KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid met with the media Sunday.

OPENING STATEMENT: “I do not have any injury updates, other than what I gave you last night. The guys will be coming in here and knocking that part out here as the afternoon goes on. Some of the positive things I saw from the game, it was good to get our number one defense out there. I felt for two series there they did a great job. I then took out three of the defensive linemen and subbed out some other people as we went on. That was a real positive. Getting the young guys a lot of good reps, I thought that was a positive. Getting our second quarterback in and getting some work with the number one offensive line, I thought that was a big thing. The turnovers, you cannot have those. We had a fumble and had a couple of dropped balls in key situations, and penalties, you have to take care of those things. I thought the one’s did a nice job with our pass rush, but as it went on, the other guys have to make sure that they get in there and get pressure on the quarterback. You cannot give these quarterbacks too much time in this league. Down the field, you have to be able to make plays, particularly in major situations. We can get better in those areas. I think it’s a great learning tape for us. There were just some small things that can add up that could hurt you in games. We’ll go back and look at this. I don’t think anybody came out happy after the game. Our guys take this pretty seriously. That’s kind of the overall picture of what I saw.”

Q: Is Darwin Thompson maybe more advanced than you anticipated he might be at this point of his career?

REID: “I’ll tell you what, he’s doing a nice job. He’s able to see the blitz, which is a big thing for the young guys. He has good vision in the run game. Then, he has a pretty good understanding of the pass game. He’s really a focused kid. He’s kind of a no-nonsense (guy). He wants to do it right, is real focused, studies a lot. I like the way he’s made up in that way.”

Q: From what you know about Tyrann Mathieu’s injury, would he have stayed in the game if last night’s game had been a regular season game?

REID: “Yeah, there’s a good chance, yeah.”

Q: Unless you snuck him in late in the game, Tremon Smith didn’t play on offense, what is going on with him?

REID: “Well, this was a game we weren’t going to necessarily play everybody but we told the players that. There were a few guys that didn’t play and he was one of them. It was no reason other than time there, it just ran out, in reps.”

Q: A few guys knocked out of the game with injuries, does this make you rethink the amount of playing time for guys in the third game?

REID: “Now listen, I’ve been doing this for a number of years and things happen. It’s a physical game so I’ve had success doing it this way and I’m not complacent. That can be a sign of complacent and that’s not what I’m saying. It’s a physical game and the things we got, I mean we will probably come out of this with one or two guys who are hurt for the duration, but that happens. You’re seeing a lot of these major injuries happen in practice and knock on wood we’ve kept it out of that. So, things happen. That’s what I’ll tell you. For the most part, we came out relatively healthy though, I think.”

Q: What kind of learning experience can the team learn as a whole from last night’s weather and the delay?

REID: “Todd, it’s one of those things where things happen, and you just have to stay focused. Both teams started off a little slow yesterday. Both teams who have scored points in their history with the players and there weren’t a lot points scored early. You have to stay focused on that when you have a few distractions. It’s always good to get a little of that in there. Doesn’t happen very often during the year, unless you go to the Super Bowl and then you got that 15-minute wait right there. Other than that, it doesn’t happen very often before the start of the game. You can always come back to the focus, you want to stay focused, and keep yourself right. You still have an opportunity to play in the game.”

Q: As far as practice goes, do you feel your guys get a different energy now that you are back at the facility and sort of getting the season going?  

REID: “Well, you get more into an in season mode. You practice in the afternoon as opposed to morning and you set your schedule up where it is a dry run, not that you are going to increase plays because you are not, but you still keep it vanilla and go through the process as you would in a regular week. Now will we keep installing stuff, yes, we will keep installing new stuff, that is what we do. We kind of blend it all together, but the main schedule is what they see during the regular season.”

Q: Most of your snaps at quarterback last night went to your first year and second year guys. In general how did that young group look especially guys like Herb Miller and Mark Fields?

REID: “Both of them did some good things. I thought (Mark) Fields played physical and did a decent job as far as coverage. (Herb) Miller had the big one at the end. A couple of them actually down the stretch there, but other than that I think that they started off well. I thought (Charvarius) Ward played well. He had the big pick before half time. I thought he played well throughout. He had a big break up in the first series and did a nice job all the way around.”

Q:  The second offensive line group has gotten the bulk of the work the last couple of weeks, anybody standing out in that group to you? I know Cam (Erving) is one of your veterans, but maybe some of the young guys that stand out?

