(Sports Network) - With hopes of remaining relevant in the second half of the season slowly slipping away, the Kansas City Royals try to bring an end to a five-game slide this afternoon at Coors Field as they close out a three-game interleague set against the Colorado Rockies. KC, which was 10 games under .500 on this date a year ago, is even worse off this time around as it deals with the fact that it is the American Leagues worst team yet again with just 33 victories in 83 opportunities. The biggest problem for the Royals is they simply cant get it done on the road in 2011 with just 10 wins in 36 chances following their 9-6 loss last night. Wilson Betemit delivered a three-run homer and Alex Gordon posted a solo blast among his four hits, two RBI and two runs scored for the Royals in yesterdays outing, yet the squad still lost for the 11th time in 13 outings. Royals starter Kyle Davies was touched for seven runs on eight hits, although only four of the runs were earned. Nevertheless, Davies still absorbed his seventh loss in eight decisions as he made it through just three innings. I didnt get the ball down very good tonight. They put the ball in play, which you have to give them credit for, said Davies. I just never got the ball down to knee-high, and they made me pay for it. Greg Reynolds, just recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs after scheduled starter Jhoulys Chacin had his Saturday start pushed back to Tuesday due to tightness in his right forearm, made it through five innings for the win as he gave up eight hits and five runs. When they need someone they look my way, which is a good thing, said Reynolds. To contribute to this team and just be in this clubhouse is a great honor, and I want to continue doing that. Mark Ellis finished 3-for-5 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs scored, Troy Tulowitzki hit a solo homer and drove in two runs and Todd Helton chipped in two hits and knocked in a pair for the Rockies as they won their second in a row. Chris Iannetta cranked out three hits for the hosts, while Carlos Gonzalez and Seth Smith contributed two hits apiece as well in the 15-hit barrage. Right-hander Luke Hochevar is set to make the start for the Royals in this the series finale. The fifth-year man out of Tennessee posted his fifth win of the season last weekend when he clashed with the Chicago Cubs. In that matchup Hochevar gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out five in 5 2/3 innings of work, KC eventually capturing the 6-3 home win and just the second in the month of June when Hochevar is on the hill. For his career Hochevar, who is just 24-40 overall, is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA versus Colorado. As for the Rockies, they have Jason Hammel set to close out the series today. Now in his sixth season in the majors, the right-hander managed to log just a single win in the month of June and came close to another on Tuesday but failed to figure into the decision. Against the Chicago White Sox earlier in the week Hammel permitted just two runs on six hits and a pair of walks over seven innings, yet he didnt post a single strikeout for the first time in 2011. Against the Royals in two previous career appearances, Hammel is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. Despite the teams dismal first half of the season, the Royals have actually been hitting the ball fairly well through 83 games, placing seventh in the majors in batting average at .262 entering play on Sunday. Unfortunately, KC hurlers have failed to make timely hitting stand up game after game due to the fact that they have one of the highest ERAs in baseball at the moment (4.58). cheap nfl jerseys . -- Two days after a victory that for this franchise was downright historic, the Detroit Lions are facing another dose of adversity. jerseys from china . By the time the right-hander was lifted after the sixth, he really had impressed his manager. http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinapla... .D. -- A University of North Dakota spokesman says the school still plans to drop its Fighting Sioux nickname despite the Legislature voting to order the school to keep it. [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinaplay.com/]wholesale jerseys . The Spurs announced the move Thursday without disclosing terms. Diaw played in 20 games, seven of them starts, after signing on with the Spurs on March 23. nfl jerseys china . They also weigh in on the injury to World Peace and LeBron getting hacked. 1. With their season winding down and the playoffs out of reach yet again, what are the Raptors biggest needs this off-season? Mitch Ward: Start by dealing Andrea Bargnani for an asset the team can use like a backup point guard, a three-point shooter, some help in the post.Ryan Lochte could accomplish a feat on Thursday evening that neither swimming great Mark Spitz nor Michael Phelps ever managed to achieve. The American swimmer is about to swim for two individual Olympic gold medals within a span of just 35 minutes. At 2:48pm et/11:48am pt, Lochte will attempt to defend his Olympic title in the 200m backstroke. He is also the reigning world champion in the event, which is generally his strongest. Then, at 3:19pm et/12:19pm pt, he will compete versus Michael Phelps in the mens 200m individual medley. In this event, Lochte is the reigning world record holder with a time of 1:54.00. Although Spitz, a nine-time Olympic champion, and Phelps, a 19-time Olympic medallist, each accomplished the double during their respective careers, neither swimmer accomplished the feat in individual events. Phelps picked up gold in the 200m butterfly and the 4x200m freestyle relay on August 17 in 2004, and repeated the act less than two years later on August 13, 2008. Spitz pulled off similar deeds on two separate occasions at the 19772 Games; he took gold in the 200m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle relay on August 28, and then won the 100m butterfly and the 4x200m freestyle relay three days later.dddddddddddd "It will basically be the biggest day in Olympic swimming history if Ryan pulls off two gold medals within that span," said Joanne Malar, CTVOlympics analyst and a five-time world championship medallist. "At the international level I always had the back-to-back double," she said. "And just on a personal note, it was something that almost gives you more power because everyone knows and they think its so hard for you, you know? "But youre on such an adrenaline rush and your body is so warmed up and you actually kind of hold that adrenaline. So Im not taking away from the difficulty, I just think he is going to be prepared for it. "These guys have been training [for the double]. It isnt anything that stresses them out. This is something that at meets growing up, swimmers have had to pull off: Close finals," Malar said. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '