andere Teams » midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who leads MLS with

DETROIT -- The Kansas City Royals began the game by hitting for the cycle as a team, then Whit Merrifield nearly did it by himself.Merrifield hit a triple as part of Kansas Citys four-run first inning, and he later added a single and a double in a 12-9 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. The Royals hit four homers to drop the Tigers in the AL wild-card race -- and avoided elimination themselves.I havent played in the playoffs, but that was as close to a playoff atmosphere as Ive been a part of, said Merrifield, a rookie who made his debut for the defending World Series champions in May. (The Tigers are) fighting for a spot, and theyre going to give you your best shot, so youre going to have to play all 27 outs.Kansas City started the game with a single by Billy Burns, a triple by Merrifield and a double by Kendrys Morales before Salvador Perezs two-run homer made it 4-0. It was the first time the Royals first four hitters combined for a cycle since Sept. 30, 2006, also at Detroit.Tigers starter Matt Boyd (6-5) lasted only one more hitter after Perezs homer, giving up another hit before being pulled. The Tigers fell 1 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the second wild-card spot. The loss cut Clevelands magic number to clinch the AL Central to one -- the Indians start a four-game series in Detroit on Monday night.Boyd said he understood 100 percent why he was taken out so quickly.I might have been able to work myself through it, but the margin of error is zero right now, he said. Every run is important right now and so is every game.The Royals led 7-0 after Cheslor Cuthbert and Raul Mondesi hit consecutive homers in the third.Dillon Gee (8-9) got the win in relief, and Wade Davis pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 29 chances. Miguel Cabrera came up as the tying run but lined out to shallow left field to end it.Plate umpire Dan Iassogna ejected Cameron Maybin from the Detroit dugout during that final at-bat.Victor Martinez hit a grand slam for Detroit in the third to make it 7-4, and the Tigers loaded the bases again that inning, chasing starter Edinson Volquez in the process. But Andrew Romines bunt attempt with two outs was fielded easily by reliever Peter Moylan, and the force at home ended the inning.Detroit tried several former starters in long relief -- Anibal Sanchez, Shane Greene and Mike Pelfrey all pitched -- in an attempt to keep the game close, but the Royals kept adding runs. Alex Gordons two-run homer in the sixth made it 11-5.Kansas City let the Tigers creep back into it by the end. Justin Upton hit a solo homer in the seventh, and Detroit also scored two runs on wild pitches, the second of which made it 11-9 in the eighth.The Royals held on, though, and theres still a mathematical chance they can catch the Orioles.Maybin had four hits for the Tigers.VERSATILEMerrifield played first base for the first time this season. Hes also played second, third, left field and right field.Its always fun to switch up the angles for me, see the ball from a different perspective, he said. I got a couple balls. I didnt get to pick one.MARATHONSThe 3-hour, 51-minute game was Detroits longest nine-inning contest of the season. The Tigers played 3:50 against the Royals on Saturday.TRAINERS ROOMTigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann, who has been dropped from the rotation as he struggles to come back from neck problems, pitched for the first time since Sept. 10. He pitched the last three innings in relief, allowing one run and four hits.UP NEXTRoyals: After an off day Monday, Kansas City starts RHP Ian Kennedy (11-10) against Minnesota RHP Jose Berrios (2-7) on Tuesday night.Tigers: Detroit sends RHP Buck Farmer (0-0) to the mound Monday against Cleveland RHP Corey Kluber (18-9).---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister O. J. Howard Buccaneers Jersey . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Warren Sapp Youth Jersey . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. http://www.authenticbuccaneerspro.com/Sean-bunting-buccaneers-jersey/ . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Ronde Barber Womens Jersey . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Mike Evans Womens Jersey . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Teams headed in opposite directions collide Sunday, when the last-place Chicago Fire host the surging New York Red Bulls.The Fire (4-10-5) are looking for any type of spark to bounce back from a dismal first half of the season. A win over what coach Veljko Paunovic believes is the best team in MLS would certainly fit the bill.I would say performance-wise (they are) the best team because the style they play is fantastic, Paunovic said of the Red Bulls. I think they have very good players. I think its going to be tough. Theyre in a good mood after winning the derby at home against New York City FC ... so its going to be tough for us.New York (9-9-4) sits in second place in the Eastern Conference, just two points out of first place. The Red Bulls are coming off an impressive 4-1 win over first-place New York City FC.Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who leads MLS with 12 assists, including five game-winning assists, had two assists and scored a goal, and Bradley Wright-Phillipss had two goals in the win.ddddddddddddhe Red Bulls are looking for more luck on the road this season, going 1-7-3 away from Red Bull Arena. And the Fire have been solid at home and are on a 5-0-3 run at Toyota Park dating back to April.Its important to stay strong at home and its important for our fans to see that we can compete against one of the best teams in the league here at our field with all our fans, Paunovic said. We expect a great atmosphere. We expect that the fans are going to be even better than in the last games, and we appreciate all our fans that have been through all this the last couple of months where everything was tough for us, and they were supporting us.This will be the second meeting of the season between the Red Bulls and Fire. New York blanked Chicago 1-0 on May 18, with Mike Grella delivering the winner for the Red Bulls. ' ' '