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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. Michael Carter-Williams Rockets Jersey . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Ryan Anderson Rockets Jersey . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. https://www.rocketsrookiesshop.com/Trevon-Duval-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Ben McLemore Rockets Jersey . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Vincent Edwards Rockets Jersey . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Fayetteville, Ark. -- The Arkansas mens and womens cross country teams won the 2016 Southeastern Conference titles on their home course Friday morning at Agri Park.This marks the 16th time the Razorbacks have swept both SEC cross country championships. For the Razorback men, it is their seventh consecutive SEC crown and 24th in the last 26 years since joining the league in 1991. The Arkansas women won their fourth straight SEC title and 17th overall.Alex George claimed the mens individual 8K title with a time of 23:24.9, while Ole Miss Sean Tobin was second in 23:33.9. Missouris Karrisa Scweizer took home the womens 6K title in 20:10.6, ahead of Arkansas Devin Clark (20:18.6).Arkansas won the mens title with 25 points, while Ole Miss was second with 38 points. Kentucky (100) was third, followed by Georgia (149) and Alabama (152) to round out the top-five.It means quite a bit to us to win the SEC title, said Arkansas mens coach Chris Bucknam. We take a lot of pride in belonging to the SEC and capturing a title for our school and for the state of Arkansas. We have a rich history, but to win it on our home course and keep a good streak going feels great. I am proud of my guys.The Arkansas women won with 46 points, finishing ahead of Ole Miss (76), Missouri (125), Mississippi State (138) and fifth place Vanderbilt (170).Winning an SEC championship never gets old, said Arkansas womens coach Lance Harter. The SEC is such a competitive conference, and people can adjust their lineups from year-to-year so quickly. If youre not taking care of bringing in talented athletes, you are going to get run over really fast. The SEC always keeps you on your toes.NCAA Cross Country Regionals take place Friday, Nov. 11 at various sites across the country.2016 SEC Cross Country Championships?Mens Team Results: Arkansas (25);Ole Miss (38);Kentucky (100);Georgia (149);Alabama (152);Missouri (156);Texas A&M (191);Florida (207);Tennessee (275);Auburn (278);LSU (296);Vanderbilt (319).Womens Team Results:Arkansas (46);Ole Miss (76);Missouri (125);Mississippi State (138);Vanderbilt (170);Alabama (170);Kentucky (180);Florida (185);Auburn (207);Georgia (225);Texas A&M (263);LSU 366);South Carolina (385);Tennessee (393).Mens Top-10 Finishers: Alex George, Arkansas (23:24.9)Sean Tobin, Ole Miss (23:33.9)MJ Erb, Ole Miss (23:39.7)Jack Bruce, Arkansas (23:53.3)Frankline Tonui, Arkansas (23:56.6)Andrew Ronoh, Arkansas (23:57.7)Jacob Thomson, Kentucky (24:03.6)Antibahs Kosgei, Alabama (24:06.4)Austen Dalquist, Arkansas (24:07.7)Robert Domanic, Ole Miss (24:08.4)Womens Top-10 FinishersKarissa Schweizer, Missouri (20:10.6)Devin Clark, Arkansas (20:18.6)Katy Kunc, Kentucky (20:93.3)Veronica Eder, Auburn (20:40.7)Jamie Kempfer, Missouri (20:43.0)Elisabeth Bergh, Florida (20:43.6)Mary Alex England, Ole Miss (20:51.2)Bo Ummels, Ole Miss (20:52.1)Abby Gray, Arkansas (20:52.5)Valerie Reina, Arkansas (20:53.1)Mens First Team All-SEC Alex George, ArkansasSean Tobin, Ole MissMJ Erb, Ole MissJack Bruce, ArkansasFrankline Tonui, ArkansasAndrew Ronoh, ArkansasJacob Thomson, KentuckyMens Second Team All-SECAntibahs Kosgei, AlabamaAusten Dalquist, ArkansasRobert Domanic, Ole MissCraig Engels, Ole MissWes Gallagher, Ole MissRyan Manahan, Ole MissDrew White, MissouriMens Freshman All-SEC Carter Persyn, ArkansasJon Bishop, Texas A&MMatthew Thomas, KentuckyBrennan Fields, KentuckyMichael Widmann, MissouriColin Schaefer, FloridaJames Brinyark, AlabamaWomens First Team All-SECKarissa Schweizer, MissouriDevin Clark, ArkansasKaty Kunc, KentuckyVeronica Eder, AuburnJamie Kempfer, MissouriElisabeth Bergh, FloridaMary Alex England, Ole MissWomens Second Team All-SEC Bo Ummels, Ole MissAbby Gray, ArkansasValerie Reina, ArkansasSara Tsai, VanderbiltTherese Haiss, ArkansasNikki Hiltz, ArkansasJessica Drop, GeorgiaWomens Freshman All-SEC TeamAbby Gray, ArkansasJessica Drop, GeorgiaTaylor Werner, ArkansasMcKenzie Yanek, AlabamaCarina Viljoen, ArkansasSamantha Drop, GeorgiaJessica Pascoe, FloridaPostmeet QuotesArkansas runner Alex George On winning the individual title on his home course... Its incredible. I have always wanted to win the SEC Championships since my freshman year. I executed my race really well. I wanted to run for my dad and make him proud.On breaking away... Mentally, I tried pushing the pace after like 4K, up the hill, just to thin the pack out a little bit. Then they made a move and dropped me a little bit. I used the next 2K to catch up to them and get on their back. With about 1K to go, it was