KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals are playing in August as they intend to defend their title this fall.The Royals dusted off the New York Yankees 8-5 in the Monday opener of a three-game series. The Royals are 18-4 in their past 22 games. They are an American League-best 20-7 in August, clinching their first 20-victory month since winning 21 in August 1989. The franchise record for August victories is 23 in 1980 when the franchise made its first World Series appearance.The recent surge moved the Royals within two games of the Baltimore Orioles for the final wild-card postseason berth. They are in third place in the American League Central 5 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians, while the Detroit Tigers remain a game in front of the Royals.Manager Ned Yost used closer Kelvin Herrera for a four-out save Monday when the Yankees trimmed an 8-1 Kansas City lead to 8-5 with a four-run eighth inning off relievers Chris Young and Peter Moylan.Every game is important from here on out, Yost said.The Royals have 31 games left, but only 12 on the road.The Royals will start erratic right-hander Edinson Volquez on Tuesday night against the Yankees. Volquez has won his past two starts to even his record at 10-10 with a 4.88 ERA. He is lking to climb above .500 for the first time since June 3, when he had a 5-4 record.Volquez is 6-3 with a 4.25 ERA at home, compared to a 4-7 record with a 5.72 ERA on the road. He is 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA in three career starts. He last faced them on May 17, 2015, throwing seven scoreless innings in a 6-0 shutout at Kauffman Stadium.The Yankees will counter with right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who has tossed 14 2/3 scoreless innings in his past two starts, allowing 11 hits, walking one and striking out 14. He is the first Yankees pitcher with back-to-back scoreless starts of at least seven innings since Hiroki Kuroda on July 25 and July 31, 2013.Tanaka has won four straight starts, the second longest streak of his career. He reeled off five straight victories from May 25-June 17, 2014. Tanaka, who is 11-4, ranks seventh in the AL with a 3.11 ERA, while his 1.07 WHIP ranks third. He has registered at least eight strikeouts without a walk in three starts from Aug. 7-19.The only Royals hitters with more than three at-bats against Tanaka are Kendrys Morales, who is 0-for-6, and Billy Burns, who is 1-for-5. Lorenzo Cain is 2-for-3 off Tanaka, with both hits home runs, and four RBI. Cheslor Cuthbert is also 2-for-3 off Tanaka with a home run.Yankees manager Joe Girardi did not complete nine innings Monday. He was ejected in the eighth inning by plate umpire Brian ONora after he called a strike on Didi Gregorius.Two different strike zones, Girardi said. Its unfortunate. Even the broadcasters were talking about it in the eighth and ninth inning. I dont know why. Im frustrated by it. I dont know if you give the catchers credit. I know the last inning and the inning before that Im watching on TV and I see it. 0-1 is a lot different than 1-and-0 a lot of times.The Yankees, like the Royals, remain in the chase for a postseason spot.Its frustrating because these games mean a lot, Girardi said of what he considered a questionable strike zone. Were playing hard. Our guys are giving it everything theyve got and to be put in those holes. ... It just changes the count. Ecco Shoes Australia Wholesale .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Ecco Shoes On Sale Australia . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. http://www.cheapeccoaustralia.com/ . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schling the Ducks in power ftball. Cheap Ecco Shoes Australia . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Ecco Shoes Australia Sale . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. MONACO -- The IAAF ethics panel rejected appeals by three senior Kenyan athletics officials who were challenging the extension of their suspensions for another six months while they are investigated for corruption.Athletics Kenya president Isaiah Kiplagat, vice president David Okeyo, and former treasurer Joseph Kinyua remain suspended for 180 days from May 20, the ethics panel said in a decision published on Friday.All three men are accused of diverting more than $700,000 of sponsorship money paid to AK by Nike for their personal benefit, and attempting to extort money out of athletes in return for concealing positive doping tests.Kiplagat, a former member of the IAAF governing council, also faces allegations he accepted cars as gifts from the Qatar Athletics Federation in 2014, when Qatar was bidding to host the 2019 world championships. Doha, Qatar won the right to host the 2019 worlds in a November 2014 vote.Upholding the new 180-day suspensions, the ethics panel said the potential for damage to the sport was clear if the three were allowed to return to an active role in athletics while they were being investigated.dddddddddddd Okeyo is a current member of the IAAFs council.The three were first suspended in November last year while Sharad Rao, the IAAF independent investigator in Kenya, lked into the allegations. Rao has yet to complete his investigation, leading to their suspensions being extended.In their appeals, Kiplagat, Okeyo, and Kinyua complained about the length of the investigation, and said they have been prejudiced by media reporting of their cases. Kiplagat also claimed the investigation has affected his health.A fourth official, AK chief executive Isaac Mwangi, was also suspended by the IAAF and is under investigation in a separate case after two Kenyan athletes said in an interview with The Associated Press that he asked them each for a $24,000 bribe to reduce their doping bans.An appeal by Mwangi against his suspension was dismissed by the IAAF in April. ' ' '