KANSAS CITY, Mo. [url=https://www.cheapavalanche.com/]Colorado Avalanche Shirts[/url] . -- Phil Hughes ended a personal losing streak that dated to last July, pitching into the seventh inning Sunday and helping the Twins top the Kansas City Royals 8-3 to avoid a three-game sweep. Hughes (1-1), who si

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Colorado Avalanche Shirts . -- Phil Hughes ended a personal losing streak that dated to last July, pitching into the seventh inning Sunday and helping the Twins top the Kansas City Royals 8-3 to avoid a three-game sweep. Hughes (1-1), who signed a $24 million, three-year deal in December, allowed an RBI single to Omar Infante in the fifth and a two-run homer to Alcides Escobar in the seventh while winning for the first time in 17 appearances. He had lost eight games since that victory on July 2. Josmil Pinto homered and Trevor Plouffe and Kurt Suzuki each drove in a pair of runs for the Twins, who battered Yordano Ventura (1-1) before piling on against the Royals bullpen. The loss ended Kansas Citys five-game winning streak. Hughes solid showing came after he had allowed 12 earned runs in his first 15 innings with Minnesota. The former All-Star had not survived past the sixth since July 13, when he was still a member of the New York Yankees and was facing his current team. It helped that the Twins staked him to an early lead. After they went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position in a 5-4 loss Saturday, Plouffe came through with a double in the Twins first opportunity Sunday. His drive into the gap in right was enough to score Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer and give Minnesota a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Twins added on in the fourth. After Suzuki walked, the Royals were unable to turn a double play on a grounder by Aaron Hicks. Ventura then threw the ball away trying to pick him off first, and a wild pitch put Hicks on third base. Eduardo Escobars single scored the run. Ventura was finally pulled from the game in the fifth, when the 22-year-old right-hander gave up a leadoff triple to Plouffe and a single to Chris Colabello. He allowed four runs on six hits and four walks in four-plus innings, a line that looks even uglier after two dominant outings in which he allowed a combined one run on six hits against Tampa Bay and Houston. The Royals bullpen, which had thrown 14 straight scoreless innings, never gave their offence a chance to get Ventura off the hook. Pintos homer came off Louis Coleman later in the fifth, and Justin Marks -- making his big league debut -- allowed three more runs in the seventh. Escobars two-run shot later in the seventh knocked Hughes from the game, but relievers Brian Duensing, Casey Fien and Glen Perkins made sure his long losing streak would finally end. NOTES: The Twins played with 24 players after claiming OF Sam Fuld off waivers from Oakland and designating OF Darin Mastroianni for assignment. Fuld is expected to join the Twins on Tuesday in Tampa Bay. ... The Royals open a four-game series Monday in Cleveland with RHP Jeremy Guthrie on the mound. The Twins are off before their three-game set against the Rays. ... The Twins left 11 on base. The Royals stranded eight. Colorado Avalanche Store . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do. Avalanche Jerseys 2021 ... maybe even more than that. Maybe all season I have to take a few blows. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . He had even more fun Friday. Coming off a sensational rookie season, Spieth opened the new year by never coming close to bogey and making a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 7-under 66.CLEMSON, S.C. -- Tajh Boyd wasnt going to a let some bumps and bruises spoil his final season, no matter how sore his shoulder might be come morning. Boyd threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns to break Philip Rivers Atlantic Coast Conference career record in No. 8 Clemsons 55-31 victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday night. Boyd threw a major scare into Tigers coaches, teammates and the 75,324 fans at Death Valley when he remained on the turf in pain at the end of the third quarter with what the school said was a left collarbone injury. But Boyd had X-rays done and no breaks were discovered. He bounded out of the locker room, grabbed a ball and even pestered offensive co-ordinator Chad Morris to go back in. Boyd didnt have to, though, with