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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Seattle has struggled to win on the road over the last month, losing 10 straight capped by a ninth-inning meltdown in the Mariners series-opener against the Kansas City Royals.Some strong pitching and a bit of fortune helped them break their long road skid Friday night.Hisashi Iwakuma pitched into the seventh inning, Seattle scored the go-ahead runs on Yordano Venturas wild pitch and the Mariners held on to beat the World Series champions 3-1 to even the four-game set.Iwakuma (9-6) allowed one run, five hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings, striking out six. He kept the Royals off balance with his usual herky-jerky delivery, the only run he allowed coming on Cheslor Cuthberts base hit in the fourth inning.Overall I was able to make good pitches, location-wise, and execute when I needed to, change speeds, go back and forth, Iwakuma said through an interpreter. Especially with the breaking ball I was able to go from strike to ball and they were chasing those pitches and it made it very helpful from my end.Steve Cishek, who blew the save the previous night, allowed Salvador Perezs homer in the ninth before finishing off the inning. It was his 21st save of the season.Yesterday was tough. I felt really good yesterday. Its just baseball, he said. I wanted a chance to go back out there and, if I had the chance, give the team the win to make up for it. It got a little sketchy there. I didnt think he hit that that well, but, you know, I was able to finish it off.Ventura (6-6) was nearly as stingy as Iwakuma, giving up only a sacrifice fly to Ketel Marte in the fifth, before things unraveled for him after Seth Smiths single and Robinson Canos double in the sixth.Nelson Cruz stepped to the plate and nearly gave Seattle a three-run homer, sending a pitch soaring down the right-field line. First base umpire CB Bucknor initially signaled home run, then signaled foul ball, then decided that he wasnt quite sure and met with the rest of the umpires.I lost it. I think that happened to the umpire, too, Cruz said. I had no clue.After a review, the ball was declared foul and Nelson dug in again.This time, Venturas pitch got past Perez and bounded away, allowing Smith to score from third base and tie the game 1-all. Perez threw the ball away trying to get him out at the plate, allowing Cano to also score -- the star catcher was given an error on the play.I was pitching good up to that point, I got two quick outs in that inning, Ventura said. I lost concentration and got a little bit behind the count, gave up a couple of hits and then came that play.The Mariners used three relievers to get the game to Cishek, who bounced back from Perezs home run to retire Paulo Orlando and Cuthbert and help snap Seattles road losing streak.Thats the beauty of baseball, Cishek said. You play so many games that if you have a bad outing you have an opportunity to get back out there the next night.HOME SWEET HOMERoyals manager Ned Yost has given up trying to explain his clubs bizarre home-road split -- they began the day 28-11 at Kauffman Stadium, best in the majors, but are just 16-30 away from the spacious ballpark. They average five runs at home and just over three on the road. Its puzzling, Yost said, but theres not anything you can point to other than were just not producing.TRAINERS ROOMFelix Hernandez will return July 20 against the White Sox. He is slated for a rehab start with Class-A Everett on Sunday. When asked what directions he would give Hernandez upon his return, manager Scott Servais replied: Go pitch. Have fun. Hernandez went on the DL on June 1 with a right calf strain.UP NEXTRoyals RHP Edinson Volquez tries to continue his dominance of Seattle when the teams continue their four-game set Saturday. Volquez is 4-0 with a 2.38 ERA in six career starts against the Mariners. Hell face Mariners LHP Wade Miley, who is 0-2 since his return from a left shoulder injury. Miley is 4-1 with a 2.91 ERA against the Royals, throwing a shutout against them on April 30. Los Angeles Lakers Shirts . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Custom Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Stitched Lakers Jerseys . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Eighteen teams have assembled in Seattle, Washington, to compete for the greatest prize pool in esports history. The sixth annual International will host the best of the best in Dota 2, and over the course of two weeks, the pool will be whittled down until only one team is left standing to claim the $8 million prize.Its no secret that this years International is anyones game, more so than almost any year before it. The worldwide scene has been strengthened by the addition of the majors, and ranking these teams was a task. Heres our breakdown of where the teams stand on the eve of TI6.1. OGThere is little doubt that OG is at the height of its game. Coming off the teams second major win of the year at Manila, this squad has stuck it out through thick and thin, and has come out a year later as the favorite for the top spot. Both Johan n0tail Sundstein and Amer Miracle- Barqawi have excelled in core positions, but every player on this team is a threat, from supports to captain and cores.2. NewbeeThis top Chinese squad rarely makes an appearance outside of its homeland, usually content to keep its secrets close domestically. This is one of the few squads who can reliably take games off every other team in Seattle. With a veteran like Wong Chuan Hock Chuan on the roster, and Hu Kaka Luangzhi in the captains seat, Newbee will be looking to be the first team to take home the Aegis twice. With the fast, dominant Dota 2 its been playing and the results it puts up at every international event, it would be no surprise to see the team in the grand finals.3. Team LiquidLiquid seems to be the Dota equivalent of always a bridesmaid, never a bride. The European pros have looked strong in every showing, always coming within inches of the title just to be knocked out in the grand finals. Still, this many second-place finishes could mean the team comes into Seattle with a chip on its shoulder. Jesse JerAx Vainikka has become one of the best four-roles in the game, captain and drafter Kuro KuroKy Salehi Takhasomi can work wonders in the pick/bans, and core Lasse MATUMBAMAN Urpalainens wide pool and brutally effective Lycan forces teams to ban or deal with the character. Team Liquid may have been spurned before, but now its primed and ready.4. Wings GamingWings has become the team