a pretty long time.The franchise tag dispute, whethe

DETROIT -- Alex Gordons grounder up the middle looked like a routine out -- until it hit second base and took a wacky bounce, allowing the games first run to score. With breaks like that, its no wonder the Kansas City Royals have won 10 in a row. Omar Infante added a solo homer and Jeremy Guthrie pitched impressively into the seventh inning, helping the Royals extend their longest winning streak in 20 years with a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. Kansas City has outpitched, outhit and outfielded the Tigers in taking the first three games of this series -- so the Royals have no reason to apologize for a little luck along the way. "Baseballs a funny game -- youve got to take full advantage of those," Kansas Citys Eric Hosmer said. "Were not complaining about it either." The AL Central-leading Royals have not won this many games in a row since a run of 14 in 1994. They extended their division lead over the Tigers to 1 1/2 games. Guthrie (4-6) allowed four hits and struck out nine in 6 2-3 innings. Drew Smyly (3-6) nearly matched him, but the Detroit left-hander was victimized by Gordons fluky RBI single in the first inning and Infantes homer in the fifth. J.D. Martinez homered off Guthrie in the seventh, but the Kansas City bullpen got the last seven outs, with Greg Holland pitching the ninth for his 21st save in 22 chances. Kansas City will try for a four-game sweep of the Tigers on Thursday. The Royals began the series by pounding star right-handers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, then Guthrie took the mound and breezed through the team that has won the last three division titles. "This could be the best game hes thrown all year," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "He was fabulous. ... We had to go back to our old way of doing things -- pitching and defence." It was Guthries second straight game with nine strikeouts -- he also reached the mark June 13 against the Chicago White Sox. He had some help Wednesday from his fielders, as Gordon saved a run in the fourth with a diving catch in left-centre. "Im not that fast, but I can turn it on when I want to," the Kansas City left fielder said. Fortune seemed to favour the Royals throughout the afternoon. With a runner on second in the first, Gordons two-out bouncer up the middle looked like a groundout to the shortstop, but it ricocheted off second base for a hit, allowing Hosmer to come home. In the second, Detroits Victor Martinez dropped a nice bunt against a shifted defence, only to have the ball roll foul inches before reaching third base. J.D. Martinez homered in the seventh, and Nick Castellanos nearly tied it later in the inning with a two-out drive to left that bounced off the fence for a double. Kelvin Herrera relieved Guthrie and retired Don Kelly on a lineout to centre. Wade Davis struck out the side in the eighth, and Holland made it through the ninth after allowing a leadoff single to Miguel Cabrera. Smyly allowed two runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings. He struck out six without a walk. The Tigers have lost 20 of 29 to fall out of first place. During his postgame news conference, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus replied sarcastically to a question about how his mood is when he heads home after these tough defeats. "I beat my wife," Ausmus said, clearly trying to joke. "Im just kidding around. No, luckily my wife and kids are fantastic. I do get a little mopey at home, but my wife and kids are good." About a minute later, without being prompted, Ausmus said he was sorry. "I didnt want to make light of battered women," the first-year manager said. "I didnt mean to make light of that, so I apologize for that if that offended anyone." NOTES: Kansas City OF Nori Aoki (groin) and Detroit OF Torii Hunter (hamstring) did not play. ... Royals C Salvador Perez extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a ninth-inning single. ... Detroit 2B Ian Kinsler made a nice diving stop on Infantes grounder in the third. ... Kansas City LHP Danny Duffy (4-5) faces Detroit RHP Anibal Sanchez (3-2) on Thursday. Cheap Nike Free Ireland Free Shipping . Louis Cardinals for the National League Wild Card, are in the drivers seat as they open the final series of the regular season, but they face a large task in the form of the Philadelphia Phillies. Nike Free Ireland .J. Hardy to avoid a three-game sweep after blowing a big early lead. Odour had a leadoff single in the seventh and scored the tiebreaking run with the help of two errors by Hardy as the Rangers went on to beat the Orioles 8-6 on Thursday night. http://www.cheapnikefreeireland.com/ . They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves. Discount Nike Free Ireland . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. Cheap Nike Free Ireland Wholesale . "I knew it was gone. I mean, I felt it," the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year said. "I havent felt like that in a while. I havent got extension on a ball in a pretty long time.The franchise tag dispute, whether Jimmy Graham should be paid as a tight end or wide receiver, none of that matters now. Graham and the New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms on a new contract. According to ESPNs Adam Schefter, its a four-year, $40 million deal with $21 million guaranteed. The All-Pro broke the news on his Twitter account Tuesday, tweeting “Its official Im bleeding black and gold this morning!" Its official Im bleeding black and gold this morning! Thank you WhoDatNation for all the support. — Jimmy&nnbsp;Graham (@TheJimmyGraham) July 15, 2014 The deal comes just ahead of the 4pm et deadline for franchise tagged players to sign new contracts with their teams.dddddddddddd Graham of course filed a grievance when he was first tagged by the team, asking to be considered a wide receiver rather than a tight end, which would have pushed the price of his franchise tag higher. The grievance was ultimately rejected. The former third-rounder has 301 catches for 3,863 yards and 41 touchdowns in his four-year career, all with the Saints. ' ' '