KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Los Angeles Angels provided plenty of run support for Tyler Skaggs in his return to the majors.Way more than he needed.Skaggs pitched seven innings in his first big league start in two years and Yunel Escobar went 5 for 5 to help the Angels pound the Kansas City Royals 13-0 on Tuesday night.Kole Calhoun drove in four runs and Carlos Perez had four hits, including a home run. Mike Trout drove in three runs, and Johnny Giavotella had three hits and scored three times.Escobar matched a career high for hits and the Angels collected 22 overall, equaling their season best.Addressing what he thought was the best part of the night, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said: Theres no doubt watching Tyler go out there and, once he got his feet on the ground, bringing all his pitches into the game. He had a good crisp fastball, good changeup, good curveball. He mixed his pitches up well.The 25-year-old Skaggs allowed three singles, struck out five and walked one.I was definitely nervous, my first time on a big league mound in two years, Skaggs said. I just wanted to get that first batter out of the way. I started relaxing after that.The left-hander, who had elbow surgery in August 2014, had his fastball clocked in the 91-95 mph range.He just did a fantastic job, Royals manager Ned Yost said. He was very impressive. Thats pretty good stuff he featured out there tonight.Calhoun doubled home Escobar in the first inning. The Royals have been outscored 73-51 in the first inning after allowing only 68 first-inning runs last year.Calhoun drove in another run in the fourth with a groundout. He also had a sacrifice fly in the sixth and another run-scoring grounder in the ninth.Perez led off the sixth with his fifth homer.Royals right-hander Dillon Gee (3-4) was charged with five runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings.The Angels sent 13 men to the plate in a seven-run ninth. Reserve catcher Drew Butera got the final out in his second pitching appearance of the season.Anytime I have to come in and pitch, its never a fun time, Butera said. Its an unfortunate situation. I hope this is the last time in my career.The Royals have dropped six of seven to fall three games below .500 for the first time this season.MONDESI CALLED UPRaul Mondesi, the first player to make his major league debut in the World Series, was called up and inserted into Kansas Citys lineup at second base. He went 0 for 3 and committed an error on the first ball hit to him in the first inning.Mondesi, who turns 21 on Wednesday, struck out as a pinch hitter in Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Mets.Mondesi hit .400 in his final nine games with Triple-A Omaha with seven RBI and five stolen bases. He began the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, but was suspended for 50 games in May for testing positive for a banned substance.The Royals optioned utilityman Whit Merrifield to Omaha. Merrifield hit .317 in his first 34 games, but only .169 in his last 19 games, including going 1 for 17 after the All-Star break.CUNNINGHAM CUTThe Angels designated outfielder Todd Cunningham for assignment to make room for Skaggs. Cunningham hit .148 with one RBI in 20 games.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: Dr. David Altchek confirmed the initial diagnosis of RHP Nick Tropeanos ligament tear in his right elbow. The Angels are discussing options with Tropeano, who went to New York for the second opinion.Royals: OF Lorenzo Cain (left hamstring strain) will play his first rehab game Thursday with Triple-A Omaha. Well monitor it day to day and see how hes feeling, Yost said. Soon as feels like hes good to go, hell be back.UP NEXTAngels: RHP Matt Shoemaker starts for Los Angeles on Wednesday. He has allowed two or fewer runs in seven starts without getting a win.Royals: LHP Danny Duffy goes for Kansas City. He has won his past five decisions and is 3-0 with a 3.70 ERA at home. Jose Cruz Jersey . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Collin McHugh Jersey . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. https://www.cheapastros.com/73o-roberto-osuna-jersey-astros.html . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Rusty Staub Astros Jersey .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Yordan Alvarez Jersey . