KANSAS CITY, Mo. Brynden Trawick Jersey . -- Alex Gordon hit a three-run homer and matched a career high with four RBIs, leading the Kansas City Royals to a 7-3 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays in their series finale Wednesday. Nori Aoki, Johnny Giavotella and Billy Butler also drove in runs for the Royals, who have struggled to find offence all season. They had only scored more than four runs once in their first seven games, and lost 1-0 to Tampa Bay the previous night. Jeremy Guthrie (2-0) recovered from a sloppy start to hold the Rays to four hits over seven innings. The only run he allowed came on Desmond Jennings homer in the fourth. The Royals broke the game open with a five-run fifth off Jake Odorizzi (1-1), who was part of the blockbuster trade in 2012 that brought James Shields from Tampa Bay to Kansas City. The Royals went ahead on Butlers RBI groundout and Gordons run-scoring single in the fourth inning. Lorenzo Cain singled off Odorizzi to lead off the fifth, Aoki followed two batters later with a triple to right, and the flood gates were open. Giavotella, recalled from Triple-A Omaha to replace injured second baseman Omar Infante, hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1. Hosmer and Butler followed with back-to-back singles, and Gordon popped a pitch to right-centre that hung up long enough in the wind to land over the fence. It was a rough way for Odorizzi to return to Kauffman Stadium, where he made his big league debut with the Royals in 2012. He allowed all seven runs on 10 hits and a walk in five innings. The Royals squandered a scoring chance with runners on first and second and one out in the second inning when Mike Moustakas struck out and Gordon was thrown out heading to third. Royals manager Ned Yost trundled onto the field and challenged the call. After a review of 2 minutes, 10 seconds, the ruling made by third base umpire Quinn Wolcott was upheld. It hardly mattered the way the Royals were swinging -- and the way Guthrie was pitching. The right-hander, who turned 35 on Tuesday, was coming off a rough start against the White Sox. But Guthrie navigated trouble in each of the first three innings, leaving five Rays on base, and then retired his final 12 batters to hand the lead to his bullpen. Kelvin Herrera gave up two runs in the ninth for Kansas City. Notes: The Royals activated RHP Louis Coleman (bruised finger) from the DL and optioned RHP Aaron Brooks and LHP Donnie Joseph to Omaha prior to the game. ... Rays 3B Evan Longoria reached base three times. ... The Rays visit Cincinnati for a three-game set this weekend. Theyve never won at Great American Ball Park. ... Kansas City plays 13 of its next 16 on the road beginning Friday night in Minnesota. Chris McAlister Jersey . The star receiver certainly isnt celebrating it with the Texans mired in a franchise-record 13-game skid. Matt Stover Jersey . LeBron James believes hes a major reason for their early failures. http://www.customravensjersey.com/custom-elvis-dumervil-jersey-large-383d.html . On the eve of the 2013-14 NBA season, he can finally take a step back and allow his team to do the talking.DENVER - Kenneth Farieds little heart-to-heart talk with coach Brian Shaw is paying off for the Denver Nuggets.Faried had a career-high 25 rebounds to go along with 26 points, and the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-102 on Friday night.Wilson Chandler scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who had lost two in a row. Ty Lawson finished with 16 points and 11 assists.Faried tied the NBAs highest rebounding total this season. Dallas centre Tyson Chandler also had 25 boards in a 109-102 victory over the New York Knicks on Nov. 26.It was Farieds best game since he had 22 points and 17 rebounds in a victory over Detroit on opening night, and it came three days after he had 20 points and 14 rebounds in a loss at Brooklyn.Farieds resurgence can be traced to a meeting with Shaw this month. They talked openly about what they expect from each other, and Faried has been a different player since.It helped me 110 per cent, Faried said. Now its eased my mind. I can just go out there and play my game and not look over my shoulder and wonder if hes going to take me out or if Im playing well enough. Its just play your game and everything else will follow.Minnesota coach Flip Saunders was impressed.They ran one play for him, the first play of the game, Saunders said. Everything else he got, 26 points, 25 rebounds, was just on his pure hustle, pure energy. He was fabulous tonight.Thaddeus Young scored 23 points and rookie Andrew Wiggins had 22 for the Timberwolves, who have lost seven straight and 13 of 14.Minnesota opened the fourth quarter by outscoring Denver 14-5 to take an 88-84 lead. It went up by five on a free throw by Robbie Hummel with 5:32 remaining when the Nuggets rallied.Chandler made a running jumper and Faried had a tip-in to spark an 8-0 run that gave the Nuggets a 94-91 lead.The Timberwolves tied it at 98 on a layup by Young with 1:49 left, but Lawson scored and fed Timofeyy Mozgov for a dunk to make it 102-100. Lamar Jackson Jersey. A free throw by Gorgui Dieng cut the lead in half with 18.7 seconds left but Arron Afflalo sank two free throws to make it 104-101.Chase Budinger stepped out of bounds after a timeout, and Afflalo and Chandler each hit a free throw to close it out.Were a young team and sometimes it happens like that at the end of the game, Young said. You just cant find a shot or you cant make a free throw, something like that.The Nuggets led by 10 after Mozgovs dunk midway through the third quarter. But Wiggins hit a runner in the lane and a 3-pointer to help Minnesota close to 70-66.Lawson, who was quiet in the first half, then hit a couple of jump shots as Denver pushed the lead back to eight in the final two minutes of the period.Denver led 79-74 after three.EFFICIENT NIGHTFaried is the first player since 1951-52 to have at least 25 points and 25 rebounds while playing 30 minutes or less in a game, per Elias Sports Bureau.Thats one of the best games Ive seen him play, Lawson said. Hes playing his game like he was last year.TIP-INSTimberwolves: Guard Ricky Rubio missed his 23rd straight game with a sprained left ankle but has begun basketball activities. He did five-on-zero today, so it was the first day that he was actually able to go up and down the court, Saunders said. ... Saunders also said that centre Nikola Pekovic (sore right foot, sprained right wrist) has begun working out but is not close to returning.Nuggets: Mozgov had 11 points and 14 rebounds. ... Forward Danilo Gallinari is expected to miss about a month after undergoing surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee. He missed all of last season recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. ... Darrell Arthur was active after missing four games with a lower left leg strain.UP NEXTTimberwolves: Visit Golden State on Saturday.Nuggets: Host Toronto on Sunday. ' ' '