a slight uphill, and I ran to the top of the hill and put the hammer down.On the team title with five of the top-nine finishers... We have been working out really well, way better than last year and the year before. We have a solid group who can stick together, and any day, our fifth guy can be the first guy, like we showed last year. WWe can still do that again this year.ddddddddddddArkansas coach Chris Bucknam On the team title... We know we have a good team. We knew if we could put it together that we have a little bit of a cushion. Im pleased with the win. With the 43-second split between our first and fifth guy, thats getting better. We would like to improve on that a little bit as we move forward. Were really happy with how our guys competed, especially the second half of the race.On Alex George... He was pretty focused the last couple of days. He absolutely put the hammer down and looked good. It was wonderful to see him win a big-time race like that. You could see it bubbling underneath for the last six to eight months, and he took a big step today winning a quality race.On defeating second-place finisher Ole Miss... Ole Miss is a good team. Theres no question about that. They have some great athletes on that team. We feel really good that we really got pushed and we really had to show up today if we were going to win this thing. Hats off to Ole Miss for a great competition, and Im sure we will see them at the National Championships.On the race plan... Our plan was not to be overly aggressive but really run an honest race. On the second loop, from the 5K to the 7K, we wanted to really run hard, and thats where we pulled away. It was a pretty close race, within five points, through the 4K, but then we pushed through and finished. We had a great finish those last few 1,000 meters. It really showed our strength.On packing it in around Ole Miss... We had five guys in before their third guy was in. Whenever you can do that to the 11th-best team in the country, you know thats pretty good. Im just happy with how we competed. People talk about the home-field advantage and all that, but its hard to win no matter where you are. I knew there were a lot of special people and alumni out here today, and they wanted to do their best and they did that.Missouri runner Karissa Schweizer On winning first place... Its unbelievable. I didnt think I would come this far in three years. Track definitely prepared me for today. Im starting to trust myself and trust my abilities and believe what my coach says.On the course... We ran here for Chili Pepper, so I definitely had a look and feel for the course. Adding in the extra 1K today was definitely kind of rough, but I had to trust in my kick and wait until the end.On Arkansas runner Devin Clark... Shes definitely a really good runner. So having her right next to me was definitely kind of scary, so I just had to trust in my ability to kick.On breaking away from Clark... I broke away with a little less than 1K to go. It was a huge downhill, and I used that. I got some kick there. I just knew I had to get to that downhill and break away.Arkansas coach Lance Harter On how the race unfolded... As a whole, I thought we followed the race plan really well. Its just a matter of continuing to learn and tune up. I think we have a really good team and we can do some really good things. We have a great front-runner and we have two freshmen who can run in that vicinity. The pack was like interchangeable parts today. Valerie Reina, I thought, had a great day today as well.On Devin Clark... Shes done a fantastic job leading us. Just coincidentally that when Dom (Dominique Scott) was dominating the 5K and 10K, Karissa Schweizer was sitting third place in the 5K. Shes a national player. Devin has slowly been closing the gap on her. She was like 15 seconds back the first time we ran her, and then she was like 10 seconds back, and Im not sure how far the gap was today. But she actually took the lead away from for a little bit. That was a bold move for Devin. If she runs with Karissa at the national meet, shes going to be in the top 15, and I couldnt ask for anything more than that.On Devin Clark leading the team... Shes been that way all season. She just feels its her responsibility to go out there and get us started. When she looks back and sees her teammates, she wants to make sure that she keeps that gap close.On Valerie Reina... She hasnt been in our top seven, but she always says that she runs well at the SECs. Ill always take that bet. She rose up to the challenge today. That was very positive. Its good when your seniors are taking care of business, and then if you have a freshman who can break into those ranks, it just adds to the depth of the team. Were very pleased.On eight straight SEC titles, indoor, outdoor and cross country... Its something that you can never dream of because we know the conference is just so loaded. A program can change in a minute, whether its in indoor, outdoor or cross country. Im glad we were able to keep the tradition going today. ' ' '