REID: “I think they all held their own. Really (Ryan) Hunter, and (Nick) Allegretti did a nice job in there. And you’ve got (Khalil) McKenzie and (Jimmy) Murray in there who were able to get some work in there too. We were able to get (Dino) Boyd a few reps in there in that second group at tackle, and he got a few snaps against their ones there. He struggled against them, but he came back and got settled down with the other group.”

—Chiefs.com—

NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Whitaker, whose Hall of Fame broadcasting career ranged from the first Super Bowl to Secretariat’s Triple Crown to short essays from major sporting events, died Sunday morning, CBS reported.

The network said Whitaker died of natural causes in his sleep in Devon, Pennsylvania. He was 95.

Whitaker, a Philadelphia native who was wounded on Omaha Beach three days after the D-Day Invasion, began his broadcast career at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia and spent 22 years for CBS Sports. He worked for ABC from 1982 in the news and sports divisions, and was part of the network’s Olympics coverage in 1984 and 1988.

“I grew up watching him deliver contemplative and contextual prose with his famous short essays, bringing class and dignity to his industry,” Jim Nantz, the lead CBS Sports announcer, said in a statement. “I spoke to him this week after hospice came to his home, and his mind was still brilliantly sharp right to the end.”

Whitaker had been the only living play-by-play announcer from the first 21 Super Bowls.

CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said Whitaker’s writing, presence on air and humanity were unmatched.

“His unique perspective on sports ranging from horse racing to golf to NFL football was extraordinary,” McManus said.

WICHITA, Kan. – The University of Kansas Jayhawk Volleyball team defeated Wichita State 3-2 (22-25, 28-26, 11-25, 25-15, 15-6) in front of over 3,000 fans at Koch Arena Saturday afternoon. Both coaches experimented with lineups, especially in the final two sets. 15 Shockers played, 14 for the Jayhawks.

The Shockers hit .370 in the third set, the best attack percentage of the match. Kansas hit .233 and .200 in the final two sets to break away.

WSU opens the season on the road vs Holy Cross on August 30th at the Penn State Classic at University Park, Penn.

KU travels to Kansas City to match up against UMKC also on August 30th.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former NFL running back Cedric Benson, one of the most prolific rushers in NCAA and University of Texas history, has died in a motorcycle accident in Texas. He was 36.

Benson’s attorney, Sam Bassett, said Austin law enforcement told him that Benson was killed in the wreck Saturday night. He had no details about the accident.

Benson was a key player in the Longhorns’ resurgence under coach Mack Brown, who said Sunday that Benson’s death has left him grief-stricken.

“He was as good as you’ll ever see as a football player and as tough as they come,” said Brown, who recently returned to coach North Carolina following a long run at Texas. “But what I’ll remember most is what a special, special person he was. We always enjoyed talking with him because he was such a bright and unique guy. There will never be another one like him, and he will be dearly missed by so many. It’s just heartbreaking, but we feel very fortunate to have had him in our lives.”

Benson was one of the top high school recruits out of the West Texas town of Midland. According to Texas Football magazine, he is eighth on the career rushing list for Texas high schools. He led Midland Lee to three straight state championships, the only three in school history, from 1998-2000.

Benson played at Texas from 2001-2004 and his 5,540 yards ranks second at the university and ninth in NCAA history. He scored 64 career touchdowns with the Longhorns and won the Doak Walker award, given to the nation’s top running back, in 2004.

He was the only player in school history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in four seasons and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Honor in 2014.

Benson was drafted No. 4 overall by the Bears in 2005 and helped Chicago reach the playoffs the following season. He had his finest years with Cincinnati from 2008-11, taking over as the featured back on a team that made the playoffs twice but lost in the first round each time.

“Cedric was a fine football player for us,” Bengals President Mike Brown said. “He played a principal role for several years here, including a couple of playoff runs. ”

Benson ran for a career-high 1,251 yards while leading a playoff push in 2009, the first of three straight 1,000-yard seasons. He also led the Bengals to the playoffs in 2011, when Andy Dalton and A.J. Green arrived as rookies.

“Once he bought into our system, he was like a flower. He just blossomed,” former Bengals running backs coach Jim Anderson said. “He gave us an element we didn’t have. We had complementary guys, but Cedric gave us a missing element. He was a good man. He was one of my guys and it hurts. Life is too short.”

Benson played one season with Green Bay, where he started the first five games in 2012 before suffering a season-ending Lisfranc fracture in Indianapolis on Oct. 17. He rushed for 248 yards and a touchdown on 71 carries, and caught 14 passes for 97 yards in five games with the Packers before the foot injury.

