Was euch erwartet » he 2004-05 season, the Timberwolves decided to dismiss

PHOENIX -- Mike Moustakas accounted for all of Kansas Citys runs with a long ball, a liner and a bit of hustle after a diving stop by Arizona second baseman Aaron Hill. His hustle play was the one that made all the difference. Moustakas homered and drove in his fourth run by beating a relay throw to first in the ninth inning, helping the Royals beat the Diamondbacks 4-3 Wednesday night to win their fifth straight series. "He (Hill) made a great play on that and Im just running down the line to get to first and get that run, which turned out to be pretty big," Moustakas said. Kansas City rolled over Arizona in the opener and had just enough offence for Yordana Ventura (9-8) to take the second game. Moustakas, who was 1 for 13 to start the six-game road trip, hit a two-run homer off Josh Collmenter (8-6) in the third inning and added a run-scoring single off the right-hander in the fourth. He was initially called out on the groundball in the ninth inning, but a review showed his headfirst dive beat the throw, allowing Billy Butler to score for a 4-2 lead. The Royals needed the extra run, too. Closer Greg Holland gave up a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly to Mark Trumbo in the bottom half before closing out his 32nd save. The scrappy victory was the Royals sixth in seven games, pulling them within 3 1-2 games of Detroit in the AL Central. "This was a big win for us with Detroit losing," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Every game is huge." The Diamondbacks certainly had their chances, particularly against Ventura. Miguel Montero had three of Arizonas 12 hits and Hill had his 1,300th career hit with a run-scoring single in the third inning. The Diamondbacks just couldnt come up with the big hits when they needed them, stranding 11 runners while going 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position. "It was a game we should have done better, a more productive job of taking care of our opportunities," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. The Royals turned the series opener into a laugher, scoring 10 runs on three swings. Nori Aoki hit a grand slam, Butler had a three-run homer among his four hits, and Salvador Perez added a three-run shot in the 12-2 rout. Kansas City had another long ball early against Collmenter, this one a two-run shot by Moustakas in the second inning, his team-leading 14th of the season. The Royals tacked on another run in the fourth, going up 3-2 on Moustakas run-scoring single. Collmenter was good against everyone except Moustakas, though, allowing one other hit while striking out six in six innings. "That is the difference: him (Ventura) pitching and getting out of jams and me pitching myself into a jam and not getting out of it," Collmenter said. Ventura had at least seven strikeouts in his previous two starts, including a win over Minnesota after allowing a run in seven innings his last outing. The rookie right-hander kept piling up the Ks against the Diamondbacks, notching eight while working around baserunners nicely. He gave up run-scoring singles to Hill and David Peralta in the third inning, but little else despite struggling with his command on off-speed pitches. Ventura allowed eight hits. PERALTAS YEAR Peralta hasnt stopped hitting since being called up on June 1. The rookie outfielder went 2 for 4 against the Royals for his 23rd multi-hit effort in 53 games. Peralta also is second among rookies in the majors with a .315 average. YOSTS 800th Yost reached a big milestone, notching his 800th victory as a manager. Yost spent his first six years as a manager in Milwaukee, where he played. Hes been in Kansas City for the past five seasons, racking up 343 wins. "You sit back and look at 800 wins, I didnt win any of those games," he said. "Those guys and a lot of guys like them did." TRAINERS ROOM Diamondbacks: RHP Daniel Hudson made his first rehab appearance with Arizonas rookie league team Tuesday night, allowing a run on two hits with two strikeouts in an inning. He had Tommy John surgery for the second time last year and hasnt pitched in the majors since mid-2012. UP NEXT Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie had his first scoreless appearance of the season the last time out, holding Oakland to three hits while striking out six in six innings on Saturday. Diamondbacks: LHP Vidal Nuno, Thursdays starter, has yet to win with the Diamondbacks despite pitching decently since being traded from the New York Yankees. Hes 0-2 with a 3.07 ERA in five starts with Arizona and allowed a run in six innings of a no-decision against Pittsburgh his last outing. Washington Redskins Jerseys China . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Cheap Washington Redskins Jerseys Online . -- The defending Canadian womens curling champions squandered an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the standings Tuesday at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. http://www.cheapredskins.com/ .Y. - Major League Soccer is prepared to start its season this weekend even if there isnt a labour deal with its referees and other on-field officials. Stitched Washington Redskins Jerseys . Henrik Samuelsson and Luke Bertolucci also scored for the Oil Kings, who are now 9-0 on home ice in the playoffs to cut Portlands series lead to 2-1. Chase De Leo and Mathew Dumba responded for the Winterhawks, who suffered just their fourth loss in their last 46 games, a string of success running all the way back to Jan. Custom Redskins Jerseys .500 ball against teams with winning records, so they needed a huge lift from somebody Tuesday night in a matchup of division leaders.Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - The Minnesota Timberwolves officially named Flip Saunders as the franchises new head coach on Friday. Saunders served as the Timberwolves bench boss for parts of 10 seasons from 1995-2005 and oversaw the most successful era of the franchises history, highlighted by trip to the Western Conference finals following a franchise- best 58-24 regular-season record in 2003-04. "After an exhaustive process and several thorough discussions with Flip, we came to the conclusion that he was the stabilizing force needed to lead our team," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. "Flip led us to our most successful seasons; he knows what it takes to win in the NBA as his track record speaks for itself." After struggling to a 25-26 record to start the 2004-05 season, the Timberwolves decided to dismiss Saunders, who returned to the organization in May 2013 as president of basketball operations. He also took a minority ownership stake in thhe team.dddddddddddd "In talking to Glen, we came to the decision that this outcome would be the best for our franchise," said Saunders, who will continue to serve as the teams president of basketball operations. "I will work tirelessly to bring back the success our franchise experienced in the late 90s to early 2000s. To that end, I will assemble a diverse, experienced coaching staff that will bring out the best in our players." Saunders also spent time as head coach of the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards before his return to the Twin Cities. He has a record of 638-526 in parts of 16 seasons, including 411-326 with the Wolves. He replaces the retired Rick Adelman, who spent three seasons with the Wolves and 23 years as a head coach in the NBA. Adelman guided Minnesota to a record of 97-133, including 40-42 this past season. The Wolves missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year, but the 40 wins were the clubs most since a 44-38 mark in 2004-05. 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