Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/703173
ByRonaldBlum TheAssociatedPress SAN DIEGO Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez made sure the Kansas City Royals will start at home, sweet, home if they get a chance to defend their World Series title. The Royals duo homered off former Kansas City team- mate Johnny Cueto during a six-pitch span in the second inning, Hosmer added an RBI single to become MVP of the All-Star Game and the Amer- ican League beat the Nation- als 4-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight win. David Ortiz found himself in the middle of the most touch- ing moment at Petco Park, em- braced by his AL teammates near first base after exiting his final All-Star Game. The popu- lar Big Papi plans to retire at 40 after this season with Boston. Kris Bryant of the Cubs led the parade of sparkling young talent with a first-inning home run. Dellin Betances flashed his 100 mph heat and Astros re- liever Will Harris came on to throw a called third strike past Cardinals rookie Aledmys Diaz on a 3-2 pitch on the outside cor- ner with the bases loaded to end the eighth. Royals reliever Kelvin Her- rera pitched a hitless sixth for the AL, which will open the Se- ries at home for the 11th time in 14 years since the All-Star win- ner was used to determine the hosts for Games 1 and 2. Kansas City became base- ball royalty last fall, bursting to a 2-0 lead over the New York Mets at Kauffman Stadium, where Cueto pitched a two-hit- ter in the second game. The Roy- als won in five games for their first title since 1985. This year, Kansas City is lan- guishing at 45-43, seven games off the AL Central lead and in the middle of the wild-card race as attention turns to which teams will be buyers and sellers as the Aug. 1 trade deadline ap- proaches. Cleveland's Corey Kluber pitched a 1-2-3 second inning for the win, and Zach Britton got the save for the AL, which cut its deficit to 43-42 with two ties Ortiz, Boston's beloved des- ignated hitter, wore spikes with gold-colored bottoms and matching batting gloves to mark his 10th All-Star selection and delivered the AL batting order to umpires at home plate. Ortiz hit a smash down the first-base line that Anthony Rizzo snagged to rob him of a potential RBI double in the first and walked against Jose Fernan- dez in the third. When Edwin Encarnacion came out to pinch run for him, Ortiz waved to the crowd and then spent his AL teammates came out of the dugout to ex- change hugs as the crowd of 42,386 rose in tribute. "I was supposed to hit a home run in my second at-bat. My boy told me he was going to throw me a fastball, and the first pitch was a changeup," Ortiz said. "Then 3-2 he threw me a slider and I'm like, "Are you trying to break my back?" But he said it was the catcher's fault." Fernandez admitted "I couldn't believe that I was ac- tually pitching to him. We both looked at each other and smiled." MLB PEREZ LIFTS A.L. TO ALL-STAR WIN TODDWARSHSAW—POOLPHOTO National League's starting pitcher Johnny Cueto throws during the first inning of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday in San Diego. By Samuel Petrequin The Associated Press REVEL, FRANCE After so much bad luck at the Tour de France, Michael Matthews believed he was jinxed. Two years ago, the Australian rider crashed days before he was scheduled to take a flight to the start of the Tour in England and had to pull out before the race. Matthews eventually made his debut at cycling's biggest race last year but broke four ribs in a crash in the third stage, and struggled until the finish on the Champs-Elysees. This month, the Australian crashed twice and thought about retiring on Sunday after the toughest Pyrenean stage. No wonder he struggled to be- lieve that he finally won a Tour stage on Tuesday. "It's unbelievable. I was close to giving in at this race," Mat- thews said after edging world champion Peter Sagan in the southern town of Revel. "I thought maybe this race is not for me, and I'd focus on other races. But today my dream comes true. I just won a stage of the Tour de France after two really bad years in this race." Matthews, who was also in- volved in the high-speed crash in the Milan-San Remo classic this season, profited from the work of his teammates to win the 10th stage of the Tour after a long breakaway. Sagan, who attacked from the start in the Andorran town of Escaldes-Engordany, rode at the front throughout the 197-ki- lometer trek in rainy conditions, but was overpowered in the fi- nal sprint. He finished second, followed by Edvald Boasson Ha- gen. With his morale low, Mat- thews said he was comforted by his wife during Monday's rest day in Andorra. TOUR DE FRANCE Matthews ends his run of Tour misfortunes in style Staff reports All three Red Bluff Spartans football teams will start manda- tory fall practice on Aug. 1. The Varsity team will have a team meeting at 1:30 p.m. in the Library Media Center. Practice time is 7-9 p.m. for Monday, Aug. 1. Ongoing prac- tices will be held 7-9 p.m. Mon- days, 7-9 a.m. and 