Benson finished his NFL career with 6,017 yards rushing and 33 total touchdowns.

“He was from Texas, and he showed his Texas toughness in leading us to a division championship in just his second season with us,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said. “His three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons displayed the talent he possessed. Our organization is deeply saddened by his sudden and tragic passing.”

Benson returned to Austin after his playing career and set up a foundation, NUFCED, to aid underprivileged children and families. Those efforts included helping repair damage at the home of the first victim killed in a series of bombings in Austin early 2018.

___

Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle in Dallas and AP Sports Writers Schuyler Dixon in Arlington, Texas; Joe Kay in Cincinnati and Keith Jenkins in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pete Alonso hit his 40th home run to break the National League rookie record, capping a late outburst by the New York Mets in their 11-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Michael Conforto hit a long homer in the first inning and drove in four runs. Amed Rosario put the Mets ahead 6-4 with a two-run single in the seventh, and Alonso went deep in the ninth on an 0-2 pitch. He snapped a tie with Cody Bellinger, who launched 39 long balls for the Dodgers in 2017 on the way to winning Rookie of the Year honors.

Back in the thick of a crowded NL wild-card race thanks to a second-half surge, New York completed a 3-3 road trip and improved to 24-10 since the All-Star break.

Alonso also had an RBI double and scored three times during his second consecutive three-hit game. Rosario had three hits and three RBIs in the leadoff spot, and Joe Panik added three hits as the top four batters in the Mets’ lineup combined to go 11 for 18 with nine RBIs and seven runs.

New York scored six times in the seventh to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 9-4 lead. J.D. Davis tied it with a pinch-hit RBI single and Rosario had the go-ahead single two batters later. Alonso, Conforto and Wilson Ramos added RBI base hits later in the inning.

New York battered Royals reliever Kevin McCarthy (2-2), who was charged with four runs in just one-third of an inning.

Jeurys Familia (4-1) got the win, throwing two innings and allowing one run.

Conforto put the Mets up 3-0 in the first, sending the first pitch he saw from starter Glenn Sparkman 452 feet to right field for his 25th home run.

Sparkman settled down after that to throw six solid innings. He set down 14 of his next 15 batters and pitched around a couple of one-out singles in the sixth.

Mets starter Zack Wheeler didn’t allow a hit through the first three innings, but things snowballed over the next two. He gave up four runs — three earned — on five hits in five innings and committed a costly throwing error in the fifth.

The Royals got one run back in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Ryan O’Hearn, then took the lead an inning later. Kansas City loaded the bases with nobody out and all three runners came around to score. Whit Merrifield had an RBI single in the inning. Nicky Lopez and Hunter Dozier also had RBIs.

Brett Phillips had his first two big league hits of the season, including a double in the seventh. He was 0 for 6 in his first two games of the year this weekend.

STATS AND STREAKS

Mets catcher Tomás Nido snapped an 0-for-24 skid with a double in the seventh. … Ramos singled in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, tied for the longest active run in the majors with Cincinnati’s Jose Iglesias. … Rosario moved from shortstop to left field in the bottom of the seventh, his first major league appearance in the outfield. … Cheslor Cuthbert went 0 for 4 for the Royals, matching Chad Kreuter’s team record with his seventh straight 0-for-4 game. Cuthbert is hitless in 30 at-bats dating to Aug. 8. … Kansas City is 1-10 in series rubber games this season and 1-24 dating to May 30, 2018.

TRAINER’S ROOM

With an off day on Monday, the Mets decided to keep Davis out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive day as he nurses a sore calf. After his pinch-hit single, he went first to third on Nido’s double but was then removed from the game.

UP NEXT

Mets: Return home Tuesday night to begin a nine-game homestand against playoff contenders. Steven Matz (7-7) starts the series opener against All-Star Game MVP Shane Bieber (12-5) and the Cleveland Indians. Mets manager Mickey Callaway was Cleveland’s pitching coach under skipper Terry Francona before getting the job in New York.

Royals: Head out of town for a seven-game trip beginning Monday night in Baltimore. Jorge Lopez (1-7) makes his 12th start of the season.

kuathletics.com

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Three Kansas alumni will be returning to campus as presenters for the upcoming Rock Chalk Choice Awards event that is set to take place on September 8 at the Lied Center in Lawrence. The ceremony will honor student-athletes and moments from the 2018-19 Kansas Athletics season.