Clemson (9-1, 7-1 ACC) ahead 41-24 and cruising to a third straight victory since losing to No. 2 Florida State last month. "If it was a dire situation I felt like I needed to play I felt like I couldve," Boyd said. "But we were in a situation where it wasnt needed." Will he slow down at all with FCS opponent Citadel up next for Clemson on Nov. 23? "No, man, Im not going to miss my last game in the valley," he said. "Ill throw a pad in there and Ill be fine." Thats been Boyds attitude for much of his record-setting career. "Hes a competitor," Morris said. "My gosh, look at the records this guy has broken in the ACC. Wow. And in just three years." Boyd has 97 touchdown passes, two more than Rivers -- now with the San Diego Chargers -- had at North Carolina State from 2000-03. Georgia Tech (6-4, 5-3) had feint hopes of winning the ACC Coastal Division, but fell behind 20-0 early in the second quarter and could not catch up. Sammy Watkins had touchdowns catches of 41 and 44 yards for the Tigers. The stadium went silent when Boyd was down on the field. The mood lightened up when he returned to the sideline and loosed up his arm. Hell need to be healthy in two weeks when the Tigers look to break a four-game losing streak to rival South Carolina. Receiver Martavis Bryant said the players were worried when they saw Boyd in pain, but things lightened up once he return as the same ol, smiling Tajh. "It felt good," Bryant said. "We need him." Bryant finished with five catches for a career high 176 yards receiving, including a 76-yard TD pass from Boyd. Watkins finished with 104 yards, his seventh game over the century mark this season. He also moved past 1,000 yards on the season It was Clemsons first time out in Death Valley since a 51-14 loss to No. 2 Florida State on Oct. 19. Boyd and the Tigers made sure theyy gave the fans plenty to cheer about. Stitched Avalanche Jerseys. Not that anyone will totally forget the Seminoles game, particularly because its the second consecutive year the Tigers will miss the ACC title game because of a loss to Florida State. Still, the Clemson hoped to close the season strongly in its first Thursday night home game in 11 years. But thats usually tricky for Clemson when it comes to Georgia Tech, which had won four of the past six games in the series and befuddled the Tigers for years with coach Paul Johnsons highly effective triple-option attack. This time, though, the Tigers defence was off and running from the start. The group forced three straight three-and-outs and didnt give up a first down until the second quarter. Clemson had its struggles early on offence, too, twice driving into Tech territory yet settling for Chandler Catanzaros two field goals. Catanzaros second kick was a career-long 51-yarder and gave him the school mark for field goals of 40 yards or longer at 24. He broke the mark of 23 set by former Tigers and NFL punter Chris Gardocki. The Tigers cranked things up in the second quarter. Boyd dropped a perfect pass to Watkins for a 41-yard TD to go up 13-0. On Clemsons next series, Boyd had a 47-yard strike to Bryant to the 4 and lofted a scoring pass to the left corner to freshman receiver Mike Williams. After Georgia Tech broke through on David Sims 1-yard touchdown run, Clemson quickly answered back with Boyds 76-yard touchdown throw to Bryant that broke Rivers ACC record. Boyd also had his 17th career 300-yard passing game, leaving him one behind Rivers ACC record in that category. Georgia Tech came in with an ACC-best 311 rushing yards a game, yet was held to 72 in the opening half as Clemsons defensive front chased down quarterback Vad Lee. The Yellow Jackets cut the score to 27-17 on Robert Godhighs 65-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, but Clemson scored on its next two possessions to take control for good. "Once we did that, we started feeling good about ourselves," Godhigh said. "But then we started kicking ourself in the foot again." Lee threw 23 times against the Tigers -- he combined for just 18 throws in Georgia Techs three-game win streak -- and the Yellow Jackets were held to 72 rushing in the opening half and 248 for the game. Tailback Robert Godhigh ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns. He also had five catches for 103 yards. It was the most points Clemson scored on Georgia Tech since winning 73-0 in 1903 when John Heisman -- yes, that John Heisman -- coached the Tigers. Heisman left the next season to coach the Yellow Jackets. ' ' '