
Taylor occupies the right tackle spot and has made 15 starts this campaign. Kansas City’s depth has already been tested after left tackle D.J. Humphries was inactive versus Houston with a hamstring injury, leaving Wanya Morris and second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia as the team’s most likely options at the two spots if the former pair of players can’t work their way back onto the field in the coming days.
Cochrane fractured his ankle, per Reid, which may very well end his year. The special teams ace logged a total of 306 snaps, mustering five tackles over that stretch.
The Chiefs are now 14-1 and have a magic number of one to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC, meaning another win or a single Buffalo Bills loss would do the job.
Thus, Kansas City could adopt a safe approach by resting some of its guys and opting not to risk worsening the health of its players with such little down time before taking on the Steelers.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has seen its hold on the AFC North slip out of its hands following a loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday that has both teams sitting with a 10-5 record.
Though the Steelers have clinched a postseason berth, they are currently on a two-game losing streak and would ideally avoid slipping any further.
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (knee) and wide receiver Ben Skowronek (hip) both suffered injuries against Baltimore while cornerback Donte Jackson (back), defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (groin), quarterback Justin Fields (abdominal), safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring) and wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) all didn’t make an appearance with pre-existing wounds.
Pittsburgh needs to get off the schneid quickly, and the hope is that it can return several key pieces whom are currently on the mend for its bout with the reigning Super Bowl champions from KC.
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