Only for Guild Members » Mike Montgomery continues to dominate

KANSAS CITY http://www.clevelandbrownsteamonline.com/jarvis-landry-jersey , Mo. (AP) — the club that drafted him out of high school.Montgomery allowed five hits over six-plus innings, David Bote drove in a career-high three runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 Tuesday night.The Cubs upped their NL Central lead to 2 ½ games over second-place Milwaukee, which lost in San Diego.Montgomery (4-4), who the Royals drafted in the first round in 2008, picked up his first win since June 29. Montgomery is 3-0 with a 0.40 ERA in four appearances against the Royals.“I’ve heard the numbers of what I’ve got against them throughout my career,” Montgomery said. “I think it’s a coincidence. Sometimes you just have a team that you do well against. It happens to be them. They’ve had some good teams over the last couple of years. The team that drafts you, you always want to pitch good against them.”Bote’s first career triple with two out in the first scored Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward. His fifth inning single scored Javier Baez.“It’s kind of just morphed in over the years,” said Bote, who is in his fifth stint with the Cubs this season after six-plus years in the minors. “The nerves are always there. The adrenalin’s there. Being able to use those emotions into a good avenue, being able to think ‘I’m going to attack this baseball’ or ‘I’m ready for this pitch.’ Put a positive spin on it and just executing.”Victor Caratini, who led off the inning with a single, scored on Zobrist’s sacrifice fly. Zobrist left in the bottom of the inning with left hip tightness, but will likely play Wednesday.“That fifth inning just kind of snowballed on me,” losing pitcher Brad Keller said.Ian Happ’s sacrifice fly in the eighth scored Bote with the final run.Keller (4-5) was removed after six innings Authentic Jarvis Landry Jersey , allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks.“He kept us in the game,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He made pitches and limited the damage when he needed to. I thought he was going to get out of the first inning scoreless, but he threw a slider that Bote hit off the wall in the right field for two runs.”The Royals had only one runner past second base, when Adalberto Mondesi swiped third in the seventh.“We just couldn’t do anything against Montgomery,” Yost said. “He did a nice job of mixing up his pitches. He was ahead in the count for the most part and did a good job of keeping us off balance.”The Royals have lost six straight and are 14-43 since May 30. They are tied with Baltimore for the worst record, 34-79, in the majors.BRYANT UPDATECubs 3B Kris Bryant took grounders and played catch, but has not picked up a bat since going on the disabled list on July 24 for the second time with left shoulder inflammation. “I’m really bored, not fun at all,” Bryant said. “But you gotta do what you gotta do to get healthy and hopefully it never happens again. It’s frustrating. It’s not fun to go in the trainer’s room every day. I feel like I’m normal but it’s only when I’m swinging the bat.” No timetable has been set on when the 2016 NL MVP player will return. “I’m not going to get ahead of myself,” he said.HEYWARD BATS FOURTHRF Jason Heyward batted cleanup for the first time this season for the Cubs.ROYALS MAKE TRADEThe Royals acquired RHP Jon Perrin from the Brewers in a minor league trade. Perrin, 25, went to Olathe East, a suburban Kansas City high school Authentic Bradley Chubb Jersey , and Oklahoma State. He was assigned to their Double-A Northwest Arkansas club. The Royals sent Lexington RHP Sal Biasi to the Brewers.TRAINER’S ROOMCubs: RHP Anthony Bass (right mid-thoracic strain) tossed a flawless inning Tuesday for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs against Las Vegas. Bass threw eight pitches, all strikes, in his second rehab appearance since going on the DL on July 21.Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique strain) threw a bullpen session for the first time since going on the DL on July 11. . OF Brian Goodwin (left groin strain) is eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, but manager Ned Yost said he would not. “I’m not sure what their timeline is,” Goodwin said. “I just keep getting better every day.”UP NEXTCubs: LHP Jose Quintana, who is 3-9 versus the Royals, will start the series finale.Royals: RHP Heath Fillmyer is looking for his first big league victory. As the New York Mets look for their next general manager, they have narrowed the search down to two candidates: agentBrodie Van Wagenen and Tampa Bay Rays executive Chaim Bloom.Per Andy Martino of SNY.tv,Van Wagenen is in "very strong position" to win the job, but Bloom remains in the running.The Athletic'sKenRosenthalalso noted that his "sense" is the Mets will go withVanWagenen.Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan reported Van Wagenen is the "significant favorite" and that the job is "his if he wants it."Anthony DiComo of MLB.com recently broke down the list of finalists:Longtime MLB general manager Doug Melvin was eliminated from the race Thursday, according toNewsday'sTimHealey, making it a two-person field.While other candidates have experience working in front offices around baseball, VanWagenenis the co-head of the baseball division atCAASports. He represents high-profile Mets such asJacobdeGrom,NoahSyndergaard http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/bradley-chubb-jersey ,YoenisCespedesand Todd Frazier.New York may view the 44-year-oldVanWagenenas a qualified candidate, but others believe including an agent in the process could create a conflict of interest.Agent ScottBorastoldMike Pumaof theNew York Postearlier this week he has previously passed up opportunities to avoid any potential issues:"TheBorasCorporation stands for a total commitment to players, and while I have been offered many opportunities with teams, I would never violate the trust that I have with any player, and that is very important to what I do. I am an attorney, and I want [players] to tell me everything, and a lot of these things are confidential, they are personal, and if I went to work for a different employer, I would have to divulge all that information because I have to do my job for that other employer I made a commitment to."VanWagenendownplayed any concerns, per Puma:"In my role as an agent, my solution is to create opportunities for players to be successful both on and off the field. By creating partnerships between players and teams, the interests of all parties can be aligned. If the players are able to reach their peak potential, the fans will be rewarded with a competitive team that can contend for championships year in and year out. The clubs benefit with compelling Womens Bradley Chubb Jersey , sustainable and profitable entertainment franchises; and the players are rewarded with a platform to realize their childhood dreams while receiving compensation consistent with their tremendous talents."My conversations with the Mets continue to be organic. I believe baseball is better when the Mets are competitive and successful. That success is better for the fans, players and the economy of the sport. As Jeff and Fred [Wilpon] continue their search for a new head of baseball operations, the players, fans and entire organization will be motivated to have a leader with the skills and commitment to win. If theWilponsbelieve I am that person, we will have that conversation."According toUSA Today'sGabeLacques, VanWagenenraised the question of collusion by teams last offseason and threatened a player boycott of spring training.Meanwhile, there are no such concerns with Bloom. The 35-year-old has spent the last 14 years within the Tampa Bay Rays organization, working his way from intern tosenior vice president of baseball operations. His most recent roles included being involved inplayer development, scouting and trade negotiations, according to the Rays'official website.A decision is not expected until Monday at the earliest.