7-9 p.m. Tues- days and Thursdays and 7-9 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Call Coach Hein for any ques- tions at 941-3579. The JV squad will have a man- datory team meeting a 2 p.m. in room 204. Practice time is 4-6 p.m. for Monday, Aug. 1. Tuesday through Friday practice is scheduled for 7-10 a.m. Call Coach Sanders for any questions at 526-2191. The Frosh team will have a mandatory team meeting a 2 p.m. in the Field House. Practice time is 4-6 p.m. for Monday, Aug. 1. Tuesday through Friday practice is scheduled for 7-10 a.m. Call Coach Minto for any ques- tions at 200-1039. RED BLUFF SPARTANS Football practices start Aug. 1 By Jimmy Durkin Bay Area News Group OAKLAND Jealously turned into joy really quickly for Zaza Pachu- lia. A 13-year veteran from the Re- public of Georgia, Pachulia offi- cially signed his contract Tuesday to become the Warriors' new cen- ter. His deal is reportedly for one year and $2.9 million. Eight days earlier, Pachulia, 32, was like the rest of the NBA who was shocked to hear Kevin Du- rant was leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to come to Golden State. "I was kind of jealous of this team," Pachulia said of his ini- tial reaction to the July 4 news of Durant's commitment to the Warriors, "but after a couple hours I heard that I was coming here. That was a great 24 hours for me." Signing Pachulia became an immediate priority for the War- riors after landing Durant, whose deal necessitated a trade of cen- ter Andrew Bogut to the Dallas Mavericks, Pachulia's team last season. "My agent called me and told me the options I had and the team had interest in me," Pa- chulia said. "I talked to coach (Steve) Kerr and he told me I was his first option. It was a very exciting moment for me. It always great to feel that you're wanted by somebody, especially when you're talking about a team like the Golden State War- riors." NBA Pachulia is happy to be a Warrior By Paul Newberry The Associated Press TROON, SCOTLAND Rory McIl- roy still considers himself a full- fledged member of the Fab Four. No chance he'll get kicked out of the group, certainly not with- out putting up quite a fight. As if to show he's still as rel- evant as ever among golf's elite players, even as he approaches the two-year mark since the last of his major titles, McIlroy pulled no punches Tuesday leading to the British Open at Royal Troon. He called out golf for its lax drug-testing procedures and questioned the relevance of his sport being part of the Olympics, saying he wasn't even sure he'd watch it on television. And, if there was any doubt that he still deserves to be men- tioned in the same breath with Ja- son Day, Dustin Johnson and Jor- dan Spieth, McIlroy pointedly re- minded everyone how they rank in terms of majors. "I've got four major champion- ships, and I'd love to add to that tally," he said, "just as those guys would love to add to their one or two majors that they have and just keep going." Message received. McIlroy missed last year's Brit- ish Open at St. Andrews after tearing a ligament in his left an- kle playing soccer with his bud- dies, denying him a chance to de- fend the title he won in 2014. "I guess it's the start of a new chapter for me in the Open cham- pionship," he said. "I'm deter- mined not to miss any more, for the foreseeable future anyway." He's even more eager to add another major title to his trophy case. Two years ago, McIlroy fol- lowed up his victory at Royal Liverpool by winning again in the PGA Championship. He was the most dominant golfer in the game, the guy everyone else was chasing as Tiger Woods faded from view. But golf is a fickle game, and players such as Woods, who remain on top for years at a time, don't come along very often. In 2015, Spieth surged to the pinnacle by winning the Mas- ters and the U.S. Open, and just missing out on a playoff at St. An- drews. Before the year was out, Day had claimed his first major title at the PGA Championship, holding off Spieth. Then, at this year's U.S. Open, it was Johnson's turn to shine. Af- ter some excruciating near-misses in the biggest events, he finally claimed his first major with a daz- zling display at Oakmont. "The game is in a great state," saiddefendingBritish Opencham- pionZachJohnson,oneofonlytwo playersoutsidetheFabFourtowin at the past eight major champion- ships. "Great, young talents carry- ing it and pushing it. I don't know if there's a ceiling, but if there is, it seems like it's being nudged a lit- tle bit higher month after month, year after year." Even though McIlroy hasn't been a serious contender at the majors since his victory at Val- halla, McIlroy sees no reason for concern. GOLF McIlroy:StillamemberofFabFour Eager to add more trophies to his name ALASTAIR GRANT — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Rory McIlroy speaks at a press conference for the British Open Championships at the Royal Troon Golf Club on Tuesday. SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, July 13, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1