Hoyer like a starter or a backup. Aft

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chris Sale knew he had to pitch his best Sunday with James Shields starting for the Kansas City Royals. "Indubitably, yes," Sale said. "You know what youre getting with a starter like James. You have to bear down and do it." Sale gave up four singles in eight scoreless innings as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Royals 5-1 in a pitching duel between top starters. Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowers each drove in a pair of runs as the White Sox won the series finale after dropping the first two games. Sale (2-0) struck out six and walked one. In his previous four starts against the Royals, the White Sox had backed him with one run, enough to beat James Shields 1-0 in the 2012 opener. "There was an energy to Chris coming off the mound," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "Big pitchers do that when you face up against a guy like Shields. He knows weve lost three in a row and hes going up against Shields and he wanted to go out and shut them down." Shields (0-1) took the loss in this one, too, giving up a run on five hits, striking out six, walking none and hitting two batters in seven innings. "What we saw out there today was two No. 1 starters that were at the top of their game," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Both of them had their A-game on the mound. Thats as good of stuff as Ive seen James Shields have. He had everything working, his fastball at 94-95, a great cutter, a great change, a great curveball. "Sale was right there with him. He has everything going. Both starters just pitched a great game, both of them." Ramirezs drove in the games first run in the seventh when Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar knocked down his grounder but had no play for Conor Gillaspie at home. Sale allowed a runner past second only in the third inning, when Lorenzo Cain and Omar Infante singled and Ramirez committed a throwing error. Sale wiggled out of trouble by retiring Danny Valencia on a pop up. Cain had two of the hits off Sale. The White Sox scored four runs in the ninth off Royals left-handed relievers Tim Collins and Francisley Bueno. The inning included a Flowers two-run single and an RBI double by Ramirez. Alex Gordon singled home Eric Hosmer in the ninth off Matt Lindstrom for the only Kansas City run. The Royals won their first replay challenge of the season when Marcus Semien was ruled safe at first, but it was overturned on a review that took 68 seconds. White Sox manager Robin Ventura challenged that Hosmer was out at first to complete a double play in the sixth, but replays indicated he was safe. Plate umpire Greg Gibson issued a warning to both benches in the sixth when Infante had to jump out of the way of Sales pitch way inside after Shields had hit two batters, including Jose Abreu in the top of the inning. "Im not trying to hit Abreu right there, theres no doubt it," Shields said. "Weve got a zero-zero ball game. Im not trying to put a runner on base. There was definitely no intent. I understand they are trying to protect their players over there, but in that situation Im not trying to hit him. I dont think theres any reason for any retaliation at all." Notes: White Sox 2B Gordon Beckham, who is on the disabled list with a left oblique strain, has been shut down after one game from a minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Birmingham, still feeling tenderness when he swings. . The White Sox starting lineup Saturday included four Cuban-born players: C Adrian Nieto, RF Dayan Viciedo, SS Alexei Ramirez and Abreu. The last team to start four Cubans were the Indians on April 8, 1969 -- SS Zolio Versalles, RHP Luis Tiant, CF Jose Cardenal and C Joe Azcue. .The Royals will start LHP Jason Vargas against Tampa Bay on Monday, while the Rays probable is LHP Matt Moore. .The White Sox will start RHP Felipe Paulino for the series opener at Colorado. RHP Jordan Lyles will be the Rockies starter. Discount Air Max 97 . -- Golden State Warriors reserve centre Ognjen Kuzmic is expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured right hand. Air Max 97 Undefeated China . 15-23, the Ottawa Senators will by hoping to avoid going five straight games without a victory for the first time since a 0-3-2 drought from Oct. http://www.outletairmax97.com/nike-air-max-97-just-do-it-white-black.html . Simon (10-3) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings to break a tie with the Dodgers Zack Greinke and Cardinals Adam Wainwright for the NL lead in victories. Simon went to spring training as a relief pitcher and moved into the starting rotation when Mat Latos was recovering from elbow and knee surgeries. Air Max 97 Fake . Specifically, thumbs up to the Canadian-based teams in the NHL, or at least most of them. Cheap Air Max 97 Mens . Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process.CLEVELAND - Brian Hoyers precarious grip on the Browns starting job — and rookie Johnny Manziels presence — makes it tough to negotiate a new contract for the quarterback. His agent thinks it will happen anyway. Hoyer, who is coming back after undergoing off-season right knee surgery, will enter training camp with the lead in his competition with Manziel. But until the Browns are convinced Hoyer is healthy, and providing he holds off Manziel, its difficult for the team to gauge his value. Agent Joe Linta said the sides have had some preliminary discussions, but it may be some time before they get serious about negotiations. "We just had a couple of friendly conversations," Linta said in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday. "They agreed that its very difficult to assess his worth presently. I think that this will all work itself quickly as the season moves forward." Hoyer went 3-0 as a starter last season before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament while sliding at the end of a scramble. He recovered more quickly than doctors expected and he moved well during practices in the teams mini-camp this spring. Hoyer was kept out of 11-on-11 drills to avoid contact, but hes expected to be fully cleared when training camp opens on July 26. First-year Browns coach Mike Pettine recently said Hoyer had tthe lead in the quarterback competition over Manziel, who was selected in the first round of Mays NFL draft.dddddddddddd Manziel could one day supplant Hoyer as Clevelands starter, but thats not guaranteed, so its difficult for the team to decide whether they should pay Hoyer like a starter or a backup. After all, Hoyer had been a career backup before the Cleveland-area native signed a signed a two-year, $1,965,000 contract with the Browns in May 2013. He received a $250,000 roster bonus in March and is scheduled to make a base salary of $1 million next season. The deal can reach $1.15 million with incentives. The 28-year-old Hoyer has waited patiently for his chance to start. Hes paid his dues. He also has impressed the Browns with his determination to return to the field. Linta said Hoyer is committed to the Browns, and hes hoping they feel the same way about him. "Brian wants to be in Cleveland," Linta said. "He loves how the fans rallied around him and the team during his winning streak last year. Hell never forget that. With that in mind and if the Browns want him, we will work something out eventually. (General manager) Ray Farmer and (executive VP) Sashi Brown are good guys to deal with and they, like the fans, want to win regardless of who the QB is." Farmer did not reply to an email seeking comment. ' ' '