Im not trying to do anything special, just go out t

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Joakim Soria blew another save and the Kansas City Royals chances to return to the postseason took another hit.Pinch hitter Yonder Alonso delivered a two-run double in the eighth inning and the Oakland Athletics rallied past Kansas City 5-4 Tuesday night.The defending World Series champion Royals dropped five games out of the wild-card race with only 18 games left.Thats a really hard situation to come in to, Alonso said. I think early on, I knew I was going to have an opportunity, a meaningful opportunity obviously, with the game on the line to come up with a big at-bat.Soria blew his seventh save chance in eight opportunities. He was summoned with two outs in the eighth and the Royals clinging to a 3-2 lead.On his second pitch, Soria gave up a double to Alonso over the head of center fielder Jarrod Dyson, scoring Brett Eibner and pinch runner Joey Wendle.Soria then yielded an RBI single to Marcus Semien.Its a difficult position when youre not used to that, said Soria, who has 203 career saves. This season has been really, really different to me. I guess in 10 years it can happen sometimes.Unfortunately for me and my team, it happened this year. They need me the most and Ive been having poor results, he said.Rookie Matthew Strahm (2-1), who gave up an infield single to Chad Pinder before Soria replaced him, took the loss.Royals manager Ned Yost said he did not to use Kelvin Herrera for a four-out save and Wade Davis was unavailable after throwing nearly 50 pitches in back-to-back saves Saturday and Sunday.I had confidence in Jack, Yost said. I thought it was a good situation for him. I didnt mind the matchup with Alonso. Jacks had two days off.Ultimately, its my plan. Im responsible for my plan. And that was my plan and it didnt work, he said.Will he continue to use Soria in those pressure situations?I dont make decisions after games like this, Yost said. I havent even thought about. Im not even going to speculate on what Im going to do, without thinking about it and sleeping on it.Jacks that guy right now that everybody is on. Jacks had some really good outings this year and hes had some poor outings. How do you determine from one day to the next if I put him out there if its going to be a good outing or a bad outing? It very easily could have been a good outing. It wasnt, he said.John Axford (6-4) pitched one inning. Ryan Madson balked home Dyson with two outs in the ninth before closing for his 30th save in 36 tries.Royals starter Danny Duffy, who has not won since Aug. 21, limited the As to three hits, but two were home runs, in 7 1/3 innings.Duffy gave up a home run to Khris Davis on his first pitch in the fifth. Davis has homered in back-to-back games and hiked his season total to 37, which is the most by an Athletics player since Frank Thomas hit 39 in 2006.Ryon Healy homered to lead off the eighth. After Duffy walked Eibner with one out, he was replaced by Strahm.Paulo Orlando hit a two-run single in the fourth to score Cheslor Cuthbert, who had doubled, and Alcides Escobar, who reached on Semiens error.Semien has committed 11 errors in the past 53 games and tops major league shortstops with 19 fielding miscues.Escobars two-out single in the sixth scored Salvador Perez and chased Jharel Cotton, who was making his second big league start since being acquired in an Aug. 1 trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers.Cotton allowed three runs, only one earned, in 5 2/3 innings, while walking one and striking out two.Im just going out there and pitching the way I know how to pitch, Cotton said. Im not trying to do anything special, just go out there and give my team a chance to win every time I get the ball.ROOKIES GALOREThe As started five rookies -- 2B Pinder, RF Eibner, 3B Healy, DH Renato Nunez and RHP Cotton -- matching a season high.FOOTBALL VISITAs manager Bob Melvin stopped by the Chiefs practice Tuesday. He is a friend of Chiefs coach Andy Reed. The managers cousin, Tom Melvin, coaches the Chiefs tight ends.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (right biceps tendinitis) is eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday. I dont think it will be tomorrow, but hes definitely making progress, Yost said. ... Perez returned to the lineup after missing the game Tuesday for the birth of his second son, Johan Salvador.UP NEXTAthletics: LHP Sean Manaea will make his first start since Aug. 29 when he left after 3 1/3 innings with strained left rhomboid muscles in the shoulder blade.Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura gave up a season-high 10 hits over seven innings in a loss Friday to the White Sox. Trenidad Hubbard Jersey .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Dom Nunez Jersey . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/974t-jon-gray-jersey-rockies.html . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. Raimel Tapia Jersey . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Carlos Gonzalez Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Saturday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- WASHINGTON -- With a 1-0 lead in the NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers send Rich Hill to the mound against the Washington Nationals Tanner Roark. Game starts 4:08 p.m.- CHICAGO -- Kyle Hendricks, baseballs ERA leader, starts for Chicago in Game 2 of the NLDS. Former Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija goes for the San Francisco Giants, who lost the opener 1-0. Game starts 8:08 p.m.- Stories on Sundays two ALDS games: Rangers (down 2-0) at Blue Jays; Indians (up 2-0) at Red Sox.- Key Top 25 college football games: No. 1 Alabama-No. 16 Arkansas (7 p.m.); No. 8 Texas A&M-No. 9 Tennessee (3:30 p.m.); No. 10 Miami-No. 23 Florida State (8 p.m.); No. 17 North Carolina-No. 25 Virginia Tech (3:30).- Three unbeaten NFL teams -- Broncos, Vikings and Eagles -- play this weekend. But the spotlight falls on Cleveland and, no, the winless Browns arent the attraction. Tom Brady returns.- CONCORD, N.C. -- Hurricane Matthew washes out Saturday nights Sprint Cup race at Charlotte Motorr Speedway.dddddddddddd The race will now be run Sunday, along with the Xfinity Series.- LOS ANGELES -- Derrick Rose is ordered to return to the witness stand Tuesday even if it means missing a preseason game the night before. A woman has accused the NBA star and two of his friends of rape.- NEW YORK -- Hoppertunity, trained by Bob Baffert, highlights the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. The winner gets a spot in the Breeders Cup. Post time 5:23 p.m.- MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks open the best-of-five WNBA Finals on Sunday.- England, in its first match since the sudden ouster of manager Sam Allardyce, plays Malta in a World Cup qualifier Saturday. Defending champion Germany hosts the Czech Republic.- LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Olympic leaders ask the World Anti-Doping Agency to oversee a more robust global system to combat drug cheats. WADA says a new testing authority could operate in time for the 2018 Winter Olympics. ' ' '