Former athletes Lindsay Vollmer, Don Czyz and Andrea Geubelle will be helping present awards to this year’s recipients.

Vollmer was a member of the women’s track and field team from 2012-15. During her time at Kansas, she was a member of the 2013 outdoor national championship team and was crowned the 2013 heptathlon national champion. She was also named to the Indoor All-American second team in the pentathlon in 2015 and finished as a four-time individual Big 12 champion. Vollmer will be responsible for announcing the 2018-19 All-Americans.

Czyz was a member of the Jayhawk baseball team from 2003-06. During his Kansas career, Czyz was named to the All-American first team by Louisville Slugger, Pro-Line and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association in 2006. He was also selected as the 2006 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year, becoming the first Kansas player to receive the award. Czyz will be announcing the Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Geubelle was a member of the women’s track and field team from 2010-13. While at KU, she was a member of the 2013 outdoor national championship team and was a three-time individual national champion (two in the triple jump and one in the long jump). Along with being a national champion, she finished her career as a 13-time All-American and four-time individual Big 12 champion. After graduating, Geubelle became an Olympian in 2016 after placing first in the triple jump at the 2016 University of Oregon Twilight and third at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials. Geubelle will be announcing the Female Athlete of the Year Award.

All the nominees for each category will be released in the coming weeks leading up to the event.

Due to space limitations, the event is by invitation only and limited to athletic department staff, student-athletes, and selected KU faculty and dignitaries.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Aristides Aquino hit a three-run homer, Nick Senzel added a leadoff shot and the Cincinnati Reds dropped the St. Louis Cardinals back into a tie with Chicago for first place in the Central Division with a 6-1 victory on Saturday. With the Reds leading 2-1 in the fifth, Aquino followed two-out singles by Josh VanMeter and Freddy Galvis with a no-doubt drive to center field on Milos Mikolas’ first pitch for his 11th homer in his 17th career game.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mason Rudolph guided a long first-half touchdown drive to perhaps nudge ahead of Josh Dobbs in the race to be the backup behind Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 17-7. Rudolph finished 10 of 15 for 77 yards while Dobbs completed 6 of 11 for 95 yards with a red-zone interception. Kansas City star Patrick Mahomes played just two series for the Chiefs, completing 2 of 5 passes for 11 yards.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jacob deGrom pitched seven sharp innings and Pete Alonso put the New York Mets ahead with a two-run single in a 4-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Alonso got three hits and snapped a 1-all tie with two outs in the seventh when he rolled a bases-loaded grounder up the middle.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Graham Smith scored his first MLS goal, Benny Feilhaber also connected and Sporting Kansas City beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1. Smith tapped in a rebound from point-blank range to make it 2-1 in the 76th minute.

National Headlines

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — A softball slugger from Iowa and a baseball player from Florida won the inaugural Little League Home Run Derby on Saturday at the Little League World Series. Aubrey Clark of Johnston, Iowa, defeated Jeylene Joza of Jersey City, New Jersey, in a tiebreaker in the championship round of the softball bracket. Everest Ouellette of Palm Harbor, Florida, took home first place in the baseball competition after he hit his 15th home run on his last swing, edging Nate Hawton-Henley of Oakton, Virginia.

BOSTON (AP) _ Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale has landed on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. President Dave Dombrowski said Saturday that Sale had an MRI and the team’s doctors said the results revealed inflammation. Dombrowski also said Sale felt stiffness after his start Tuesday in Cleveland and didn’t tell the team until Friday. Sale is 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA.

ATLANTA (AP) _ Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urìas has accepted a 20-game suspension by MLB for a domestic violence incident and is expected to return in September. The league gave him credit for serving five games while he was on administrative leave in May, leaving 15 remaining to serve without pay. The 23-year-old reliever from Mexico was arrested in May and accused of shoving a woman, although charges were dropped soon after.

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) _ Denny Hamlin has raced to his fourth NASCAR Cup victory of the season by holding off Matt DiBenedetto at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hamlin won from the pole and overcame early damage to his Toyota and a loose wheel to win at Bristol for the second time in his career. He made contact with Jimmie Johnson while leading, then later developed a loose wheel that forced an unscheduled stop. He was 18th at the end of the second stage.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Josh McCown has come out of very brief retirement to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 40-year-old McCown joins his ninth NFL team in 17 seasons. He provides insurance behind Carson Wentz after backups Nate Sudfeld and Cody Kessler were injured in preseason games. Rookie Clayton Thorson had been the only healthy quarterback on the roster behind Wentz.

