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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Back in January, Alex Gordon signed a four-year, $72 million contract to remain with the Kansas City Royals.The Royals, who entertain the Chicago White Sox in a series finale Thursday, are certainly not getting their moneys worth this season from the four-time left field Gold Glover winner and three-time All-Star.Gordon, 32, is hitting .203 with eight home runs and 18 RBI in 82 games, having struck out 95 times in 281 at-bats. His double Wednesday was his second extra-base hit in 16 games.You know guys have good years and you know guys have bad years, Royals manager Ned Yost said. In my mind, Alex is going to have a really, really good year next year. We know what type of player he is. We know what type of work ethic he has. He never quits. Hes continuing to work.Hes continuing to stay strong in his conditioning routine and his work ethic. Its just one of those years where its been a struggle for him.Yost said he is unable to detect in Gordons demeanor what kind of season the outfielder is having.Hes hard to read, Yost said. Hes just very businesslike in everything that he does. And you cant tell if hes gone 10-for-10 or 0-for-20.Gordon missed more than a month with a fractured right wrist after a May 22 collision with third baseman Mike Moustakas, who sustained a season-ending knee injury on the play.Is the injury play contributing to Gordons poor offensive year?He was having a down year before he got hurt, Yost said. Its just one of those crazy weird years for him.Gordon at least pulled his batting average back over .200 on Wednesday when he went 2-for-5 in the Royals 3-2, 14-inning win over Chicago.The White Sox have alternated losses with wins throughout the past seven games. They began the season 23-10, a run that third baseman Todd Frazier said the club could duplicate.We still have an opportunity to be in it, Frazier said regarding a postseason berth. I know nobodys giving up right now. We go in there and do that 23-10 stretch, well have a bigger opportunity, starting now. I think we have a big run in us. I still believe that a lot. I still believe that we do. Just got to keep fighting and find ways to win games.White Sox manager Robin Ventura keeps his view more focused on game-to-game issues than Fraziers extended-run picture.I keep it small, Ventura said. They can look as big as they want. But, for us, we look at how were getting through this series, how youre matching up with those guys. Injuries take on a certain part of it, but we have some guys that are untested with some of it, so you dont really know what youre going to get.I like where his heads at, the way theyre thinking. Again, were going to match up with who weve got and go get em, but I like the fact that we have that feeling, that he does.The White Sox will start right-hander Miguel Gonzalez in the series finale. Gonzalez is 2-6 with a 4.09 ERA in 18 games, 17 of them starts. He is coming off a loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, when he allowed four runs, three earned, on 10 hits over six innings.Gonzalez is 0-2 with a 3.65 ERA in two starts against the Royals this season. Jarrod Dyson is 8-for-10 off Gonzalez, while Gordon is 1-for-10 against him.The Royals will counter with left-hander Danny Duffy, who is 8-1 with a 2.97 ERA. He has won his past seven decisions.Duffy is 4-0 in nine starts this season at Kauffman Stadium, where he has not lost since Sept. 5, 2015, against the White Sox.In three starts vs. Chicago this year, Duffy is 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA. On June 3 at U.S. Cellular Field, he threw six shutout innings of three-hit ball, striking out 10 and walking three in a 4-1 win. Franchy Cordero Jersey . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Greg Garcia Jersey .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. http://www.padressale.com/padres-manny-machado-jersey/ . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres Jersey . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Eric Hosmer Padres Jersey . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. NEW YORK -- Tim Tebow will test his baseball skills against some of the games premier prospects.The New York Mets are sending Tebow to the Arizona Fall League after cutting short their instructional league Tuesday with Hurricane Matthew approaching Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott already has declared a state of emergency.Tebow, the former NFL quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, is scheduled to report Sunday and play for the Scottsdale Scorpions. Opening day is next Tuesday in the Arizona Fall League, a competitive proving ground designed to enhance the development of promising minor leaguers.In a statement released by the Mets, Tebow called it a great opportunity.Among his teammates will be New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird, who hit 11 homers in 46 major league games as a rookie last year. Bird sat sat out this season following shoulder surgery.We want Tim to play in more games to continue developing his skills on the field while facing advanced competition, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said.Tebows manager in the AFL will be Mets first base coach Tom Goodwin, once his duties with the big league club are done. New York worked out Tuesday at Citi Field to prep for Wednesday nights NL wild-card game against the San Francisco Giants.Tebow embarked on a professional baseball career last month when he signed a minor league contract with the Mets. The 29-year-old outfielder was sent to their instructional league in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and homered on the first pitch he saw in a competitive game, a 90 mph fasstball.ddddddddddddWorking in the instructional league has been a lot of fun and productive, Tebow said. We worked hard and I was able to see a lot of pitches and work on different things. There was great coaching and I tried to improve every day. I plan to use the Fall League as an opportunity to improve. Its a blessing and a great opportunity.SAME AS YOUMets pitcher Steven Matz and first-round draft pick Anthony Kay, left-handers who went to the same high school on Long Island, both had elbow surgery Tuesday.Matz had an arthroscopic procedure at the Hospital for Special Surgery to remove bone spurs from his left elbow. He also was given a platelet-rich plasma injection in his pitching shoulder and is expected to be fully recovered for spring training, the team said.Matz made his final start of the season Aug. 14 and has been sidelined since by tightness in his left shoulder. Before that, he had been pitching with the bone spurs.The rookie finished 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 22 starts.Kay had Tommy John surgery at the same hospital and likely will miss next season. He was chosen with the 31st overall pick in June out of UConn and signed for $1.1 million, which was $872,100 below slot value.Matz also had Tommy John surgery before beginning his professional career. He was selected in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Ward Melville High School but injury setbacks delayed his pro debut until 2012. ' ' '