Regeln » wins.Fremantle have been ravaged by injuries

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The two teams are a combined three games over .500, so to say the remaining three games of the series are crucial might be a bit of a stretch.The Seattle Mariners (43-43) and the Kansas City Royals (44-41) have three games remaining in a four-game series that will conclude the unofficial first half of the season. Both teams still feel there is plenty of time to get back into their respective division races.We have some good players, Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano said after his team gave up a three-run lead in the last two innings Thursday and lost 4-3 to the Royals. We will keep playing.You lose as a team and you win as a team. We dont want to blame anybody here.The Mariners and Royals are two of eight teams within 4 1/2 games of the American League wild-card lead. Just a few games past the midway point in the schedule is no time to put extra pressure on this series, according to Kansas City manager Ned Yost.Then again, Yost says he doesnt do that for any series.I dont know how many times I have to go over this, he said before the game. I dont feel (extra) urgency. The reason for that is that we feel urgency every day. We dont treat these situations with more urgency than any other situation. In a major league season, every game is important. Your mindset has to be that this is the most important game of the year. Tomorrow, thats going to be your mindset.Royals rookie second baseman Whit Merrifield added, I wouldnt say theres urgency, but its always important to put together good games and try to take the series. Going into the All-Star break it would be good to finish strong and build momentum. But I wouldnt say that its any more urgent than any other series.I dont know about it still being early, but theres a lot of baseball left. A lot of stuff can happen between now and September or October. There are lot of games to be played and a lot of ups and downs to come.Seattle has experienced ups and downs on the road. The Mariners started the season with a 19-8 road record, but they have now lost 15 of their last 17 away contests, including nine straight. Seattle is hitting the ball -- it has 129 home runs, the second-highest total in the majors. They Mariners also are pitching well, as they own the fourth-best ERA in the American League (3.94).Their defense has let them down. Seattle is tied with the Minnesota Twins for the worst fielding percentage in the league.The Royals problems are almost opposite. Kansas City is one of the better defensive teams, but it ranks last in the American League in home runs and RBI. The starting pitching also is struggling. Danny Duffys strong outing Thursday was just the teams 32nd quality start in 85 games.The Royals will throw inconsistent Yordano Ventura (6-6, 5.26 ERA) on Friday night. When hes on, hes on. When hes not, hes not.Recent back-to-back starts against the Tigers and the Cardinals showed his good and bad form. He went 6 1/3 scoreless innings vs. Detroit on June 17, giving up six hits with no walks and five strikeouts. He followed that outing by going 5 1/3 innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts against St. Louis.Ventura is running into much of his troubles early in games. He has a 7.31 ERA in the first two innings but a 4.07 ERA from the third inning on.He will be looking for his first career win over the Mariners, as he is 0-3 with a 4.34 ERA in five starts. Ventura took a 6-0 loss at Seattle on April 30, when he allowed five runs in four-plus innings.The Mariners will counter with Hisashi Iwakuma, who has been improving as the season progresses. Iwakuma (8-6, 4.43 ERA) is 7-2 in his past nine starts. His ERA is still 4.47 in that span, but he has been able to keep his team in games.Iwakuma owns impressive career numbers against Kansas City: 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA four starts, though he hasnt faced the Royals this year. China Jerseys .In my heart and mind Im competing for India, luge competitor Shiva Keshavan told The Associated Press in an email interview. Every day Im flooded with messages from Indians all over the world telling me they are supporting me. Cheap Jerseys From China . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. 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Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says his team wont be defined by wins and losses as the club attempts to salvage something out of their nightmare AFL season.The Dockers appear destined to finish 16th on the ladder after winning just three of their first 15 games this year.Fremantles draw only gets tougher from this point on, with flag fancies Geelong, Sydney, West Coast, Adelaide, GWS, and the Bulldogs all to come during their run home.Next weeks clash with Gold Coast looms as Fremantles best chance of adding to their three wins.Fremantle have been ravaged by injuries all season, with stars such as Nat Fyfe, Harley Bennell, Aaron Sandilands, and Michael Johnson all nursing serious ailments.Lyon said improvement - and not necessarily wins - was the main goal in the final seven rounds.Theres plenty to get out of it, and we all need to improve and dont be defined by lossses or wins, Lyon said.ddddddddddddWe want to continue to improve is the main thing. So if you stay on that you get off that treadmill of win-loss, and theres no pressure in that.Fremantle have been poor in recent losses to Collingwood and Melbourne.Those two flops came after a brief purple patch that saw the Dockers beat Essendon, Brisbane, and Port in successive weeks.Fremantle are set to be boosted by the return of tagger Michael Barlow (fractured finger) for Friday nights clash with Geelong at Domain Stadium.Skipper David Mundy is also set to play despite copping a heavy knock to the head during last weeks loss to Melbourne in Darwin.Geelong (10-5) have slipped to sixth on the table following recent losses to Sydney and St Kilda. ' ' '