Medien Diskussion » Kansas Citys James Shields opposes Jordan Lyles

OAKLAND, Calif. -- At the conclusion of a 45-point thumping at the hands of the Golden State Warriors on Saturday evening, a livid Portland Trail Blazers All-Star addressed his teammates in the locker room.Damian Lillard didnt mince words in criticizing his team, telling ESPN the Blazers performance was ridiculous and that the teams recent slide is on us, not the coaches.Man, its OK to turn the ball over, its OK to make mistakes, but we have to play with some damn heart and compete out there, he said of his teammates.The Warriors secured a 135-90 win at Oracle Arena and shot 59 percent in the process. It was the largest margin of victory in the NBA this season, and it was the Warriors largest ever over the Trail Blazers.Portland has lost six of its past seven and is dead last in defensive efficiency (109.6).The visiting locker room was virtually silent.Players were speechless. Lillard got dressed at his locker stall and routinely shook his head in disappointment. At 13-16, the Trail Blazers are only a game up on the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.Golden State executed an offensive clinic. Backdoor cuts went uncovered by Portland, several lob dunks went uncontested and a multitude of mental blunders led to wide-open 3-pointers for the Warriors.Several Trail Blazers players expressed afterward that they felt like they had disrespected the game.This is unacceptable, no matter who youre playing against, champions or not, C.J. McCollum told ESPN. You have to be ready to play and perform and compete, and I dont think we did any of those things today.Reserve?Allen Crabbe?offered his take.Honestly, there are really no words for it, Crabbe said to ESPN. Our play is really self-explanatory right now. Weve got to get it together. It was a 40-point loss. Thats embarrassing right there.Despite a flawed roster, Portland head coach Terry Stotts is doing his best to try to manufacture a nucleus capable of providing extended stretches of high-level defense. As for personnel, the Trail Blazers didnt improve from last seasons squad that overachieved and went 44-38. The offseason addition of Evan Turner and his four-year, $70 million deal hasnt paid off.Furthermore, the rim protection they so desperately need from Festus Ezeli is likely sidelined for the season, due to his knee injury. Swing forward Al-Farouq Aminu has been in and out the lineup with a back contusion, but hes not the answer for Stotts.This isnt about what the coaches are doing, this is on us, Lillard said to ESPN in retelling what he stated to his teammates. We have to take responsibility for whats going on. This s--- is ridiculous. Weve got the talent; weve just got to put it together consistently.In the locker room after Saturday nights loss, Lillards facial expressions spoke volumes, and he was in a rage with his teams effort. But he made it clear that his confidence hasnt wavered one bit.Im a soldier, he said. I feel like if I die, I can come back to life and win.Lillard has been critical of his team before. Last month, he told reporters, simply, that the Trail Blazers kind of suck right now, following a blowout loss to the Houston Rockets, though he added, Well get it right, and things will be fine.The Trail Blazers have had a couple of heart-to-heart discussions after some disappointing losses this season, but not to the extent of categorizing them as players-only meetings.If this sort of play continues, that might change.I think were getting close to that point, McCollum told ESPN. Dame talked to the guys today, but its more about us as players. And the coaches, theyre not playing. Theyre not responsible for losing by 40 or winning by 40. Its the players job. Its not [San Antonio Spurs coach] Gregg Popovich, its not [Cleveland Cavaliers coach] Tyronn Lue, its the players making the decisions, like Kawhi Leonard and?LeBron [James]. Theyre the guys that change the culture of the team, and they change the impact of the game.Crabbe agreed with McCollum.I feel like guys are speaking out more about how our play is unacceptable and how we have to step up more, so I mean a [players-only meeting] may come, may happen soon, Crabbe said. Its going to come to a point where everybody is going to be fed up with it. Were pretty fed up with it now. I mean, its frustrating going to games and just getting beat like this and not even giving ourselves a chance. Weve got to figure it out.On whether the Trail Blazers have reached their lowest point of the young season, McCollum told ESPN, S---, we lost by 40 today. It doesnt get no lower than that. Cheap Jerseys . 