think a lot of teams are looking for that edge

DETROIT -- Justin Verlander has spent all season trying to recapture the form that made him perhaps the best pitcher in baseball in 2011 and 2012. Now, with another post-season berth in sight, the Detroit right-hander hopes hes finally turning a corner. "It seems like the whole year has been tinkering," Verlander said. "I feel like the last three starts, Ive found what I really need to be working on and focusing on." Verlander pitched effectively into the seventh inning and Prince Fielder homered and drove in three runs to lift the Tigers to a 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. Detroit remained six games ahead of second-place Cleveland in the AL Central and dealt the third-place Royals a setback in the post-season race. Kansas City is one of several teams hoping at least to catch Tampa Bay for a wild card. Verlander (13-11) allowed three runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. Three relievers finished. Joaquin Benoit worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and got the final four outs for his 19th save in 19 chances. Bruce Chen (7-3) allowed five earned runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings. "They had a really good plan going in. They were hacking early," Chen said. "They prepared themselves really well." The Royals, who are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 1985, fell 3 1/2 games behind the Rays after this series against the leaders in Kansas Citys division did not start well. Kansas City fell behind 6-1 in the fifth, and although the Royals rallied, Detroits bullpen was able to hold on. With the score 6-3, Detroits Drew Smyly issued a one-out walk to Eric Hosmer in the eighth, then Jose Veras came on and walked Billy Butler on four pitches. After taking ball one, Salvador Perez popped out, but Veras hit Mike Moustakas to load the bases. On came Benoit, who has been excellent since becoming Detroits full-time closer. He struck out David Lough to end the threat. Kansas City left fielder Alex Gordon overran Austin Jacksons leadoff double in the Detroit first for an error, allowing Jackson to advance to third. He scored on Torii Hunters groundout to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Kansas City tied it in the fourth on an RBI single by Perez, but Fielders flyball in the bottom of the inning barely cleared the wall in the right-field corner for a two-run shot. It was his 24th homer of the year. Like Verlander, Fielder has had his struggles this season, but he now has 102 RBIs, the sixth time in seven years hes reached 100. "If Im healthy and can play every day, thats what Im really focused on," Fielder said. "When youre out there every day, youve got a chance to do all those things." The tiebreaking home run came after banged-up slugger Miguel Cabrera led off with a double to right-centre that Lough just missed making a sliding catch on. It was Cabreras first extra-base hit since Aug. 26. Detroit added three runs in the fifth. Hunter hit a two-run single, and after an intentional walk to Cabrera, Hunter caught the Royals napping and broke for third. Chen was called for a balk, giving Hunter third and Cabrera second, and Fielders RBI single made it 6-1. Verlander has pitched well in 2013, just not up to the terrific standard he set the previous two years. The Tigers are hoping the right-hander will find a groove late this season, and he was breezing along until the Royals rallied with a couple runs in the sixth. Butlers RBI single made it 6-2, and Perez drove in Butler with a double. But Verlander was happy overall after striking out seven without a walk. "I feel like Im pretty doggone close," said Verlander, whose ERA is at 3.66. "I think my stuffs been a lot better. Tonight I made a little bit of an adjustment with my grip on my curveball and that seemed to be working really well for me." NOTES: Cabrera has been bothered lately by a strained abdomen, among other nagging injuries. Detroit manager Jim Leyland said before the game his third baseman looks better now. ... The Tigers sent RHP David Paulino to Houston as the player to be named in the deal that brought Veras to Detroit in July. ... Butler went 2 for 3 off Verlander and is now 30 for 68 (.441) off the Detroit star. ... Kansas Citys bullpen retired all 11 batters it faced, including seven strikeouts. ... Detroit RHP Doug Fister (12-8) faces Kansas City RHP Ervin Santana (8-9) on Saturday night. Rudy Gobert Jersey .com) - Driphus Jackson had three touchdown passes, including two in a 19-second span in the opening quarter, to guide Rice to a 30-6 rout of Fresno State at the Hawaii Bowl. Karl Malone Jersey . LOUIS -- The Tampa Bay Rays have placed right-handed pitcher Joel Peralta on the 15-day disabled list with an undisclosed illness. http://www.cheapjazzjerseys.info/Customized/ . - After a back-and-forth battle throughout the season, Alex Guenette has earned the 2013 rookie of the year award for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 by just one point over Ryley Seibert. Dante Exum Jersey .com) - Australian Open champion Li Na, former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and former world No. Jonas Jerebko Jersey PHILADELPHIA - Their last names follow them to every rink: Lemieux, MacInnis, Turgeon. Its a blessing and a burden for nine sons of former NHL players who are all expected to be taken in the first four rounds of the draft this weekend. Theres Sam Reinhart, son of Paul; William Nylander, son of Michael; Kasperi Kapanen, son of Sami; Ryan MacInnis, son of Al; Brendan Lemieux, son of Claude; Ryan Donato, son of Ted; Daniel Audette, son of Donald; Dominic Turgeon, son of Pierre; and Josh Wesley, son of Glen. "Its just awesome to see that other players sons are being able to make it because theres a little bit of pressure that comes with playing with the name on your back," Brendan Lemieux said. "And its not very easy, especially when youre playing minor hockey, to do it when your dads there and people see you different just because of who your dad is." So many