Dein erstes Forum » 31, could be a franchise player once again.After the

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tyler Naquin hit two of the Indians five homers and had a career-high six RBI, helping the Cleveland Indians rout the AL Central-rival Kansas City Royals 11-4 on Wednesday.Carlos Carrasco (7-3) only allowed one hit in six shutout innings, a one-out double by Cheslor Cuthbert in the fourth he followed with back-to-back strikeouts. Carrasco walked two in the sixth for his only other baserunners.Naquin had his first multi-homer game, while Mike Napoli went deep for the second straight day. Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana also hit home runs.The first four homers were off Ian Kennedy (6-8), whose bizarre pitching line included eight strikeouts and only one walk. But it was the ninth straight game Kennedy has served up a homer, and he has allowed 26 of them this season, tied with teammate Chris Young for most in the majors.Kansas City scored all its runs off reliever Austin Adams in the eighth.The division-leading Indians, who are 4-5 against the hapless Minnesota Twins this season, improved to 26-8 against the rest of the AL Central. They are 8-5 against the Royals.For the second day in a row, a first-inning homer -- this time by Kipnis, his 16th -- gave them instant offense. Naquin added a solo shot in the third before adding a two-run double in the fourth.Cleveland put away the game with a seven-run fifth inning.With a heat index of 105 degrees at first pitch, Carrasco coolly sliced up a Kansas City offense that scored seven runs in a single inning in the opener. The right-hander retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced around his lone single, and he struck out six while throwing just 84 pitches.He won for the fifth time in six starts and improved to 6-1 in eight starts in Kansas City.Kennedy wound up allowing seven runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings for the Royals. It was a rare poor start for him at Kauffman Stadium; he entered the game with an AL-best 2.11 ERA at home.PRESIDENTIAL VISITThe Royals will meet President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday during a ceremony to honor their World Series title. It will be the fifth president that manager Ned Yost has met: Jimmy Carter and George Bush used to come to Braves games when Yost coached in Atlanta, George W. Bush threw out the first pitch on opening day once, and Bill Clinton greeted the champion Braves at the White House in 1996. So this will be my fifth president, Yost said, which is kind of cool.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: LF Alex Gordon got the day off as he continues to battle out of a season-long slump. Hes hitting just .200 through 62 games after signing a $72 million, four-year deal in the offseason. He missed several weeks with a fractured wrist in a collision with 3B Mike Moustakas.Indians: OF Michael Brantley was expected to have an MRI exam on his ailing right shoulder Wednesday, though the results were not yet available. Brantley experienced a setback while on a rehab assignment.UP NEXTThe Royals open a three-game set Friday night against Texas. The Indians also have a day off before visiting Baltimore on Friday night. Nike Air Max 2020 Rea . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Nike Air Max 97 Sverige . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.reaairmaxsverige.com/air-max-200-rabatt.html . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Billiga Nike Air Max 270 Dam .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Nike Air Max 90 Sverige . PETERSBURG, Fla. ATLANTA -- Dwight Howard has played all of one game for the Atlanta Hawks.Hes already the center of attention.On opening night, Howard led his new teammates in a raucous display of bouncing and screaming during the pregame introductions. When it was over, with the Hawks victorious and their new center having provided a tantalizing glimpse of the skills that made him one of the NBAs most feared players, Howard worked the locker room from one end to the other, doling out good-natured ribbing to anyone who got within his imposing shadow.Superman has come home. Maybe hes found his swagger.I just tried to zone out and focus on the task at hand, Howard said at the end of the night, sitting at his locker surrounded by reporters and cameras and microphones. Ive been in a lot of opening nights and the worst thing you can do is lay an egg in the first game.Of course, its going to take more than one game to make up for what happened over the last several seasons.Still, Howards homecoming could wind up having a bigger impact on the league than some of those more touted moves this past summer.If all goes according to Atlantas plan, Howard will reclaim his place among the NBAs elite. Hell lead the league in rebounding, as he did through most of his glory years with the Orlando Magic, and give the Hawks the sort of imposing presence theyve been missing in the lane, someone who can alter shots and cover up his teammates mistakes and take some of the burden off teammates such as three-time All-Star Paul Millsap, who is still Atlantas best player.Thats the way it worked Thursday night in a 114-99 victory over the Washington Wizards. Howard grabbed 19 rebounds, more than anyone in an Atlanta uniform had all of last season, and continually sparked the transition game by with crisp passes to teammates fast-breaking in the opposite direction. Freed of carrying a big load on the glass, Millsap led the Hawks with 28 points.I didnt have to get down there and bang as much, Millsap said. When a guy like Dwights down there and securing the rebounds, hes taking a lot of the load off me. I think throughout the course of this season, Ill be a lot fresher, be able to do a little bit more on the offensive end.You might remember Howard as one of the leagues most dominant players, but its not something that comes immediately to mind. He got lost along the way, his once Hall of Fame-bound career sliding off the rails during a miserable one-year layover with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by three forgettable seasons trrying to coexist with James Harden on the Houston Rockets.ddddddddddddNot only did Howards production suffer, but he went from one of the leagues most likable, endearing players to someone who came across as whiny and petulant, self-absorbed by his frequent trade demands and struggling to mesh with personalities as big as his own.When he became a free agent this past summer, Howard hardly had a pick of destinations or the leverage to name his price. He was certainly an intriguing piece in the offseason puzzle, but not as crucial to completing the picture as Kevin Durant landing with the Golden State Warriors, or Dwyane Wade taking off for the Chicago Bulls, or Derrick Rose being traded to the New York Knicks.Howard fell in with the next wave of shuffling, more along the lines of Pau Gasol heading to San Antonio or Andrew Bogut being dealt to Dallas to create cap space. In fact, there were plenty of people questioning whether the Hawks had done the right thing when they doled out a three-year, $70 million deal to Howard and allowed undersized but more versatile center Al Horford to bolt for the Boston Celtics.Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was convinced that Howard, who has been in the league for 13 years but is still only 31, could be a franchise player once again.After the Hawks plummeted from 60 wins and the top seed in the East two seasons ago to a quick second-round exit from the playoffs this past spring, Budenholzer decided a dramatic overhaul was in order. Howard was eager to return to the city he grew up in and still calls home -- a striking change from his last foray into free agency, when he pretty much forwarded the Hawks calls straight to voicemail.This time around, he needed the Hawks as much as they needed him.For Howard, this is his best shot -- maybe his last shot -- at redemption and rejuvenation. Hes on a team where he can again be the loudest voice in the room, where he doesnt have to worry about Bryant putting him down or Harden demanding the spotlight.His work and his commitment to everything were doing, Im very, very pleased with it, Budenholzer said. I think hes looking forward to being a force.Maybe hell even be able to break out that cape again.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . ' ' '