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HOUSTON -- Mike Moustakas was a bit daunted when he came to the plate in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and his team down by one. The numbers were looming right there on the scoreboard: 0 for 18 and a batting average under .180 Then the 24-year-old heard his Kansas City Royals teammates shouting words of encouragement, and he calmed down and smacked an RBI single to right field to tie the game. George Kottaras followed with a bases-loaded walk to drive in the go-ahead run in a four-run eighth inning, and the Royals rallied for a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night to end a four-game skid. "One hit is not going to ... completely turn anything around, but its a big hit in a big situation and it gives me a lot of confidence going into tomorrow," he said. "Everybody had confidence in me." The Royals trailed 3-0 and couldnt get much going offensively until the seventh when they cut the lead to one on RBI singles by Alcides Escobar and David Lough. Eric Hosmer chased Wesley Wright in the eighth when he singled to load the bases. He was replaced by Jose Cisnero, who gave up the one-out RBI single by Moustakas. Cisnero then walked Kottaras on four pitches to put the Royals on top. "I just think we had some great at-bats. I was really happy for (Moustakas) to get the big base hit to tie the ballgame because hes been struggling a little bit," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Those are little things that can get you going." They added two more runs when Escobar grounded into a force out to score Hosmer before an error by Marwin Gonzalez allowed Moustakas to go home. Houstons Jimmy Paredes tied a career high with three hits, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Paul Clemens (1-2) took the loss after allowing three hits and two runs while getting only one out before Wright replaced him. Bruce Chen (3-0) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win. The Royals added a run in the ninth when Elliot Johnson scored on a wild pitch by Cisnero. Astros starter Bud Norris allowed five hits -- all singles -- in six inning scoreless innings. He came out for the seventh inning, but was removed before facing a batter with tightness in his back. "He threw the ball well," Yost said. "It showed you how well he threw the ball; as soon as he got out of there we started our offensive outburst." It was the second straight game Norris had left early because of back problems. He had his start pushed back two days as a precaution after he left his previous outing with lower back spasms. "We knew going into the game he had the issue the last game, because of that, we were only going to push him so far," manager Bo Porter said. "After that long inning, it kind of tightened up on him, and he went down and got stretched out. I think we mmade the right decision getting him out of the game.dddddddddddd The Royals didnt get a runner past second base until the seventh inning. Norris was replaced by Travis Blackley who allowed back-to-back singles by Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain. Moustakas grounded into a force out which left runners at first and third base. Paul Clemens took over with two outs, and Escobar greeted him with a pinch-hit, run-scoring single to cut the lead to 3-1. A sharply hit single by Lough, which Escobar had to leap to avoid, skidded into right field and sent another run home to make it 3-2. Kansas City starter Wade Davis yielded eight hits and three runs in five-plus innings. J.D. Martinez hit a one-out single in the fourth inning before Carlos Penas two-out single. Paredes then launched his first homer of the season into the seats in right field to give Houston a 3-0 lead. Matt Dominguez singled and Gonzalez drew a walk, but Davis escaped the inning when Robbie Grossman grounded out. The Royals were foiled by their baserunning in two straight innings. Johnson singled with two outs in the third inning, but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. In the next inning, Alex Gordon led off with a single, but was later caught stealing. Paredes walked to start Houstons sixth before a single by Dominguez chased Davis. He was replaced by J.C. Gutierrez and Kottaras, the catcher, picked off Paredes when he strayed too far from second base. Gutierrez allowed a single with two outs to Grossman, but worked out of the jam when he retired Jose Altuve. NOTES: All of Kansas Citys 13 hits were singles. ... The series wraps up on Wednesday when Kansas Citys James Shields opposes Jordan Lyles. ... Houston Texans first-round draft pick receiver DeAndre Hopkins threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Tuesday night. ... Royals C Salvador Perez was out of the lineup a night after bruising his right hip crashing into railing chasing a foul ball. An MRI revealed no damage and he hopes to play on Wednesday. ... Former Astros star Larry Dierker was named special assistant to the president on Tuesday. Dierker, who made his debut for the Astros in 1964, will work as an ambassador for the team, handling speaking engagements and other fan events. ... The Astros, whose Triple-A affiliate is in Oklahoma City, announced plans to raise money through their foundation to help victims of Mondays devastating tornado in Oklahoma. They will hold a silent auction of game-worn jerseys and sell grab bags containing autographed baseballs. All of the proceeds will go to the American Red Cross relief efforts. "We have close ties to that community and many friends there," Houston president Reid Ryan said. "Those are the folks that support us in Oklahoma City, so were eager to do our part to help them out in a time of need." ' ' '