ng five points while playing only 14 minutes.TIP-INSSpurs: Coach Gr

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-- Coming off back-to-back quality starts, the Seattle Mariners should feel confident going into the third game of the series Saturday against Kansas City.Kansas Citys offense is struggling, and Wade Miley, Seattles starting pitcher on Saturday, has done well almost every time he has faced them.Miley owns a 4-1 career record in five starts against Kansas City with a 2.91 ERA. He joined the Mariners this off-season after pitching for five years with the Diamondbacks and the Red Sox.In his first appearance against Kansas City in a Mariners uniform, he threw his first career shutout, giving up just five hits and striking out four back on April 30 in Seattle.Seattle manager Scott Servais hopes things continue the way they have gone in the first two games of the series.On Thursday, James Paxton threw just 57 pitches through the first seven innings. He had to throw 21 more in the eighth, but still left with a 3-2 lead. Kansas City came back to win 4-3 on a two-run double by Salvador Perez.In Fridays 3-2 win, Hisashi Iwakuma allowed one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings and Edwin Diaz retired Jarrod Dyson with a runner in scoring position for the final out of the seventh.Our guys did an outstanding job (Friday) Servais said. With Iwakuma and the bullpen we kind of matched them up a bit. It was a nice job by Diaz coming back (in the seventh) after getting down 3-0 on Dyson. He just calmed down and made his pitches. The story of the night is definitely our pitching.Some of the credit or blame must go to the Kansas City offense. Even with a 28-12 home record that is the best, when the bats go silent they go real silent.The Royals are a 14-12 in their 26 games and has showcased the tendencies of an inconsistent offense.In their 14 wins, the Royals have batted .308 and averaged 5.6 runs. In the 12 losses, Kansas has batted .240 and averaged 2.9 runs.Part of the problem is that Kansas City does not take a lot of pitches. The Royals are last in Major League Baseball in walks with 192 through 86 games. Three American League teams have at least 300 walks.Manager Ned Yost defiantly says its part of his teams DNA.Were an aggressive team, he said. You try to find whats best for your guys and our guys are aggressive guys. If the other guy is throwing strikes, theyre going to be swinging the bat. Sometimes it plays into your game.The other day (Wednesday), I was really impressed with (Torontos Marcus) Stroman. He threw 68 pitches going into the eighth inning. We still found a way to tie the ballgame. We ended up losing the game.Last night it was 57 pitches (by Paxton) going into the eighth. Dang, thats unheard of. But we still found a way to win the ballgame. Its something you cant change. Its what we are, its who we are. When it works its great. When it doesnt, people want to criticize.Yost will be hoping that his starter, Edinson Volquez, can build on a solid start Monday in Toronto. Volquez allowed one run on just three hits in the first six innings before breaking down in the seventh. He left with no outs in the seventh and the bases loaded. All three runners scored.The key will be the first inning. Volquez has allowed 14 earned runs in the first inning of his 18 starts this season (7.00 ERA), while his season ERA is 4.87.Volquez has pitched better at home, where hes 5-3 with a 4.22 ERA in 10 starts. Hes 2-5 with a 5.72 ERA on the road.Eric Sogard Jersey . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Jack Morris Jersey . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-roy-halladay-jersey/ . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Jesse Barfield Jersey . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jesse Barfield Jersey . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak.LOS ANGELES -- LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points, Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and 12 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-107 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.Tony Parker had 16 points and seven assists for the Spurs, who improved to 7-0 on the road this season with their sixth consecutive win over the Lakers.Lou Williams scored 24 points and Nick Young added 20 for the Lakers, who played without injured leading scorer DAngelo Russell for the first time this season.Los Angeles still kept it close until the final minutes, when Aldridge and Leonard took turns hitting big shots before Parker buried a clinching 17-footer with 33.6 seconds left.Pau Gasol scored 16 points in his first trip to Staples Center with the Spurs.Jordan Clarkson scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half while the Lakers rallied, but San Antonio coolly went 18 for 19 at the free throw line to hang on.The Lakers began a stretch of 18 games in 30 days with only their third loss in nine games.The Spurs blew an early 13-point lead, but took control in the third quarter while making 11 consecutive shots. San Antonio stretched its lead to 91-76 while scoring 39 points in the third quarter on 14-for-19 shooting.D-LO OUTRussell has a sore left knee, and the Lakers elected to rest their point guard out of caution. Coach Luke Walton doesnt expeect the injury to be a long-term problem, although the Lakers brutal schedule over the next month wont help.dddddddddddd The second-year pro leads the Lakers balanced lineup with 16.8 points and 4.7 assists per game.Jose Calderon started in Russells place, scoring five points while playing only 14 minutes.TIP-INSSpurs: Coach Gregg Popovich won his 1,099th game to pass Larry Brown for seventh place on the NBAs career wins list. ... Gasol got another warm ovation in Los Angeles, where he won two NBA championships as Kobe Bryants right-hand man in 2009 and 2010. The 7-foot Spaniard was booed late in his Lakers career, but has been welcomed back enthusiastically since his departure as a free agent to Chicago. ... Former USC big man Dewayne Dedmon has a sprained left knee and didnt make the trip with San Antonio.Lakers: Los Angeles recalled center Ivica Zubac from its D-League affiliate, but the rookie didnt dress for this game. ... Rookie Brandon Ingram had a rough night. The No. 2 pick missed his first seven shots before finishing with four points on 1-of-9 shooting.UP NEXTSpurs: A weekend off and a visit from rival Dallas on Monday.Lakers: The homestand continues with a visit from Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. ' ' '