KANSAS CITY http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dru-samia-jersey , Mo. — The Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers, two struggling teams in last place in their divisions, will open a three-game series Monday night at Kauffman Stadium.

They have dropped 26 of 36 games at Kauffman Stadium, the worst home record in the majors. Overall, the Royals are 22-49. Only the Baltimore Orioles at 20-50 have a worse record.

The Royals are 27 games below .500 for the first time since concluding the 2016 season at 28 below.

The Rangers (29-44) are not much better. They’re buried in the basement in the American League West, 19 games behind the defending World Series champion Houston Astros, who swept a weekend series in Kansas City to extend their winning streak to 11 games.

The Rangers halted a season-worst seven-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. They scored four in the ninth on Sunday to win a 13-12 slugfest over the Rockies in Arlington for their second straight victory.

While it was a mismatch for the Royals against the Astros, Kansas City and Texas match up more evenly on paper.

“Our guys, they walk in the clubhouse and the clubhouse has got life, has got energy,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “These guys are pushing. They understand it’s a struggle for them right now.

“Again, I’ve broken this down to them numerous times. All you can do is show up every day with energy and go out and give your best effort, that’s it. Sometimes your best effort is an 0-for-4. Sometimes it’s a 4-for-4. They’re all incredibly talented. But you go out and give your best effort every single day. That’s what you get paid for.

“The contract doesn’t say, ‘When you sign your contract Daniel Jones Jersey , you’re going to get X amount of dollars for 40 home runs, 200 hits. No. The contract says you’re going to get X amount of dollars for your best effort every day.’ And these guys are doing a great job of that.”

The Royals made a bevy of roster moves Sunday, bringing up infielder Adalberto Mondesi, outfielder Rosell Herrera and right-hander Wily Peralta from Triple-A Omaha. They optioned right-hander Scott Barlow and infielder Ramon Torres to their Pacific Coast League farm club. Left-hander Eric Skoglund was transferred from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day DL.

Mondesi is the organization’s former top prospect but has not produced offensively in the majors.

“He’s never had success up here,” Yost said. “He’s a young guy. You just try to pace him a little bit, play a couple of games here, a couple of games there and get his feet on the ground, let him start to have some success, which we all know he’s going to have, just let him ease into that.”

Whit Merrifield, however, left in the second inning with a bruised left knee after fouling off a pitch and Mondesi was immediately pressed into action. He went 0-for-3 and struck out twice.

Bartolo Colon will try to make history as he starts for Texas in the series opener. Colon has 243 victories, tied with Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for most in the majors by a Dominican native. He is also tied with Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson for 33rd on the career strikeout list with 2,502.

Colon is 1-3 with a 9.51 ERA in his past five starts. Opponents are hitting .336 against him with a .710 slugging percentage.

His season ERA has ballooned from 2.82 to 4.94 during that span while the season opponent’s batting average climbed from .212 to .258 in that stretch.

Colon is 15-11 with a 5.00 ERA in 32 career games Maxx Crosby Jersey , 31 of them starts, against the Royals. He had a no-decision in a May 26 start against the Royals, allowing three runs and five hits in seven innings.

He is 6-8 with a 5.53 ERA in 18 games in Kansas City. He has lost his last four starts at Kauffman Stadium dating to 2009.

Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy has only one win in his last 27 Kauffman Stadium starts. He should have won his last home start, pitching eight scoreless innings and yielding three hits on Tuesday, but the Cincinnati Reds won 4-1 in 10 innings.

Kennedy is 0-3 with a 4.40 ERA in seven career starts against Texas. He had a no-decision on May 26 in Arlington, allowing two runs in five innings.

He is winless in his last 12 starts, going 0-6 with a 5.98 ERA since his last win on April 7.

America loves comeback stories, the last-to-first variety that features new stars, big plays and a monumental triumph at the end.

That would be the tale of the Philadelphia Eagles if they win Sunday’s Super Bowl.

The oddsmakers don’t see it happening and have installed the New England Patriots – yes, them again – as 4+-point favorites.

Give Philly its due, however: The Eagles have a strong chance of winning their first NFL crown since 1960 and their first Lombardi Trophy.

Will they? Read on.

Doug Pederson’s bunch has shown the resilience of a champion, losing such key players as quarterback Carson Wentz, a strong MVP contender, left tackle Jason Peters http://www.raiderscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-isaiah-johnson-jersey , linebacker Jordan Hicks and running back Darren Sproles to injuries.

”It’s the next-man-up mentality,” Pederson says. ”It also means that you have some veteran players that keep things together, and good coaching staffs. I think it’s a tribute to the players and everyone involved that they can keep things going even through that adversity.”

Philadelphia has not yielded a point in the second half of either playoff game. It put 31 on the stingiest scoring defense in the league, and threw in a defensive TD in routing Minnesota for the NFC championship. Its backup quarterback, Nick Foles, has been everything from solid to spectacular in his career playoff games.

The Eagles can disrupt Tom Brady with a fierce pass rush up front, led by Fletcher Cox, who has been the best defensive player in the entire postseason. They have threats on offense in the passing game and at running back.

And they are facing a New England squad that has not been as powerful as some of the teams Brady has led in seven previous Super Bowls, going 5-2.

Yet, don’t be misled. These are still the Patriots, probably the most resourceful group of athletes on the planet. They make big plays, not only thanks to Brady’s arm but on a defense that only recently began getting the praise it warrants.

Plus, they have all that experience in the big game, bringing 31 players back from last year’s championship roster.

”We know what to expect Foster Moreau Jersey , but at the end of the day, you’ve got to perform,” linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. ”So there’s really no upper hand. You’ve got to just play the game and get ready for it and play at a high level.”

New England doesn’t always do that in the Super Bowl. Recall last February’s first 40 minutes or so, when it was down 28-3 to Atlanta before the Falcons stopped charging and Brady led an historic rally.

The one consistency about the Patriots is that they play close Super Bowls. The total difference in scoring in those seven games is 12 points: Patriots 169, opponents 157.

So do they pull out another close one, or does Philly complete its uplifting saga?

It all comes down to one thing: which team has Brady.

PATRIOTS 24, EAGLES 23

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2017 RECORD:

Last week: Against spread (1-1). Straight up (2-0)

Season Totals: Against spread (123-125-10). Straight up: (167-97)

Best Bet: 10-9 against spread, 11-8 straight up.

Upset special: 10-8 against spread, 9-9 straight up

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