Royals most reliable hitter. The Yankees finally took cont

Puerto Rican lightweight Orlando Cruz said he is not only fighting for himself but also for the gay community.Cruz, who came out in 2012 as boxings first openly gay fighter, will challenge lightweight world titleholder Terry Flanagan on Saturday (beIN Sports Espanol, 11 p.m. ET, same-day tape) at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.Terry Flanagan is a true world champion and will defend his title with everything he has. However, I am prepared and ready for victory and to be crowned the new world champion. I want to inspire the gay community by becoming a world champion on Saturday, Cruz said this week. Terry is a great champion and a real peoples person. More importantly, he respects my life and my choices.He sees the man boxing him and that is it. Everyone has been very supportive since I came out three years ago. I have the support of my family, friends and fans.Cruz, 35, who was a 2000 Olympian for Puerto Rico, lost his first shot at a world title, getting knocked out by then-featherweight titlist Orlando Salido in the seventh round in October 2013 in Las Vegas. Six months later, Cruz lost a 10-round decision to Gamalier Rodriguez.Since then, Cruz (25-4-1, 13 KOs), a southpaw, has won five fights in a row at junior lightweight. He will be moving up from the 130-pound division to the 135-pound lightweight division to face Flanagan.When I look at my story, it makes me hopeful that more people will be inspired to come out, Cruz said. Right now my focus is fully on the big fight on Saturday and winning the WBO lightweight belt. Ive been feeling the love from the British people since I arrived here on Monday. Everyone has been very welcoming to me and I have nothing but respect for them. I am very happy to be here in Cardiff and fighting for another world title.Flanagan (31-0, 12 KOs), a 27-year-old southpaw from England who will be making his fourth title defense, hopes to take care of Cruz and then move on to a bigger fight -- perhaps a unification against the winner of an expected rematch between champion Jorge Linares and Anthony Crolla, Flanagans Manchester, England rival.He said he respects Cruzs lifestyle, but that it makes no difference to him.Look, it was very brave of Orlando to come out, but Im not interested in either his sexuality or his personal life, Flanagan said. Im only interested in him as a boxer; an opponent. Hes a good fighter, but Im going to deal with him. China Jerseys Wholesale . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. 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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Theres no Derek Jeter to lean on right now, no Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira in the New York Yankees high-priced lineup to provide clutch hits and big home runs. Nope, there are just guys like Lyle Overbay filling in with aplomb. The low-key, aw-shucks Overbay hit a two-run homer and finished with five RBIs on Friday night, and Ichiro Suzuki also hit a two-run homer as the banged-up Yankees opened their only trip to Kansas City with an 11-6 rout of the scuffling Royals. "Sometimes baseball doesnt make sense, and on a night we really needed some runs, we got them," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Everyone seemed to help out tonight." Overbay finished with a career-high four hits, Suzuki had three hits and Chris Nelson drove in a pair of runs for the Yankees, who gave Girardi his 500th win in pinstripes. Girardi reached the milestone in his 844th game, one fewer than Billy Martin. The only Yankees managers to reach the mark faster were Casey Stengel, Joe McCarthy, Joe Torre and Miller Huggins. "Ive been blessed to have this opportunity," Girardi said. "As a child you dream about playing in the big leagues, and I dont know if you dream about managing, but as I got older, its something I really wanted to do, and I got a great opportunity." Phil Hughes (2-2) allowed six runs in 5 2-3 innings, but still earned the victory for New York, thanks to an offence that awoke from a slumber against Wade Davis and reliever Bruce Chen. The struggling Davis (2-3) allowed seven runs in five-plus innings as the Royals lost for the fourth time in their last five games. "I made it look a lot harder than it should," Davis said. "When you dont command your pitches, you can make anybody look a lot better. I didnt execute my pitches." Jarrod Dyson hit a three-run shot for the Royals, just the second homer of his career, and Mike Moustakas went deep in his second straight game. Alex Gordon also drove in a pair of runs. But it wasnt enough offence to keep up with the Yankees, who scored six runs total during a three-game series in Colorado, but surpassed that amount with the first of five runs during the sixth inning Friday night that broke open what had been a tie game. It was the first time New York scored 10 or more runs since April 9, and allowed the Yaankees to improve to 20-9 since their ragged 1-4 start to the season.dddddddddddd "The guys stepped up big and gave me a bunch of runs," Hughes said. "Thankfully, I was able to bring my not-so-good game on a day we scored a lot of runs." The Yankees came into the night with 42 homers, fifth in the majors, and wasted little time adding to the total. Suzuki followed a walk by Travis Hafner with his two-run shot in the second inning, and Overbay followed a double by Jayson Nix with his two-run homer. The Royals got most of their deficit back on Dysons three-run shot in the bottom of the second. It was his first home run since Sept. 27, 2010, a span of 376 at-bats. "He came in most of the time. I got my foot down on it and I was just trying to square him up," Dyson said. "I barrelled it up. It was a big hit at the time." Davis ran into more trouble in the fourth, when Nix walked and Overbay drove him in with a double to make it 5-3. But the Royals answered again in the fifth, tying the game on a two-run double by Gordon, who has become the Royals most reliable hitter. The Yankees finally took control in the sixth inning. Suzuki doubled and Nix singled to set up Overbay, who delivered his second double of the night. Nelson added a two-run single, and after Chris Stewart grounded into a fielders choice, Brett Gardners RBI triple and Robinson Canos run-scoring single gave New York a 10-5 lead. Moustakas added his solo homer in the sixth, but Yankees reliever Shawn Kelley retired the next seven Royals -- six of them by strikeout. Boone Logan finished up a quiet ninth to preserve the Yankees third straight win. "The bullpens are so important, especially in the American League," Girardi said. "Our guys have done a really good job. Shawn Kelley stepped up tonight. Weve had other guys. ... Its been guy after guy doing the job." NOTES: Royals DH Billy Butler went 0 for 4, dropping his average to .236. ... Nix reached base four times. ... Royals RF Lorenzo Cain got hit on his left wrist by a pitch in the third inning. He remained in the game. ... INF Eduardo Nunez (ribs) hit in the cage before the game and was available off the bench, Girardi said. He did not play. ... New York LHP Andy Pettitte will start Saturday night against Royals RHP James Shields. ' ' '