KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When the Oakland Athletics open a four-game series on Monday night at Kansas City, they will be sans Billy Butler, who was released Sunday.Butler was a 2012 All-Star, hitting .313 with 29 home runs and 107 RBI that season with the Royals, who drafted him in the first round in 2004. Butler played with Kansas City from 2007 to 2014 and was the designated hitter on the team that won the 2014 American League championship.Butler became a free agent after the 2014 season and signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the As but hit a career low .251 last season. This year, he was relegated to mostly DH duty against left-handed pitchers.Butler had only a dozen at-bats since Aug. 17 and was in a 1-for-15 funk when released.I knew it was a possibility because I wasnt playing, Butler said. Its been like that all year. Theyre the ones that make the decision. I know that now that Cocos (Crisp, trade to Cleveland) gone, I was the highest paid player. Theyre not going to let guys making that much just sit around and not make a move eventually.Ive been in this game long enough to know that moves like these happen. Unfortunately, the last two seasons as a team it has not gone the way as expected. Your higher paid players end up taking the brunt of that because I was expected to come in to keep this organization where it was at.As general manager David Forst said this was the right time to move on without Butler.Its something weve discussed, Forst said. With a lot of the younger players here now, potentially more coming once Nashvilles done, the at-bats just werent there. Its time to move our focus beyond.Obviously, he didnt perform last year up to what we expect, and then coming into this year it was tough for him to ever get going. We made some moves this last offseason that took away from some of his opportunities this year. There were times, frankly, right before the incident with him and Danny (Valencia clubhouse fight) when he was swinging the bat well. He obviously still has ability. It just wasnt going to be a fit here.The As are 13-27 in their past 40 games and have dropped to a season-worst 22 games below .500 after a 3-2 loss Sunday to the Seattle Mariners. Overall, the As are 60-82, assuring them of a losing record in back-to-back years.Three other former Royals with the As are Brett Eibner, who had a RBI triple Sunday; Ryan Madson, a reliever who suffered the loss Sunday, and Valencia.The defending World Series champion Royals shut out the White Sox 2-0 on Sunday to complete a 4-2 trip to Chicago and Minnesota. They remain on the fringe of the wild-card race, but theyll need a great eight-game homestand against the As and White Sox to stay viable in the postseason hunt.The Royals Ned Yost is one victory shy of 1,000 in his managerial career.Win two series on the road, which was big, Yost said. Weve got to win series. Each win is crucial right now. It feels good when you match up against a guy like Chris Sale and end up on the winning side of it. Just keep grinding them out and keep winning ballgames.Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales homered for the only runs off Sale, but that was enough for Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy and the bullpen. Wade Davis logged his 24th save of the season.Definitely huge, Hosmer said to capture the series at Chicago. We needed this. We need every series from here on out, and every game is huge. Well head back home. We play good in Kansas City. Well see if we can take it a day at a time against Oakland and get things shaken up here at the end.Royals right-hander Dillon Gee will start the series opener, his 14th start and 30th outing of the season. He is 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA in three career outings, including two starts against Oakland.The As will start left-hander Ross Detwiler, who is 1/3 with a 5.06 ERA in five starts and one relief appearance since called up from Triple-A Nashville.Detwiler has faced the Royals once, on May 14, 2015, while with the Texas Rangers. He took the loss, allowing three runs, nine hits and one walk with three strikeouts in five innings.
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Ecco Shoes Online Sale . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. The Tennessee Titans are trying to figure out how to stop hurting themselves offensively.The quicker the better.The Titans missed another opportunity at a rare home win with a 17-10 loss to Oakland and fell to 2-16 in their own stadium since the end of the 2013 season after a combination of mistakes. Now they hit the road for two straight games tied with Houston. The Titans play the Texans on Sunday and Tennessee enters the game scoring an NFL-worst 14 points per game and needing to clean up penalties, mistakes and turnovers.Its the NFL, running back DeMarco Murray said Monday. Its hard to score points, but at the end of the day, its self-inflicted wounds by us. I dont think its the defense, its not the rush, its us. We have to find a way to get the job done.The Titans (1-2) outgained Oakland 393-368, and Murray even ended a 34-game drought for this franchise by rushing for 114 yards on 16 carries -- the first running back to reach 100 yards in a game since the 2013 season finale.Tennessee had a chance to win in the final minute after driving to the Oakland 3 before two penalties and one not called cost the Titans. Coach Mike Mularkey said Monday he told the offense to go for the 2-point conversion and the win when they scored the touchdown. Officials wiped that out flagging receiver Andre Johnson for offensive pass interference on his 13-yard TD catch.Mularkey again defended left tackle Taylor Lewan for an unnecessary roughness penalty that pushed Tennessee back from the 3 to the Oakland 18 before Johnsons catch. The Titans coach said he doesnt want to take away his players aggressiveness, especially when a Raiders linebacker appeared to be coming into the pile when the whistle blew.Lewan and umpire Dan Farrell also exchanged words after the game, which Mularkey called unacceptable. Wide receiver Harry Douglas didnt draw a flag on the final play despite going down in the end zone as the ball arrived .ddddddddddddWe didnt lose the game because of the officials, Mularkey said. We have to coach better, we have to play better, and I think they have to officiate better. All of us have to do things better ... I just want consistency.One of Murrays mistakes included going the wrong way on a pass to Douglas earlier in the fourth quarter.We just have to eliminate the mental errors, Murray said. I know I had two myself. Were playing well. When you look at the film, its never as bad as you think it is. Weve got to look at ourselves, each man in the mirror and say, `This is what I can improve on in my game. Were a good team, theres no doubt in my mind.The Titans rank seventh in the NFL averaging 128 yards rushing per game and third averaging 5.1 yards per rush. The defense currently is tied for eighth giving up only 19 points per game.Marcus Mariota, who already has seven turnovers this season, has to limit his mistakes as well. The quarterback could get back both tight end Delanie Walker, who missed the Oakland game with a sore right hamstring, and wide receiver Kendall Wright, who has yet to play this season after an injured left hamstring.Thats me learning and growing, Mariota said after the game. I can do a better job of just taking it one play at a time, not trying to win the game on one throw. But again, its a process for me and I am doing my best to learn.Game notes Mularkey said safety DaNorris Searcy sprained an ankle that might keep him out of Sundays game. LG Quinton Spain hurt his knee that may limit him.---Freelance writer Terry McCormick contributed to this report.---Online:AP NFL website:
www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed:
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