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. South Africa got an early sighting of the future on the third day of the Hobart Test and the good news is that it appears bright. In Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock, they have a middle-order pair who balance caution and creativity, and at 26 and 23 years old respectively, could serve them for at least the next five years.Both have roots in Johannesburg, the city of gold, where they each attended prestigious sporting schools - Bavuma was at St Davids, de Kock at King Edward VII - and played for the Lions. But it is here in Hobart, some might say the city of cold, where their Test tryst has truly blossomed. They put on 144 together, the highest sixth-wicket partnership by a visiting team at the Bellerive Oval, and stretched South Africas lead to what may turn out to be a match-winning one.In a morning session that ground Australias attack down, Bavuma and de Kock underlined the difference between the two sides. Its not just that South Africas batsmen have the temperament to spend time in the middle, its that their newer batsmen do. Australias middle-order has not yet shown that temperament. It isnt the first time on this tour that Bavuma and de Kock have done this - in Perth, South Africa were 81 for 5 when the pair come together and added 71, which helped the visitors move to 242.In Hobart, when Bavuma and de Kock came together on the first day, South Africa were already ahead. They had recovered from 76 for 4, when Bavuma had walked in to bat, to 132 for 5. Bavuma was on 28 off 51 balls, had survived a few early scares and earned the praise of former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. I love Temba Bavuma, keep going big man, Smith tweeted.If South Africa were to extend their advantage, Bavuma needed a partner and thats where de Kock was crucial. They complemented each other perfectly.Bavuma has already shown an appetite for a fight. In Perth, he spent two hours and 17 minutes helping Faf du Plessis save South Africa from a first-innings collapse. He has an ability to absorb pressure.De Kock has the capacity to transfer pressure back to the bowler. He is an energetic player who does not allow anyone to dictate his approach. Perhaps, he has a bit of the David Warner license to play his natural game, but he does not abuse that. He is inventive, risk-taking and quick-scoring.With a stubborn batsman at one end and a busy one at the other, Australia spent the morning session under the pump. They were able to make things look more difficult for Bavuma, especially in Mitchell Starcs opening spell. He moved the ball away, probed the area outside off stump, trying to incite the drive, but Bavuma was not tempted. He is a compact player with a tight technique, who makes the opposition work for his wicket. Josh HHazlewood almost claimed it - he got a ball to kick up and Bavuma nearly played on while trying to fend it.dddddddddddd He survived and got two off the next ball to reach his second fifty on this tour.De Kock had begun the day 10 runs behind Bavuma, but caught up quickly. His fifty came off 70 balls, and then he surged past Bavuma. While Bavuma fought through the 50s, de Kock raced to 80. He created run-scoring opportunities by playing late, piercing gaps and maintained a consistent scoring rate throughout his innings. De Kocks first fifty had taken him 70 balls and the second took 69. Instinctive shots is how he described what he did on Monday.Compare that to the 119 balls Bavuma faced for his fifty, and you have an idea of the difference between them. For a team, having two players of this calibre is ideal and the results are showing.In this year, de Kock has scored 560 runs in six Tests at an average of 80.00, while Bavuma has accumulated 465 runs in seven Tests at 58.12. Hashim Amla - 611 runs at 55.54 - is the only South Africa batsman to have scored more runs in 2016.Among de Kocks knocks was a maiden hundred in Centurion and five successive scores of fifty or more, including this century. His consistency has cemented him in the Test XI and comparisons with the best are mushrooming. The most notable one is with Adam Gilchrist, and now that de Kock has scored a second Test century, on Gilchrists birthday and at the same ground where the former Australia wicketkeeper scored his maiden hundred, those could continue. He maintains its not something he is trying to do.I dont try and be like him. Thats just the way I play. I dont see myself being like him. I just see the ball, hit the ball. I have my own game plan. Some days, I can get off to a good start and keep a good momentum. Some days, I have to grind it out, de Kock said.On other days, Bavuma does the grinding. He has been spoken of as a batsman similar to Gus Logie, partly because of his height, mostly because of his fight. By lunch, Bavuma had faced 201 deliveries. Australias entire first innings lasted only 197.With Bavuma and de Kock coming of age, South Africa could have a few selection headaches when a fit AB de Villiers returns to the XI. One possibility is for de Kock to move to the top-two, especially if Stephen Cook keeps misfiring. but with concerns surrounding workload, it may not happen. Another solution is to leave Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy to fight it out, but with du Plessis making a strong case to stay on as captain, that may also prove tricky. For now, its a problem South Africa wont mind having. ' ' '
