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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Perhaps it simply took a whirlwind trip to the White House for the Kansas City Royals to remember that theyre the reigning World Series champions.Danny Duffy scattered four hits while pitching into the seventh inning, the Royals scratched out three runs off the Rangers Yu Darvish, and Kansas City shrugged off a sluggish start to the second half to beat Texas 3-1 on Friday night in the opener of their three-game series.I think being around the guys on an off day was a positive, said Duffy, who along with the rest of the Royals slipped out of town to see President Barack Obama in the midst of a long homestand. We got to do something not a lot of people get to do.The Royals had dropped four of six since the All-Star break before Friday night, when Duffy (6-1) gave up only Rougned Odors homer in the fourth inning. The left-hander struck out four, walked two and gave his bullpen a breather on a steamy evening that began with a heat index of 108 degrees.Luke Hochevar wiggled out of Duffys jam to end the seventh, Kelvin Herrera pitched a perfect eighth and Wade Davis worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his 21st save.The victory kept the Royals (48-47) from dropping below .500 for the first time since May 17.Duffys got a big fastball with a quality changeup and breaking ball. He was really tough on us, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. A quality start, a quality starter, hes been doing that all year.Darvish (2-2) nearly matched Duffy in his third start off the disabled list. He allowed single runs in each of the first three innings, struck out 11 and made only one big mistake -- Cheslor Cuthberts home run.I feel really good about where Yu is at and what he showed us tonight, Banister said.Still, it wasnt good enough to keep the AL West-leading Rangers from losing for the eighth time in nine games. The slide has been marked by poor pitching, inconsistent hitting and a series of devastating injuries -- sluggers Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo went on the DL earlier this week.Without them, the Rangers certainly struggled to create scoring chances Friday night.Duffy carved through the lineup without allowing a hit the first time through, the only baserunner a walk to Elvis Andrus. He went on to load the bases on a single and hit batter in the third inning, but Duffy calmly struck out Ian Desmond on three pitches to leave them stranded.His only other trouble came when he put runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh, forcing Hochevar in from the bullpen. He got pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland on a liner to preserve a 3-1 lead.They built it in typical Royals fashion: They scored a run in the first on a single, stolen base, error and groundout then scored again in the second on a walk, stolen base and consecutive singles.It wasnt until Cuthbert went deep leading off the third that they made Darvish look fallible.Darvish is a really good pitcher, Royals manager Ned Yost said. To scratch out two runs early is perfect situational baseball, to give us that lead early.ROSTER MOVESThe Rangers reinstated LHP Jake Diekman (cut left index finger) from the DL and designated LHP Cesar Ramos for assignment. Diekman last pitched July 5 at Boston.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: Fielder will see neck specialist Dr. Drew Dossett on Monday. The DH/1B is facing the prospect of season-ending neck surgery after an MRI earlier this week revealed a herniated disk near an area that was repaired two years ago. Dossett also performed that procedure.Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain (left hamstring strain) hoped to begin a rehab assignment his weekend, but it has been pushed back to early next week. Hes been on the DL since June 29. He was pushing it too hard two days ago and just kind of fatigued his leg, Yost said. Not a setback by any stretch.UP NEXTRangers LHP Cole Hamels, who tossed eight sharp innings in a win over the Cubs his last time out, makes his first career start at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday. He faces Royals RHP Yordano Ventura.Tom Seaver Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Todd Frazier Mets Jersey . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. http://www.metssale.com/ . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Pedro Martinez Mets Jersey . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Pete Alonso Mets Jersey . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games.BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech didnt let a surprising loss five days ago linger, and they are once again atop the ACCs Coastal Division race.Jerod Evans threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third and the Hokies (5-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat Miami 37-16 on Thursday night, pulling into a tie with No. 22 North Carolina atop the division as they start the second half of the regular season.Evans hit Bucky Hodges with scoring throws of 7 and 12 yards, and Travon McMillian ran for 131 yards for the Hokies.There were certain plays we put in this week that I had a feeling I was going to get the ball on, and the coaches just dialed it up, Hodges said after leading the team with seven receptions for 66 yards.Brad Kaaya threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns for the Hurricanes (4-3, 1-3), but he also was sacked eight times as they lost their third in a row. The Hokies limited Miami to 42 rushing yards on 29 carries thanks to the sacks, which cost Kaaya 55 yards.Obviously the key for us was we needed to stop the run and make Miami one-dimensional, and we were able to do that, Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. We really did a great job attacking the line of scrimmage, keeping the lanes and the gaps tight, keeping those backs in a phone booth, so to speak.Joe Yearby had a 41-yard run for the Hurricanes, but otherwise managed just 18 yards on his eight other carries.The defense was playing tough, stacking the box, he said. They did everything we expected them to do.Woody Baron had 2 1/2 sacks for Virginia Tech, and Vinny Mihota had two despite having his shoulder pop out late in the first half. Redshirt freshman defensive end Trevon Hill, who left the team Tuesday after his grandmother died and returned Weddnesday night, had 1 1/2 sacks.ddddddddddddIm not going to throw anyone under the bus, first-year Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said. Sacks have to do with a lot of things.Fullback Sam Rogers threw his first career touchdown pass in the third quarter.THE TAKEAWAYMiami: The Hurricanes have never won the Coastal Division since joining the ACC in 2004 and wont win it again this year. Their defense was supposed to be a question entering the game, and they were without three starters and had four freshmen in the starting lineup, but their inability to generate a running game put all the pressure on Kaaya, and while he put up some good numbers, an offensive line that allowed eight sacks isnt good enough to win most games against top level teams.Virginia Tech: Evans was virtually mistake-free again, and their plethora of weapons in the pass game seems to be opening up the running game as well. Evans added 98 rushing yards, including a 34-yard score, as the Hokies piled up 253 yards on the ground.The quarterback misled me sometimes, Miami defense end Joe Jackson said. I didnt do a good enough job of staying with him.POLL IMPLICATIONSApart from their 31-17 loss at Syracuse last week, the Hokies have been playing Top 25 -level football. In their other four most recent games, they have outscored Boston College, East Carolina, No. 22 North Carolina and now Miami 174-36.UP NEXTMiami visits Notre Dame next Saturday. The Fighting Irish are off this weekend, and have lost four of their last five.Virginia Tech plays its second consecutive Thursday night game when it visits Pittsburgh, which is off this weekend. ' ' '