e Czechs outshot Sweden 29-24 but failed to score for the sec

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Clayton Kershaw was asked to assess his performance against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, and the Dodgers ace bemoaned the fact that he didnt have command of his fastball. Maybe if he did, hed have tossed another no-hitter. Kershaw still managed to follow his first career no-no by going eight marvelous innings, and Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier drove in a run apiece as the Dodgers scraped out a 2-0 victory. "It definitely wasnt easy tonight," Kershaw said. It only looked that way. "All night he felt like he was fighting it," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly explained. "His fastball command wasnt where he wanted it, but typical Clayton." Kershaw (8-2) allowed six hits and a walk while striking out eight. The two-time Cy Young winner hasnt allowed a run in 21 1-3 innings, spanning his near-perfect game against Colorado on Wednesday -- the only runner occurred on an error -- and his previous start against Arizona. Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save. Danny Duffy (4-7) dueled admirably with Kershaw for six innings, allowing one run on four hits and four walks. But the left-hander was done in by a high pitch count, needing a season-high 105, and was eventually lifted to protect his surgically repaired shoulder. Eric Hosmer had a pair of hits for the Royals, the first with one out in the first inning to end any thought of Kershaw tossing consecutive no-hitters. Otherwise, their offence was sporadic, unable to string together enough runners to pose much of a threat. "Hes as good as advertised, thats for sure, every bit of it," Hosmer said. "Hes definitely got his game plan, which he sticks to the whole time. Hes got four well-above average pitches. The main thing about him is he gets ahead and attacks you early. Thats a guy you dont want to get behind on with great off-speed and a fastball that he can hump to 95, 96. Luckily, thats the last time we face him." The Dodgers plated their first run after Justin Turner tripled to lead off the game. He scored on a hard grounder by Gonzalez, which deflected off Duffy and toward second base for what nearly ended up being the games only run. Ethiers RBI single came off reliever Kelvin Herrera in the ninth inning. Duffy needed 29 pitches to survive the first, and he wiggled out of jams each of the next four innings, too. But while he was gritty enough to keep Kansas City in the game, a lineup that has struggled to put up runs for the last week failed him again. Kansas City has only scored 13 times while losing five of its last six. Los Angeles had lost all four of its games played at Kauffman Stadium, including the series opener Monday night, when the Royals beat up on Zack Greinke, their former ace. They had a much tougher time handling Kershaw. Showcasing his mid-90s fastball, power curveball and devastating slider, Kershaw at one point retired eight straight. And even when he ran into trouble, he slipped right out of it. Kershaw induced a double play after Hosmers single in the first. He rallied from a 3-0 count to Alex Gordon to strike him out with a runner aboard in the sixth. In the seventh, he got Justin Maxwell and Alcides Escobar on groundouts to leave a pair of runners on base. "Thats the best slider weve seen all year long," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "That thing had teeth with a bite." In fact, the biggest blight on Kershaws night may have been his walk to Gordon in the fifth inning. It was only the second hed allowed to a left-handed hitter this season. "I made some pitches when I had to," Kershaw said. "Tonight I was making a lot more stressful pitches. The no-hitter was stressful for more personal reasons." NOTES: Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez (sore right shoulder) was scratched from the starting lineup. "Hopefully well have him tomorrow," Mattingly said. ... The Royals activated LHP Bruce Chen (bulging disc) from the 60-day DL, optioned LHP Tim Collins to Triple-A Omaha and designated LHP Donnie Joseph for assignment. ... Dodgers RHP Dan Haren faces Royals RHP James Shields in Wednesday nights series finale. Deion Sanders Falcons Jersey . PETERSBURG, Florida – Its been almost seven years since the Blue Jays last won a series at Tropicana Field. Kaleb McGary Jersey . "He started putting me on the ice to strengthen them at the suggestion from a doctor," he said. Weight said it wasnt a pretty sight at the rink in St. Clair Shores, Mich. "I looked like Forrest Gump," he joked. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Julio-Jones-Jersey/ . Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes. Chris Lindstrom Womens Jersey . 25 against Miami. Hillis left Browns Stadium about two hours before kickoff, a decision that has led to speculation he was upset over ongoing negotiations with the club on a contract extension. Custom Atlanta Falcons Jerseys . It was the quickest three-goal sequence in Olympic history, with the latter two coming just eight seconds apart. Kessel, Lamoureux and Kendall Coyne all scored twice for the Americans, and Molly Schaus made 10 saves in her Sochi debut. MINSK, Belarus -- Defending champion Sweden blanked the Czech Republic 3-0 Sunday to earn the bronze at the ice hockey world championship. Joakim Lindstrom scored early and Simon Hjalmarsson netted another one in the opening period for Sweden to take control. Mikael Backlund rounded off the win with a wrist shot past goaltender Alexander Salak in the third. "We came here to win the gold," Lindstrom said. "That was our goal. But the competition is very, very hard, and all in all it was a pretty good tournament for us." Sweden had to settle for the third-place game after a 3-1 loss to Russia in the semifinals. The Czechs outshot Sweden 29-24 but failed to score for the second straight match after Finland blanked them 3-0 in Saturdays semis. Goaltender Anders Nilsson saved all 24 shots for the shutout.dddddddddddd "Hes been phenomenal, not just tonight, but the whole tournament," Lindstrom said. "From game one, hes been our backbone on this hockey team." The Czechs -- the 2010 champions -- struggled in the preliminary round, recording three losses before recovering to eliminate the United States in the quarterfinals. Veteran forward Jaromir Jagr said after the game it was his last with the national team -- although he will continue playing for his New Jersey Devils next season. "Its not that I would think Im not good enough for it," Jagr said. "But this is a different hockey than I play. My hockey doesnt fit this style." The announcement came a year before the Czech Republic hosts the next worlds. Russia faces Finland in the final later Sunday. ' ' '