of these young men shared similar experiences along the way, getting a taste of the NHL lifestyle at practice rinks and in locker-rooms. "I felt like I was kind of born into hockey with my dad," Dominic Turgeon said. "At that very young age I promised myself, thats what I want to do with my life." Along the way, these nine prospects took varying paths. Some followed in their fathers footsteps as closely as possible, while others wanted to do their own thing. "Its just the father-son relationship: that DNAs there," NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said. "Sometimes they play opposite styles: Tie and Max Domi, Ryan and Al (MacInnis)." Sam Reinhart, whos expected to be a top-five pick in Friday nights first round, is a centre whereas his father spent 10 NHL seasons as a defenceman. Sam was born six years after Paul retired and didnt really model his game after him as much as naturally pick up some tendencies. "My dad never really taught me a skating side of the game, and I think thats just kind of the way I picked it up and I hear it has been similar to his," Reinhart said. "Ill take that." Kasperi Kapanen, who spent the first 12 years of his life in North America as Sami played for the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers, considers his dad the biggest influence on his hockey career as his teacher, mentor, trainer and No. 1 fan all at the same time. At one point, Sami and Kasperi were teammates for KalPa Kuopio in Finland, which made him think twice. "Its kind of weird if he has the puck on the ice and youre with him and yell out, Dad!" he said. "And you think about it for a second like, Whats going on?" Kapanens goal is to become at least as good a pro as his dad, if not better. Thats a high bar for Ryan MacInnis, a centre who doesnt have the blistering shot his dad, a Hall of Fame defenceman. Marr told MacInnis to expect questions from interviewing teams about how fast he can shoot. "I have no idea," said MacInnis, who hasnt tested his shot with a radar gun. Ryan MacInnis does have some of his dad in him, or at least the defensive awareness. And scouts watching notice the bloodline. "When you watch him wind up, he has a very similar style of wind-up," said Ross MacLean of the scouting service ISS Hockey. "The mechanical structure of it is very, very similar. Its certainly nowhere near the velocity or the heaviness that his father had, but that might come as he continues to mature." William Nylander, who played youth hockey in the United States before his family moved back to Sweden, will likely need time to mature. He was just five or six yearss old when Michael played for the Washington Capitals and invited Nicklas Backstrom over to their house.dddddddddddd. Lemieux still has good relationships with some of Claudes former teammates, including now-Colorado Avalanche vice-president Joe Sakic and coach Patrick Roy. When Brendan met with the Avalanche, Roy kept quiet and let the rest of his staff do the talking. The pre-draft interview that surprised Lemieux was with the Detroit Red Wings, who his father spent years tormenting as an agitator extraordinaire. Lemieux didnt think it would be a legitimate interview, especially with one of Claudes biggest rivals, Kris Draper, in the room. "I thought they were going to walk in, make a few jokes," Lemieux said. "They were extremely professional, they barely brought it up. I tried to joke about it, they werent even budging. They were extremely serious. I was really impressed. Id have no problem playing in Detroit after that interview, for sure." Thats if the Red Wings want a carbon copy of Claude Lemieux. Brendan knows the game has changed since his father sunk the Stanley Cup to the bottom of the familys pool in 2000 but doesnt want to deviate much from how Claude played. "I think I can still bring that maybe a little bit of old-school sandpaper to a power-forward type role," said Lemieux, who admires Dallas Stars pest Antoine Roussels game. "I think a lot of teams are looking for that edge." Ryan Donato hopes a team is looking for a two-way centre in the vein of Jonathan Toews or Patrice Bergeron. Ted Donato, who will be his sons coach at Harvard next season, mentored Bergeron during his final season with the Boston Bruins, which gave his son someone else to model practice habits on. As far as off-ice habits, Ryan might want to be like his dad. "One of my favourite (stories) was when Ray Bourque got up to go to the bathroom, I guess he took his shoes off for a second and my dad got two lobsters and put them in his shoes and he came back and he put his feet in his shoes and there were lobsters in there," Donato said. Daniel Audette, more of a passer than Donald, who scored 260 goals in his NHL career, has a favourite story about his dad that hell probably tell friends this weekend. "On his draft day when he was 19 years old, he didnt get drafted — he was in the last rounds and he was getting mad," Daniel recalled. "He was throwing chairs in the back of the rink. He really wanted to get drafted, I guess." Finally the Buffalo Sabres took Donald in the ninth round in 1989. Daniel wont have to wait nearly as long, as hes projected to go in the first three rounds. The same goes for Dominic Turgeon, who wants nothing more than to be just like Pierre. "He loves to protect the puck down low," Turgeon said. "Thats what I do all the time in the offensive zone, really use my body to my advantage and drive the puck to the net." But with the name Turgeon comes expectations. Its true for all nine prospects, whether they like it or not. Still, there are plenty of benefits, like making scouts look twice because of the pedigree. When they do, more often than not they can tell theres some extra polish. "They grew up around the game," Marr said. "I think thats the advantage that they have. Ryan MacInnis, hes a professional athlete at 17 years of age, but his hockey sense and his hockey IQ, you can see thats what hes got from his dad, the way he plays the game." --- Follow @SWhyno on Twitter. 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