Fragen und Antworten » amic P.K. Subban, is part of that group of guys who

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Ryan Merritt had a notable first start in the majors.Merritt retired the final 13 batters he faced in five strong innings, Francisco Lindor hit a three-run homer, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-2 Friday night.Merritt (1-0) gave up a run and three hits in the first, but nothing after that. Merritt, who had made three relief appearances this season and was promoted Sept. 11 from Triple-A Columbus, threw 62 pitches, striking out four and walking none.Id be lying if I said I wasnt nervous, Merritt said. I was definitely nervous.After three of the first four Royals singled, Merritt got Paulo Orlando to ground into an inning double play on a cutter, which he said absolutely was his biggest pitch of the game.That got me through the first inning, Merritt said.After that the Royals did not touch him.He doesnt seem to get flustered, Indians manager Terry Francona said. That was impressive. I was really thrilled. I think everybody was excited for him. The first couple of hitters hit the ball hard, but he didnt back off.Lindor, who snapped an 0-for-29 drought with a double in a four-run third, homered off the left-field foul pole with pinch runner Michael Martinez and Carlos Santana aboard in the seventh.To be honest, I thought about it a lot, Lindor said of his skid. There were a lot of times, I was going, `like wow, I wonder how long before I get a hit? Santana, who had three hits, tripled in two runs in the fourth and scored on Jason Kipnis sacrifice fly. Jose Ramirez singled with two outs to score Lindor.Yordano Ventura (11-12) gave up four runs and six hits with three walks while striking out eight in six innings.I lost concentration and just started throwing fastballs, Ventura said in through an interpreter in the four-run third. After that I got back to my game and mixed it up.Eric Hosmer singled in a run in the first, upping his RBI total to a career-high 104. The Royals, who had three singles in the first, did not have another base runner until Hunter Dozier singled with one out in the eighth. He scored on Drew Buteras triple.We had three hits in the first third of an inning, Royals manager Ned Yost said. Im thinking, `OK, were going to get him and you look up on the board and we dont get another hit until the eighth inning.GOMES ACTIVATEDIndians C Yan Gomes, who suffered a right shoulder separation in July and a fractured wrist on Sept. 14 when rehabbing in the minors, was activated from the 60-day disabled list. Gomes entered in the seventh as a defensive replacement.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (broken little finger on his pitching hand) was put on the 60-day DL to make roster space for Gomes. ... RHP Corey Kluber (strained quadriceps) threw in the outfield before the game, but there is no timetable when he will throw off the mound again. ... RHP Danny Santana (forearm tightness) could throw a simulated game Monday.Royals: DH Kendrys Morales had only two at-bats Thursday before leaving with a fever and feeling sick, but returned to the lineup Friday.UP NEXTIndians: RHP Trevor Bauer, who will likely start the postseason opener Thursday, will make his final regular season start.Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez, who had a 7.77 ERA in five September starts, makes his sixth start of the season against Cleveland. Air Vapormax 97 Womens .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Vapormax Clearance Sale .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. http://www.airvapormaxnz.com/ . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Vapormax Plus Women . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Nike Tns Nz . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. TORONTO -- The early-season struggles of the Nashville Predators werent just about a team trying to find cohesion with new parts on the ice.It was just as much about Nashville redefining its leadership core following the departure of former captain Shea Weber as well as other veterans such as Barret Jackman, Paul Gaustad and Eric Nystrom.And what youre seeing now, perhaps -- as the Preds have picked up points in six straight games (4-0-2) heading into their game Tuesday against the?Toronto Maple Leafs?-- is a team that has defined its pool of leaders through that early adversity.When you lose a lot of players, not just Shea, guys are figuring out where their spot is early in the season, new captain Mike Fisher said on Tuesday after the teams morning skate. So its all kind of new on the ice as well as off the ice. I feel like we went through a stretch where we realized we were a lot better than we were but [figured], Lets learn through it. I feel like were coming out better on the other side. Were figuring out how we need to play, our identity.Added alternate captain James Neal: Everyone is going through the change with new roles, a lot of younger guys, and new faces. Thats part of it. But we knew wed come out of it. Its all part of hard work.Its also part of the legacy that a guy like Weber left behind. Go around the Predators room like I did on Tuesday, and youll see the players faces light up when asked to put into words what their former captain meant to them.He had an amazing presence, said winger Colin Wilson. Hes one of the best guys I ever played with, best leaders, thats what hes known for. He set the tone every single day.The way Weber handled his day-to-day approach still influences his former teammates.Just seeing him working hard every practice, every day in the gym ... he never took a day off. He was just a true professional, said defenseman Mattias Ekholm. It was a pleasure to grow into the league with a guy like that as a leader. You feel how blessed youve been to have had a guy like that to look up to, and try to be as good as him every day.As his?Montreal Canadiens teammates are learning, Weber sets the tone by what he does, not so much what he says.He wasnt a huge talker, Wilson said. Its more that he showed up, and when you have a leader whos dialed inn every single day, every practice .dddddddddddd.. . He never took any days off, he led by example. Hes an intense guy and hes somebody you wanted to play for. Hes also a lot of fun, he kept the dressing room pretty light.Added Neal: Sheas just a great guy, a great person, a great hockey player. He didnt need to say much. Thats the kind of leader he was and the kind of guy he is. When there were problems, he would be able to hide them. He put his work in every day, and if you didnt put the work in with him, you were falling behind. All great leaders are like that. He was a fun guy to play with.Talented blueliner Roman Josi, an alternate captain, is growing into a bigger leadership role.Its definitely kind of new for a lot of guys, said Josi. You just kind of grow into a leadership role and try to learn from the older guys. You try to get more comfortable with it.The player acquired for Weber, the dynamic P.K. Subban, is part of that group of guys who can each lead in their own way. For Subban that means delivering on the ice (the defenseman is tied for fourth in goals, with three, and points, with eight), but also trying, in times of adversity like the Predators had in the opening month (losing six of their first eight games) to keep the right frame of mind at the rink.It has been a challenge. I really believe that a lot of the outcome of whatever the situation youre in is determined by your attitude and how you approach it, Subban said on Tuesday. I always approach everything with a positive attitude. I seem to get more success doing that than anything else.Picked by many before the season as serious Stanley Cup challengers, the Predators are showing signs of becoming that team. And Ekholm said the early-season losses, while frustrating, might have been a blessing in disguise because they forced everyone in the room to understand what it was going to take.I think we can be a contender, but not unless everyone works hard and understands their roles and what have you, said Ekholm. We have strong leaders in this room still with a lot of the older guys. We got a lesson in the beginning and now were finding our stride. We just have to keep at it. ' ' '