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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The resurgence of Rays starter Jake Odorizzi, now with three straight scoreless starts, is a reminder of the strong starting pitching Tampa Bay was supposed to have this season, though its frustrating those starts were seldom found in the previous two months.Obviously wed all like to be like this from the start of the season to the end, Odorizzi said. Its nice to be on it now, and you just keep plugging away and I knew things would get better. You just have to stay the course.Odorizzi hasnt given up a run in his last 20 2/3 innings, four short of the team record for a starting pitcher. His turnaround is what the Rays need from the rest of their rotation such as Thursday starter Drew Smyly, who goes into the series finale against the Kansas City Royals with a 3-11 record and a 5.29 ERA.His last start, however, was what the Rays are looking for -- six innings, four hits and two runs in a victory over the Yankees. To continue where Odorizzi left off, hell have to be nothing like the pitcher the Royals saw May 31.In that start, Smyly lasted only four innings -- matching his shortest outing of the year -- and gave up a season-high 12 hits while tying his high with eight runs in a 10-5 loss.Inconsistency is something the Royals pitchers know well.Thursday starter Ian Kennedy is 6-9 with a 4.23 ERA. His last outing against the Rays, moreover, is something youd want to repeat, holding Tampa Bay to one run (unearned) on three hits in six innings. In 11 starts since, hes given up at least one earned run in every start.Royals manager Ned Yost has tried nearly anything to solve his pitchers problems. Knowing that Wednesday starter Edinson Volquez had struggled in the first inning, Yost had pitching coach Dave Eiland warm Volquez up before the game, but stop early, sitting him down for a moment. He then got him back up for the rest of warmups, thinking the pronounced break would seem like a first inning to his mechanics and bypass his early issues.The four-run first did us in, Yost said, pleased that Volquez held the Rays to two runs in the next five innings before his bullpen imploded. If we eliminate the first inning, were right in the game.The Royals had beaten the Rays in 12 of 13 previous meetings, so a loss Thursday and a season split will be disappointing for a team still just five games below .500 but bearing little resemblance to last years championship team.Fixing those problems will start in the first inning, where Royals pitchers have a 6.48 ERA, the worst in the majors. The Rays hit for the cycle in their first seven at-bats Wednesday -- double, single, home run, triple -- so nearly anything from Kennedy will be a step in the right direction. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Wholesale NFL Stitched Jerseys . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. http://www.nflauthenticwholesalejerseys.com/ .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. NFL Authentic Jerseys . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Cheap Jerseys Online . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. The Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns had some fun with the NFLs new social media policy Sunday, posting videos using electric football figures to animate the highlights.The leagues social media policy, which went into effect Wednesday, forbids teams from posting highlights from television directly to social media or turning highlights into GIFs.When asked about the parody highlights, the NFL said it would have no comment.NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah noticed the tweets and took the opportunity to tweet his own shot at the NFL.The social media policy also forbids teamms from shooting video inside the stadium during the game and posting it on social media.dddddddddddd It also forbids using Facebook Live or Periscope to stream anything live within the stadium.Two high-ranking team executives told ESPN on Sunday that, given the reaction of many teams, the new social media policy is expected to take up a greater part of the agenda at this weeks owners meetings than originally expected.ESPNs Darren Rovell contributed to this report. ' ' '