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A look at what’s happening around baseball today:

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The Chicago Cubs might have further word on Yu Darvish after the Japanese ace said he felt soreness in his troubled triceps tendon following a minor league rehab start. Darvish hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 20 because of right triceps tendinitis. He threw five sharp innings for Class A South Bend on Monday [url=http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-saquon-barkley-jersey]Authentic Saquon Barkley Jersey[/url] , and was set to rejoin the Cubs during their series at Dodger Stadium.

”In the triceps there’s likeliness to get more fatigue there, especially if there’s a long gap between innings,” he said through a translator. ”That’s when I feel fatigue there. Not necessarily pain, but I can’t for sure say there is nothing going on in the tricep zone.”

NIMMO NEEDED

The Mets take a seven-game skid into their game against Pittsburgh, but at least they may get their most productive hitter back. Brandon Nimmo has a sore right pinkie after getting hit by a pitch Sunday, but an MRI showed no broken bones and he is day to day. He didn’t start Monday but entered as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning and stayed in the game to play left field. The Mets have also lost 14 of 15 at home and are 13-25 at Citi Field this season.

ACES ALONG I-95

Aces Luis Severino and Jake Arrieta square off as the Yankees continue a series in Philadelphia. Severino (11-2, 2.24) has never faced the Phillies, and Arrieta (5-5, 3.42) is 3-1, 3.83 in seven career starts vs. New York. The Yankees won the series opener Monday in their first appearance at Citizens Bank Park since beating the Phillies in the 2009 World Series. The Yankees improved to 14-14 against the Phillies, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers as the only team they have a losing record (6-7) against in the regular season.

ON THE SKIDS

Carlos Martinez has lost three straight decisions entering a tough test against Corey Kluber and the Indians. Martinez (3-4, 3.24) hasn’t won since May 2, and St. Louis has dropped his past five starts [url=http://www.thebengalsfootballauthentic.com/billy-price-jersey-authentic]Youth Billy Price Jersey[/url] , a span in which he has a 7.06 ERA. Kluber (11-3, 2.10) pitched seven innings of one-hit ball in a 12-0 victory over the White Sox in his previous outing.

COLLEGES

Oregon State and Arkansas begin the College World Series, a day after the opener in their best-of-three matchup was rained out in Omaha. Luke Heimlich (16-2) starts for Oregon State against the Razorbacks’ Blaine Knight (13-0).

A two-time Pac-12 pitcher of the year, Heimlich was not picked in this month’s Major League Baseball draft. He wasn’t with the team at last year’s College World Series after it was revealed he had pleaded guilty to molesting a young relative when he was 15. He served two years’ probation and went through a treatment program, but later denied wrongdoing in interviews with Sports Illustrated and The New York Times.

Drop into just about any bank or supermarket or sports bar in the Kansas City metro area these days and there’s a good chance you’ll see one of several photographs from just a few years ago hanging on a wall.

It might be Yordano Ventura unleashing a fastball. Or Eric Hosmer sliding into home at Citi Field in New York. Or Wade Davis with his arms thrust high into the air, his blazing fastball having just closed out Game 5 of the World Series and making the Kansas City Royals the world champions.

More than likely, you’ll find the now-iconic photograph of Union Station, where an estimated 400,000 people turned out to celebrate the club’s first title in three decades.

Those photos are reminders of better times. And how quickly things can change.

The Royals, who were indeed baseball royalty in 2015, are now neck and neck with the Orioles for the worst record in baseball. They’ve traded off their star closer, their best players are struggling and the prospects that might one day raise them from the abyss are years away from joining the club.

”The record is what it is. The hitting is what it is. The pitching is what it is,” said Royals manager Ned Yost [url=http://www.officialredwings.com/authentic-adidas-henrik-zetterberg-jersey]Womens Henrik Zetterberg Jersey[/url] , who presided over the rebuild that led to back-to-back World Series appearances. ”I have to continue to lead. We have to make sure this year has not been a waste.”

How did things fall apart so quickly?

To start, the Royals doled out big contracts to players that have not produced. Left fielder Alex Gordon consumes 14 percent of the payroll in the third year of a $72 million, four-year deal, but he’s hitting just .247 with five homers and 15 RBIs. Right-hander Ian Kennedy consumes 11 percent of the payroll in the third year of a $70 million, five-year deal, and he’s 1-8 with a 5.11 ERA.

The few stars that remain on the roster have likewise struggled to produce.

Salvador Perez likely will see his streak of five straight All-Star games end. The catcher, in the third year of a $52 million, six-year deal, is hitting .255 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs.

Good luck winning many games that way.

The Royals were 25-61 heading into their off day Thursday and had lost 24 of their last 28 games. They needed to go 38-38 the rest of the way just to avoid the ignominy of 100 losses.

Making things worse: The Royals are losing that many games with a payroll of about $144 million.

Another reason for the precipitous slide was year after year of poor drafts. Only one of their 13 first-round picks since 2010 is currently on the 25-man roster; Hunter Dozier is hitting .223 in 44 games as he struggles to lock down an everyday job.

”As a young guy you know you’re going to fail, and in some ways we want you to fail because that’s how you’re going to get better,” said Yost, who is going through the same slow learning process with infielder and erstwhile top prospect Adalberto Mondesi.

The son of longtime big leaguer Raul Mondesi, he is hitting .214 in 42 at-bats this season.

”We also don’t want to heap too much on their shoulders [url=http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-adidas-john-gibson-jersey]John Gibson Jersey[/url] ,” Yost said, ”so it’s balancing act.”

Maybe that’s why the Royals have been slow to gut their roster in favor of a complete rebuild, even if that appears to be coming. They’ve already traded utility outfielder Jon Jay to the Diamondbacks and star closer Kelvin Herrera to the Nationals, getting five prospects in return that the Royals hope will help restock a farm system that remains one of the worst in baseball.

More moves could be coming, too. The Royals are hopeful of trading third baseman Mike Moustakas, who signed a one-year deal when no long-term offers materialized last offseason. Versatile infielder Whit Merrifield could land a few solid prospects, and left-hander Danny Duffy and even Perez could be made available, though both have torpedoed their value with poor seasons.

The combination of an old and bad team has been made even worse by the fact that the Royals are, well, pretty boring. They don’t hit an abundance of homers. Their starting rotation includes the first two pitchers to hit 10 losses in the majors. There are no young stars yet worth watching.

As a result, the Royals are drawing an average of 20,283 fans to Kauffman Stadium. That’s a drop of more than 7,000 from last season and more than 13 [url=http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-adidas-josh-manson-jersey]Authentic Josh Manson Jersey[/url] ,000 from their championship season.

Still, for all the gloom, the typically irascible Yost has taken a decidedly optimistic approach to this season. He’s been through these long and painful rebuilds and come out the other side.

It takes patience. It takes smart moves. It takes more patience.

”There’s a lot of things to look at that you’re happy with, even though the record is what it is,” he said. ”There is progress that you’re going to see on the back end, in the light, just as we did in 2013 and 2014, when we turned the corner the last time.”

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