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ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Kansas City Royals have hit a nearly three-year low.The defending World Series champions, who also won the 2014 American League pennant, dropped 10 games back in the AL Central standings for the first time since Aug. 31, 2013, after an 8-3 loss to the West-leading Texas Rangers on Friday night.Offense has been sporadic. Its just been tough, manager Ned Yost said. Keep grinding away. You cant tell them to go out and get a hit. Its just got to happen. ... Your mindset is theres a couple months left of baseball to play. Show up ready to go tomorrow.Eric Hosmer had a two-run homer for the fourth-place Royals, who have lost six of their last seven games and are 7-17 in July.Edinson Volquez (8-9), whose name has come up in trade rumors with the Royals struggling, was down 3-0 after the first inning but made it through six innings. He struck out five and walked two while allowing six runs and nine hits.I think I came out a little strong in the first inning, walking the first guy. I got in trouble myself. After that, pitched a couple good innings, Volquez said. I think I lost the game the first inning.The right-hander made his major league debut with the Rangers before being traded to Cincinnati after the 2007 season for slugger Josh Hamilton. Volquez is 0-3 in five career starts against the Rangers, one of four teams hes never beaten in his career.Rougned Odor homered twice, including a solo shot in the first that made it 3-0, while Jurickson Profar also went deep and scored three times for the AL West-leading Rangers.A.J. Griffin (4-1) became the only Texas starter other than All-Star lefty Cole Hamels with a win in July, going 5 2/3 innings in his longest outing in seven starts since coming off the disabled list because of right shoulder stiffness. The only runs he allowed came on Hosmers two-run homer in the sixth that made it 5-2.Griffin had missed two seasons after Tommy John surgery, but was 3-1 in six starts through the first week of May before going on the DL.Two years off from pitching is a long time. It caught up with me a little bit, Griffin said. I feel like I am getting that second wind. My shoulders responding a lot better with each outing.HOSMER HOMERAfter Lorenzo Cain was hit by a pitch with two outs in the sixth, Hosmer snapped an 0-for-14 slump with his 14th homer. That got the Royals within 5-2 and chased Griffin.ROAD WOESThe Royals have lost eight of their last nine road games are 17-34 away from home this season.SHORT HOPSThe Rangers failed to score in the fourth after loading the bases with no outs. The first out came when third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert made a diving stop of Elvis Andrus grounder, then got up and threw home for a forceout. A strikeout and groundout followed thatTRAINERS ROOMRoyals: Cain played for the first time since June 28 after missing 25 games because of a left hamstring strain. He was reactivated from the disabled list, and rookie OF Brett Eibner was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. ... RHP Luke Hochevar (thoracic outlet syndrome) will get a second opinion Monday from another specialist in Kansas City after a Dallas specialist on Friday recommended season-ending surgery.Rangers: Slugger Prince Fielders season-ending surgery Friday to repair a herniated disk in his neck went as expected.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Ian Kennedy (6-9) is 0-3 in five starts this month. He is also 0-2 in three career starts against the Rangers.Rangers: Lefty Martin Perez (7-7) was 4-0 in five starts in June, but goes into his sixth start in July still without a win. Dale Hawerchuck Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Coyotes Jerseys China . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. https://www.cheapcoyotes.com/318z-dan-focht-jersey-coyotes.html . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Custom Arizona Coyotes Jerseys . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Fake Coyotes Jerseys . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has his share of pleasant memories of his time in Lubbock, Texas. He also has some bad ones.Mayfield was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2013 when he played in eight games as a freshman walk-on for the Red Raiders, passing for 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 64.1 percent of his passes.But Mayfield decided to transfer when he said the Texas Tech coaching staff did not guarantee him playing time in the Holiday Bowl or a scholarship for the following season. He eventually walked on at Oklahoma, lobbing some verbal jabs at Texas Tech and Red Raiders coach Kliff Kingsbury along the way.Now Mayfield returns to Jones AT&T Stadium leading the 16th-ranked Sooners (4-2, 3-0 Big 12) against his former team and head coach.Theyll be ready for me when I get down there, thats for sure, Mayfield said. Im excited for it. Its always fun to play in Lubbock. This time, Im on the other side of it.This isnt the first time Mayfield, who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy balloting a year ago, has been back to Lubbock with the Sooners since his ugly split. He also accompanied the squad there in 2014 while sitting out because of NCAA transfer rules and didnt exactly receive the warmest of welcomes.The night before the game, Mayfield was asked to leave a Lubbock restaurant and booed on his way out the door. Texas Tech fans barraged Mayfield with verbal barbs as he came out for warm-ups and as he watched from the sideline during the game. After the game, an Oklahoma Highway Patrolman escorted Mayfield to his vehicle for safety.Over the past year, tensions have cooled.Mayfield hasnt said anything negative about Texas Tech publicly recently and Kingsbury even praised Mayfield during Big 12 Media Days in July.Texas Tech was also among the schools that voted to approve a rule that granted Mayfield an additional year of eligibility over the summer.Ive gotten over everything, Mayfield said. Its all in the past, which is what I said last year. Its about settling in and being ready to play.The move appears to have paid off all around as Mayfield has flourished with the Sooners and Patrick Mahomes II has become one of tthe most prolific quarterbacks in the country at Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2).dddddddddddd. Mahomes enters Saturdays contest as he nations leader in passing yards (2,579, 429.8 ypg) and total offense (455.2 ypg). He also ranks second in points responsible for (168) and leads the Big 12 in touchdown passes (21).But just because things are better doesnt mean Mayfield doesnt expect harsh treatment.Well see how our guys handle the violent environment were gonna be in, Mayfield said.The contest is a key one for Texas Tech, which plays just two of its final six games at home and needs three wins to become bowl eligible. The Red Raiders, who still have road games with TCU, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Baylor, come in off a 48-17 home loss to No. 12 West Virginia.There is a lot to fix, Kingsbury said. There is no doubt. (We need to) reassess what were doing, how were doing it as far as practice goes., personnel-wise, who were playing ... I think we took a look at everything on Sunday, and are trying to figure out what we need to tighten up and who needs to be playing and what changes we need to make in this last part of the season to be the most effective.Last week was by far the least effective the Red Raiders have been at home. The Mountaineers held Tech to 17 points, the first time all year the team had been held under 50 in Lubbock. Mahomes threw for 305 yards, but didnt look as effective as he did early in the season. He is battling an injured shoulder, and the injury and the lightened load in practice may be taking its toll.I think his lack of practicing caught up to him, Kingsbury said. I think that first week he was still kind of in that streak, in that zone. And this last week not practicing as much as we would have liked probably caught up to him. Then he tried to do a little bit too much, I felt like, in the second half.Oklahoma, which will be trying for its first 4-0 start in Big 12 play since 2004, will be without starting running back Samaje Perine who is expected to be sidelined two to three weeks with a hamstring injury. ' ' '