d point guard Goran Dragic, who is averaging 19.1 points an

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Yordano Ventura kept his pitch count down, which enabled him to go nine innings for the first time in the majors.Ventura picked up his first complete-game victory, Kendrys Morales hit a three-run homer and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Chicago White Sox 8-3 Monday.The Royals have won three straight, keeping their faint playoff hopes flickering with 12 games remaining. The Royals went 14-5 against the White Sox this year.My goal today was try to get as many outs as I can as quick as I can and go deep in the game and thats what I did today, Ventura said with catching coach Pedro Grifol as his translator. Im happy with it.Ventura (11-11) gave up nine hits, struck out five and walked one. His only other complete game in the majors was a 3-2 loss July 28 at Texas.He was outstanding, Royals catcher Drew Butera said. He was efficient with his pitches. He had great movement, great life. He was really good.Ventura had allowed 10 runs, 17 hits and six walks in 11 1/3 innings in losing his previous two starts. He threw only 16 pitches in a 10-batter span to end the fifth and into the seventh.He did a phenomenal job of managing his pitch-count, Royals manager Ned Yost said. He put himself in a position with a five-run lead to have a complete-game. He got through eight with 92 pitches. He just pitched a great game.Morales homered off Carlos Rodon (7-10) in a four-run fifth. Morales homered in back-to-back games, bringing his total to 29. The last Royal to hit 30 home runs in a season was Jermaine Dye, with 33 in 2000.Paulo Orlando and Alcides Escobar homered in the second for the Royals. Eric Hosmer drove in two runs with a pair of singles, giving him 97 RBI.Billy Burns had three hits, was hit by a pitch, stole a base and scored two runs.Theyre a good ballclub, Rodon said. Guys that have been in the game for a while and just understand that, make me throw pitches and get deep in the count, and they did a really good job of that. They swing the bat well, but our guys swung the bat well, too. Some hard balls hit and some home runs, and thats baseball.Jose Abreu and Carlos Sanchez hit solo home runs for the White Sox. Todd Frazier added an RBI single and had two hits off Ventura.Hes throwing 97, 98 (mile per hour), Frazier said late in the game. Thats tough to pick up, tough to lay off, too, as well, because it looks like a strike and comes off. He had good command, basically.DUAL EJECTIONSPlate umpire Toby Basner ejected Escobar in the fifth for arguing balls and strikes. When Yost interceded, Basner thumbed him, too.TRAINERS ROOMWhite Sox: INF Tyler Saladino (sore left calf) was out of the lineup for the third consecutive game. We could play him, but I think an extra day would be best for him, White Sox manager Robin Ventura. ... DH Justin Morneau (neck discomfort) returned to the lineup after missing the previous six games.UP NEXTWhite Sox: RHP James Shields, who is 0-5 with a 9.37 ERA in his past nine starts, will start Tuesday at Philadelphia. RHP Jake Thompson will start for the Phillies.Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez, who gave up nine runs on seven hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings in a Thursday loss to Oakland, will start the series opener at Cleveland. The Indians will counter with RHP Josh Tomlin. Fake Giants Jerseys . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Giants Jerseys 2020 . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/ . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. Stitched Giants Jerseys . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Cheap Giants Jerseys . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. MIAMI -- Florida pro basketball is bad right now -- really bad.On the eve of Tuesdays game between the Orlando Magic (12-17) and the Miami Heat (9-19) at AmericanAirlines Arena, lets take stock in the fortunes of these two organizations.First, though, some perspective: Of the four states with multiple NBA teams -- a list that also includes California, Texas and New York -- only Florida lacks at least one team with a winning record.In addition, there are only two teams worse than the Magic and Heat in the 15-team Eastern Conference -- the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers.The Magic havent been to the playoffs since 2012 and havent won a postseason series since 2010 -- both feats accomplished during the tenure of coach Stan Van Gundy.Orlando fired Van Gundy in May of 2012 despite the fact that he had made the playoffs in each of his five seasons. Since he was terminated, the Magic have dismissed three coaches -- including one interim -- in four years.New coach Frank Vogel is in his first year in the land of Mickey Mouse.But whats really troublesome to Orlando fans is the fact that despite four straight losing years -- all with 35 or less wins -- the Magic has failed to capitalize in the draft. Of the 16 selections they have made in the past decade, only one -- Aaron Gordon -- is producing even modest numbers for Orlando.Gordon, taken with the fourth pick in the 2014 draft, is a 6-9 forward averaging 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds.Worse yet for Orlando, the Magic are coming off a horrible home loss, falling 100-79 to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.We have guys who are not giving us enough and are selfish, Magic center Bismack Biyombo told the media after that game in a very telling statement. We are playing selfish basketball, and that is not going to get us anywhere.Bad drafts, unstable management and a lack of effort is a putrid mix for Orlando.But even with all that, the Magic still has a better record than the Heat, and that has to really bother a Miami franchise that had been among the best in all of pro sports during their four-year run with LeBron James.The Heat do have stable management with team president Pat Riley and Erik Spoelsstra, a proven winner now in his ninth season as the head coach, including two NBA titles.ddddddddddddA lot of Miamis problems have to do with injuries. They started the season with shooting guards Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington injured for numerous games. Shooting guard Dion Waiters got hurt, and so did forward Justise Winslow.Ellington, perhaps Miamis purest shooter, came back and is now hurt again with a hamstring injury. Waiters has missed 12 straight games, although he could be back soon.Im running as hard as I can -- as close to game speed as possible, Waiters said. Its up to (the Heat) whenever they think Im ready.But heres the thing with the Heat: Even if they were to get healthy and remain that way for the rest of the season, its doubtful they have enough talent to make a run for the playoffs, especially considering the hole they have dug.The Heat have two upper-echelon talents, and both are still in the primes of their careers: 27-year-old center Hassan Whiteside, who is averaging 17.6 points, 14.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks; and 30-year-old point guard Goran Dragic, who is averaging 19.1 points and 6.7 assists.But where the decline of the Heat is truly evident is on the wings. Gone are Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron, who have been replaced by the likes of players such as Rodney McGruder and Josh McRoberts.If you compile a list of Heat players who have made at least nine starts this season and yet shoot less than 40 percent from the floor, it will be lengthy, with names such as Waiters, Winslow, Luke Babbitt, McGruder, McRoberts, Richardson and Derrick Williams.Winslow, a lottery pick last season who plays terrific defense, is a keeper. He should still be a junior at Duke and is only 20 years old.Richardson, 23, could still turn things around. Both players need to hone their jump shots, however.James Johnson and Tyler Johnson -- no relation -- have been productive bench players for the Heat. But until they are able to surround Dragic and Whiteside with quality shooters, their demise will continue. ' ' '