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) _ Justin Thomas is in total control of the BMW Championship after shattering the course record in the third round. Thomas opened with five consecutive birdies and added a pair of eagles in an 11-under 61 that gives him a six-stroke advantage over Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay. Thomas had eight birdies to fall to 21 under as he seeks his first victory of the year.

Saturday Scores

INTERLEAGUE
Final N-Y Mets 4 Kansas City 1

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final N-Y Yankees 6 Cleveland 5
Final Seattle 4 Toronto 3
Final Oakland 8 Houston 4
Final Tampa Bay 1 Detroit 0 (13 Innings)
Final Boston 4 Baltimore 0
Final Minnesota 12 Texas 7
Final L-A Angels 6 Chi White Sox 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chi Cubs 2 Pittsburgh 0
Final Cincinnati 6 St. Louis 1
Final San Diego 5 Philadelphia 3
Final Atlanta 4 L-A Dodgers 3
Final Colorado 11 Miami 4
Final San Francisco 11 Arizona 6
Final Milwaukee 15 Washington 14 (14 Innings)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Final Cleveland 21 Indianapolis 18
Final New England 22 Tennessee 17
Final Pittsburgh 17 Kansas City 7
Final Houston 30 Detroit 23
Final Dallas 14 L.A. Rams 10

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The shirts read “shut out the noise.” Shutting out the pain of suddenly losing the man behind the mantra will take far longer for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Still, there was something about the game-day routine that brought a sense of relief and normalcy just six days removed from the death of wide receivers coach Darryl Drake.

The receivers walked out to pregame warmups wearing gear with “shut out the noise” emblazoned on them, the phrase Drake adopted for his group heading into the 2019 season.

The Steelers took the field with “DD” stickers on their helmets, stickers that will remain there all season. Players gathered on the sideline to kneel in prayer. A moment of silence was held just before the national anthem.

Then the ball was kicked off and Pittsburgh went back to work, keeping Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in check in a 17-7 victory on Saturday night.

“It’s just been a very difficult week,” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who attended Drake’s funeral in Tennessee along with general manager Kevin Colbert early Saturday before returning in time to lead his team to its second preseason victory in as many weeks. “If anything the game is kind of a break from that. You get lost in the things that you need to do.”

And what the Steelers (2-0) need to do over the next two weeks is figure out who will be the backup to starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. So far, Tomlin has seen little separation between Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph.

Rudolph guided a long first-half touchdown drive and finished 10 of 15 for 77 yards while Dobbs completed 6 of 11 for 95 yards with a red-zone interception on a night the Steelers (2-0) opted to keep several key starters on the sideline, from Roethlisberger to Pro Bowl offensive linemen David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey to rookie linebacker Devin Bush, who was held out because of a shoulder issue.

Asked if Rudolph, is ahead of Dobbs, Tomlin shook his head.

“Not as we sit here right now,” Tomlin said.

Not that any of it matters when Week 1 rolls around. Roethlisberger is firmly entrenched as the starter for 15 years and counting. The same is true in Kansas City, where Mahomes is coming off an MVP season.

Unlike Roethlisberger, Mahomes hasn’t yet earned the right to take most of the preseason off. The third-year pro completed just 2 of 5 passes for 11 yards in two series, a far cry from his previous visit to Heinz Field, when he threw for six touchdowns in a Week 2 win last September that served as a harbinger of the season to come.

“Yeah, that’ll all get worked out,” Reid said when asked about Mahomes’ performance. “Everyone can’t be perfect.”

Mahomes’ best play during his cameo may have been his decision to slide during an 8-yard scramble, something he didn’t do a week ago when he lowered his shoulder against Cincinnati rather than step out of bounds.

Chad Henne found Mecole Hardman for a 17-yard touchdown late in the first half for Kansas City (1-1), which managed a lone touchdown a week after putting up 38 against the Bengals. Hardman, a second-round pick, has two touchdowns in two weeks and his rapid emergence could give Reid another option to play with in what could be the NFL’s most potent offense.

Rudolph, a third-round pick a year ago who is hoping to supplant Dobbs as the top backup, was given the start instead. Playing with a group that included Pro Bowl running back James Conner and star wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, Rudolph struggled early to gain some momentum.

It wasn’t until Rudolph found himself playing with the reserves that he started to get going. He directed a 14-play, 89-yard drive in the second quarter, a series that ended with a 14-yard sprint to the end zone by Jaylen Samuels.