to watch, and gradually, the team to beat. A lackluster showing at Manila might have shaken the faithful a little, but a promising run through the Chinese qualifiers and a win at The Summit 5 reassured the worried. On the back of incredible players like Chu Shadow Zeyu and the massive hero pools of every player on the team, Wings are the most likely to shake up the meta and knock off complacent contenders.5. MVP.PhoenixMVP.Phoenix will always perform at LANs. The South Korean squad has been holding onto the title of underdog throughout the year, putting up solid finishes at tournament after tournament. A year ago, the story was MVPs miraculous run through TI5. This year, with dual cores Pyo MP No-a and Kim QO Seon-yeob, and an aggressive, consistent playstyle and the rankings this team has put up? MVP could be looking much higher than the middle of the pack.6. LGD GamingAnother Chinese squad that hasnt been as prevalent on the international stage, LGD has shown it can hang with the best with a fourth place finish in Manila. Theres no doubt that Zhang xiao8 Ning, captain of LGD, has the experience and draft know-how to lead the team into a solid placing, and the team will need to put up more solid performances if it wants to ascend beyond the upper-middle of the pool. Right now, this lineup has the talent and intelligence, but needs an extra push to make the breakout performance it needs.7. Natus VincereComing off its first LAN win of the year at the StarLadder grand finals, NaVi is riding high. The fresh, aggressive lineup has come into its own over the course of the year, centered around longtime NaVi mid laner Danil Dendi Ishutin. With former players and new faces on the team, this might actually be the year for fans to exclaim NaVi is back. Natus Vincere is still a dark horse, but perhaps the most promising bet you could make for an upset run for the top.8. Team SecretThe reformed Team Secret, with Kanishka BuLba Sosale in the offlane, put on quite a performance at the recent StarLadder finals. That, combined with a strong run through the EU qualifiers, is enough to at least quiet naysayers who might point to the teams rough outing in Manila. Artour Arteezy Babaev has looked particularly impresssive, using his mid lane Mirana to great effect, but once again, eyes are on Jacky EternaLEnVy Mao to match tempo with Babaev.dddddddddddd. Evil GeniusesClinton Fear Loomis slid back into the carry role with ease, and Saahil UNiVeRsE Arora has fit back in quite naturally with his former teammates. The biggest question remains, though, if this team can get back into TI-shape. A good showing at StarLadder helped ease worries, but the boys in blue are still working uphill against negative expectations. EG wont enter TI with as impressive a resume as last years, but dont count them out either.10. Vici Gaming RebornA few weeks ago, VGR could have been much higher on the list, but a variety of factors have made its standing headed into TI6 a little more shaky. Chief among these issues are the visa problems that have been plaguing Vicis offlaner, Zhou Yang Haiyang. A crucial cog in Reborns machine, Yangs appearance in Seattle is still up in the air. Vici Gaming Reborn has put up impressive performances against the likes of Wings and NaVi, but inconsistency and outside issues could lead to a rough tournament.11. FnaticThe crowd-favorites of SEA are difficult to gauge going into any tournament. The teams results vary, from a solid third place at StarLadder to a seventh/eighth at ESL One Frankfurt, and then back to beating teams like MVP.Phoenix. Look to Yeik MidOne Zheng Nai, who has been a huge playmaker for Fnatic in recent series, to make the big wins happen and pull Fnatic ahead of the pack.12. Digital ChaosIts a testament to the quality of the overall Dota 2 scene that Digital Chaos sits at this spot on our rankings. An American team that has more than a few victories under its belt, DC sports impressive talent and some big potential for upsets. The greatest stumbling block for this team will be in consistency. Digital Chaos can be a real competitor at The International, but finding its stride will be paramount to making it far in the main event.13. TnC GamingThis qualifier squad had an impressive run through the SEA region, taking the top spot over Fnatic to advance straight to The International. TnC is impressive, but also untested. This squad has little experience outside of the SEA region, and will have the most tape to study and prep for.14. AllianceDespite being the same squad that took TI3, this reunited Alliance team cant seem to find good footing. Each majors showing for Alliance has been rough, and despite all the right players being in the right place, a mixture of outplays and coordination issues have frequently led to disappointing results. If the crew can pull it together, a solid run at TI6 could be possible -- but as it stands now, thats a tall order.15. Escape GamingThe most promising of the four wild-card teams, Escape, has some heavy-hitting talent on its side that could put it over for securing a spot at the main event. Adrian Era Kryeziu and the rest are no strangers to competing with the best, and Escape could make a dent in the bracket if it makes it out of the wild-card competition.16. EHOMELike most other Chinese teams, EHOME has little stats to back it up outside of its own region. Despite a fourth place finish at the Frankfurt Major, EHOME fell much lower in the major in Shanghai and failed to qualify for Manila. These five players have competed and played with some of the best in China. In group stage of The International? It gets harder to see EHOME making a solid push into the bracket.17. ComplexityThe American hope in the wild card qualifiers has a rough road ahead. After a tough showing in Manila and a 1-2 exit in ESL One Frankfurt, Complexity has struggled to find the push that put it in fourth at Epicenter. The team recently recruited the help of Alan Nahaz Bester to coach, and cores Rasmus Chessie Blomdin and Linus Limmp Blomdin have had some impressive showings recently. Its a tough road, but Complexity has the tools to make it if everything aligns perfectly.18. ExecrationThe last team on our list has the toughest road ahead, with little international experience and little to show in the way of quality wins. But bigger runs have been built on less at The International, where less tape on a team could mean a significant advantage going in. Theres little reason to suspect it might happen, but its always a joy to be proven wrong and see a team make a name for itself on the big stage in Seattle. ' ' '