NEWS » ww.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-paul-molitor-

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Nelson Cruz has only two hits in 15 at-bats against the Kansas City Royals this season. Both are home runs. Cruz hit a two-run homer and the first-place Baltimore Orioles beat the Royals 2-1 on Thursday night to snap a four-game losing streak. Cruz homered in the fourth after Chris Davis drew a walk to lead off the inning. It was Cruzs 12th home run, which is second in the American League to the 15 of Chicago White Sox rookie Jose Abreu. Cruzs 35 RBIs are tied for second in the AL. "Hes one of the best power hitters in the American League over the past five or six years," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Hes hit in a good hitters park in Texas, but hes got power to all fields." Wei-Yin Chen (5-2) limited the Royals to one run and seven hits over 5 1-3 innings with one walk and one strikeout. Chen, who is 5-1 in his past seven starts, was removed in the sixth after Salvador Perez walked and Alex Gordon singled with one out. Darren ODay replaced Chen and struck out Danny Valencia and retried Johnny Giavotella on a fly to right. Royals rookie right-hander Yordano Ventura (2-3) struck out nine and walked one in 6 1-3 innings, allowing two runs and seven hits. After Cruzs home run, Ventura retired the next 10 batters, striking out seven, including six straight at one stretch. "He made a mistake to Nelson Cruz and it wasnt even a mistake," Yost said. "I think he threw a good fastball to Nelson. It was up and over the middle of the plate and he ambushed it." Cruz hit the first pitch out to right-centre from Ventura, who has a fastball that routinely hits triple digits on radar guns. "We know hes got a great fastball," Cruz said. "He can get you quick. Hes got great stuff. It was one of those at-bats that I got what I was looking for. We were trying to be aggressive and he was throwing a lot of first-pitch fastballs. I was looking for a fastball." With a northwest wind blowing 15 mph and gusting up to 28, it was less than ideal conditions to hit a home run. "You could have made some money off me if youd have bet me that somebody could have gotten a ball out of here tonight," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Valencias sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the fourth scored Eric Hosmer for the only run off Chen. "Ventura pitched great," Giavotella said. "We just couldnt back him up with any runs." Left-hander Zach Britton, who had not allowed a run in 7 1-3 innings in his past eight appearances, worked a perfect ninth for his first major league save. Showalter elected to go to Britton after closer Tommy Hunter blew his past two save chances. "Guys graduate," Showalter said. "It was a good start and its good to know that if we need him for a given night hell be ready. Well see how it goes from here." The Royals did not have a baserunner off four Baltimore relievers, who retired 11 straight. "Our pitchers did a really good job and we really needed this win," Cruz said. "Anytime you can win a game by one run its huge. We feel like we can get something going." The Orioles, who went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position, threatened in the seventh and eighth innings, but came away empty. Gordon, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, threw out J.J. Hardy at the plate to end the seventh for his fourth outfield assist this season and his 58th since moving to the outfield in 2011. Hardy attempted to score from second on Nick Markakis single. Manny Machado and Adam Jones led off the Orioles eighth with singles off Louis Coleman, the third Kansas City pitcher. Kelvin Herrera replaced Coleman and struck out Davis and Cruz and retired Steve Clevenger on a grounder to strand the runners. NOTES: The Orioles recalled RHP Evan Meek from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned RHP Kevin Gausman, who lost a Wednesday start to Detroit, to the same club. ... Markakis snapped an 0-for-14 skid with three singles. ... Royals RHP Wade Davis has a stiff neck and was not available. Roy Halladay Blue Jays Jersey . Catch the game on TSN starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. You can also listen to all the action live on TSN 1050 at 7pm et. The Knicks are two games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference race. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Blue Jays Jersey .J. -- Tom Coughlin doesnt have many options at halfback for the winless New York Giants. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-...man-jersey/.com) - Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called Joe Flacco the NFLs best quarterback last week. Paul Molitor Jersey .J. -- Freshman Eli Carter scored a career-high 31 points and hit the go-ahead basket in the second overtime as Rutgers rallied to stun No. Eric Sogard Blue Jays Jersey . - The Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dennis Pitta reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday.PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens are still adjusting to NHL play after a nearly three-week Olympic layoff. And it showed Thursday night. The Canadiens, playing in their second game in as many days, however, got a good performance in the end from their backup goaltender as he filled in for an injured Olympic gold medallist . Peter Budaj stopped all three shooters in the shootout and David Desharnais scored the only goal, leading the Canadiens to a wild 6-5 victory. "He battled back in the second and third and in the shootout he was outstanding," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said of Budaj. Budaj, in his second straight start for injured starter Carey Price, stopped Penguins shooters James Neal and Sidney Crosby before denying Evgeni Malkins slap shot for the win. Desharnais, the third shooter for Montreal, slammed on the brakes at the top of the crease before sliding the puck by Marc-Andre Fleury. "I would like to have some goals back, but we scored five goals against Pittsburgh," Budaj said. "We have to learn from the mistakes we made. We have to keep going and getting better." Daniel Briere scored twice, once on the power play, and Max Pacioretty also scored with the man advantage, his 27th of the year. Brendan Gallagher netted his 15th for the Canadiens and Alexei Emelin also scored his second of the season. Budaj, who stopped 27 shots, made his second straight start after turning aside 28 shots during an overtime loss one day earlier against Detroit. "You can tell the bench guys wanted to battle back for him because he certainly worked hard," Therrien said. He filled in for Price, who was named the top goaltender at the Olympic games after going 5-0 with a 0.59 goals-against average and two shutouts, leading Team Canada to a gold medal. Price, who aggravated a lower-body injury sustained in Sochi, will be re-evaluated Friday. "Credit to the team because they stuck with it, they battled for me and we got the two points," Budaj said. Crosby, who leads the NHHL with 80 points, scored his 29th and added an assist.dddddddddddd Neal scored his 21st for his 300th career point and also had an assist, while Malkin provided two assists, both extending six-game point streaks. Olli Maatta scored his seventh of the season on the power play and had an assist, while Brandon Sutter had a short-handed goal, his 10th of the year. Deryk Engelland also scored his career-high fifth goal. "We worked hard," Crosby said. "It was a little sloppy, and a lot of special teams. ... Probably a tough first one for everybody to get into." The teams were tied at 3 after two periods and both scored twice in the third, sending the game to overtime. Three of the four third-period goals were scored by special teams units, Sutter giving the Penguins a 4-3 lead with a short-handed breakaway goal and Crosby later putting Pittsburgh ahead 5-4 on the power play. Emelin tied it 24 seconds after Sutter gave the Penguins the initial lead and Briere sent the game to overtime with his second goal of the game. With the Canadiens trailing, the Penguins Tanner Glass was issued a five-minute major for a hit on Emelin. The call was elbowing, but video replays showed Emelins stick came up and hit him in the head. "Thats why I kind of followed through the way I did, to get his stick away from my face," Glass said. "Its a hockey play, it happens. I can understand why he made the call." The Canadiens cashed in anyway, Briere tying it with his second of the game when he feathered a back-door rebound behind Fleury, who made 24 saves. NOTES: Penguins D Kris Letang spoke with reporters Thursday morning, the first time since suffering a stroke and said he will likely play hockey again, but its unclear if he will return this season. ... Paul Martin, out 4-to-6 weeks after breaking his hand in the Olympics, was scratched along with recently recalled D Simon Despres. ... Price, C Ryan White, and D Francis Bouillon were scratched for Montreal. ... Penguins F Jussi Jokinen recorded his 400th career point. ' ' '