Dobbs started off brilliantly, hitting James Washington for a 40-yard gain. He couldn’t sustain the momentum, thanks in part to an interception in which he overthrew Diontae Johnson. The ball sailed into the arms of Kansas City’s Charvarius Ward to cut short a scoring chance late in the first half.

Johnson, a third-round pick, ended up scoring in the fourth quarter when he made a diving grab in the end zone on a heave from fourth-stringer Devlin Hodges, a catch that would have drawn a nod of approval from Drake.

“It was emotional for the receiver group,” Johnson said. “We all know what Coach Drake did for us as a whole group. We know he is with us each and every day. We’re just dedicating this season for him.”

THIS BUD’S FOR YOU?

Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree is entering the season with a significant amount of pressure after Pittsburgh opted to pick up his fifth-year option, but have not approached him about signing a long-term deal. Dupree provided a spark, sacking Mahomes and Henne and knocking down a pass.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Chiefs: S Tyrann Mathieu (shoulder), WR Deon Yelder (knee), WR Marcus Kemp (knee) and LB Breeland Speaks (knee) all left and did not return. Reid said Kemp’s injury appeared to be the most serious.

Steelers: RB Benny Snell Jr. (groin) and LB Anthony Chickillo (knee) left. OLB Ola Adeniyi was held out with an undisclosed injury.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Host San Francisco next Saturday.

Steelers: Expect to give Roethlisberger his only reps of the preseason next Sunday when they visit Tennessee.

By KOLLIN MILLER
Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jacob deGrom pitched seven sharp innings and Pete Alonso put the New York Mets ahead with a two-run single in a 4-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Alonso got three hits and snapped a 1-all tie with two outs in the seventh when he rolled a bases-loaded grounder up the middle. Juan Lagares, who also had three hits, added an RBI triple in the eighth.

The bottom three batters in New York’s lineup went 5 for 11 and combined to score all four runs.
Last year’s NL Cy Young Award winner, deGrom (8-7) gave up one run and three hits while striking out five. Since the All-Star break, he has permitted just five earned runs in 45 innings for a 1.00 ERA.

Royals starter Jakob Junis (8-11) allowed a one-out single to Lagares in the seventh and hit No. 9 batter Aaron Altherr with a pitch. Kansas City manager Ned Yost brought in Jake Newberry, who walked Amed Rosario to load the bases.

Yost again went to his bullpen, this time to submarine left-hander Tim Hill. He struck out pinch-hitter J.D. Davis on three pitches, but couldn’t finish off Alonso. The rookie slugger narrowly missed a grand slam down the right field line when a crew chief review determined the ball sliced just foul, upholding the initial call on the field.

With the runners going on a full-count pitch, Alonso then fisted a grounder up the middle to drive in Lagares and Altherr for a 3-1 lead. Second baseman Whit Merrifield made a sliding stop in shallow center and fired home to try to get Altherr, but Hill cut off the throw.

In the bottom half, deGrom got out of trouble with the help of a double-play ball. Lagares’ triple in the eighth drove in Luis Guillorme.

Justin Wilson threw a scoreless inning and Seth Lugo worked a perfect ninth for his third save.
Junis dealt with traffic on the basepaths all night, but managed to work around seven hits, all singles, a walk and two hit batters to allow just three runs in 6 1/3 innings. His defense turned two double plays behind him to help him out of jams in the second and fifth, but the Royals’ bullpen couldn’t finish off the seventh inning for him.

Hunter Dozier had two of Kansas City’s three hits, his second straight multihit game.

STATS AND STREAKS
Mets catcher Wilson Ramos singled twice to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, tied with Cincinnati’s Jose Iglesias for the longest active streak in the majors. During the streak, Ramos is batting .477 with three home runs and 11 RBIs. … It was the 16th consecutive start in which deGrom allowed three runs or fewer, dating to May 22. He has a 1.92 ERA in that span, but the Mets are just 7-9 in those games.

TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left hamstring strain) will throw a four-inning simulated game Tuesday and, if all goes well, could be activated from the injured list next weekend.

Mets: Placed reliever Robert Gsellman on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Wednesday, with tightness in his right triceps. RHP Walker Lockett was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. Lockett has started four games for the Mets this season, going 1-1 with a 7.79 ERA. … Davis was out of the starting lineup after leaving Friday night’s game with calf tightness. He said he felt fine and it was just a precautionary measure.

UP NEXT
Glenn Sparkman (3-8) faces Mets RHP Zack Wheeler (9-7) in the finale of the three-game interleague series Sunday.