ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Kansas City Royals have hit a nearly three-year low.The defending World Series champions, who also won the 2014 American League pennant, dropped 10 games back in the AL Central standings for the first time since Aug. 31, 2013, after an 8-3 loss to the West-leading Texas Rangers on Friday night.Offense has been sporadic. Its just been tough, manager Ned Yost said. Keep grinding away. You cant tell them to go out and get a hit. Its just got to happen. ... Your mindset is theres a couple months left of baseball to play. Show up ready to go tomorrow.Eric Hosmer had a two-run homer for the fourth-place Royals, who have lost six of their last seven games and are 7-17 in July.Edinson Volquez (8-9), whose name has come up in trade rumors with the Royals struggling, was down 3-0 after the first inning but made it through six innings. He struck out five and walked two while allowing six runs and nine hits.I think I came out a little strong in the first inning, walking the first guy. I got in trouble myself. After that, pitched a couple good innings, Volquez said. I think I lost the game the first inning.The right-hander made his major league debut with the Rangers before being traded to Cincinnati after the 2007 season for slugger Josh Hamilton. Volquez is 0-3 in five career starts against the Rangers, one of four teams hes never beaten in his career.Rougned Odor homered twice, including a solo shot in the first that made it 3-0, while Jurickson Profar also went deep and scored three times for the AL West-leading Rangers.A.J. Griffin (4-1) became the only Texas starter other than All-Star lefty Cole Hamels with a win in July, going 5 2/3 innings in his longest outing in seven starts since coming off the disabled list because of right shoulder stiffness. The only runs he allowed came on Hosmers two-run homer in the sixth that made it 5-2.Griffin had missed two seasons after Tommy John surgery, but was 3-1 in six starts through the first week of May before going on the DL.Two years off from pitching is a long time. It caught up with me a little bit, Griffin said. I feel like I am getting that second wind. My shoulders responding a lot better with each outing.HOSMER HOMERAfter Lorenzo Cain was hit by a pitch with two outs in the sixth, Hosmer snapped an 0-for-14 slump with his 14th homer. That got the Royals within 5-2 and chased Griffin.ROAD WOESThe Royals have lost eight of their last nine road games are 17-34 away from home this season.SHORT HOPSThe Rangers failed to score in the fourth after loading the bases with no outs. The first out came when third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert made a diving stop of Elvis Andrus grounder, then got up and threw home for a forceout. A strikeout and groundout followed thatTRAINERS ROOMRoyals: Cain played for the first time since June 28 after missing 25 games because of a left hamstring strain. He was reactivated from the disabled list, and rookie OF Brett Eibner was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. ... RHP Luke Hochevar (thoracic outlet syndrome) will get a second opinion Monday from another specialist in Kansas City after a Dallas specialist on Friday recommended season-ending surgery.Rangers: Slugger Prince Fielders season-ending surgery Friday to repair a herniated disk in his neck went as expected.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Ian Kennedy (6-9) is 0-3 in five starts this month. He is also 0-2 in three career starts against the Rangers.Rangers: Lefty Martin Perez (7-7) was 4-0 in five starts in June, but goes into his sixth start in July still without a win. Authentic Adidas Running Shoes NZ .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. NMD Shoes NZ . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. http://www.nmdoutletnz.com/ .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Adidas NMD NZ Online . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. Cheap NMD NZ From China . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. DALLAS -- A grim-faced Tom Herman could hear the whoops and hollers of SMU players as the Houston coached tried to explain a shocking 38-16 loss to the Mustangs on Saturday night.Was it hard to listen to that celebration?More than you know, Herman said.Ben Hicks threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score in SMUs first win over a ranked team in five years.The Cougars (6-2, 3-2 American) lost for the second time after a 5-0 start that included a season-opening win over then-No. 3 Oklahoma that vaulted Houston into the Top 10.The last time the Mustangs (3-4, 1-2) beat a team ranked 11th or higher, they were No. 4 and finishing off a near-perfect 1982 season (11-0-1) with a 7-3 victory over sixth-ranked Pittsburgh in the Cotton Bowl. SMU tied No. 7 Texas A&M in 1994.It was SMUs fourth win in 20 tries against Houston since returning from the so-called death penalty in 1989. The first loss was 95-21.For us to come in and get a signature win like this is huge, SMU coach Chad Morris said. And I shared with our players for the last two weeks, `It just takes one (win) to start a revolution. It just takes one win to put some wind in our sails.Greg Ward Jr. couldnt shake a persistent SMU pass rush or find receivers for big plays, finishing with 241 yards passing -- almost 100 below his average -- and just 3 yards rushing on 17 carries thanks to seven sacks.One of the sacks was for an 18-yard loss to the Houston 22 when coach Tom Herman went for it on fourth down trailing 28-14 early in the fourth quarter.Herman got conservative moments later, choosing a 19-yard field goal attempt on fourth down from the SMU 2. Ty Cummings hit the right upright for his second miss.Immense introspection when you lose a game like that, Herman said. Well leave no stone unturned to figure out why that happened.Hicks was 16 of 31 for 228 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown to a wide-open James Proche for a 28-7 lead in the final seconds of the first half. SMU appeared content to run out the clock before a 40-yard run by Braeden West, who had 115 yards rushing and a punctuating touchdown late.THE TAKEAWAYHouston: Herman figured to be the hottest name in coaching for the offseason searches of LSU and any other high-profile programs that might be looking.dddddddddddd Perhaps that doesnt change, but this October isnt helping. Convincing wins over Florida State in the Peach Bowl and the Sooners in this years opener have lost some luster.SMU: Morris, the second-year coach who went 2-10 in his debut season, has a good chance to build on his biggest win, and one of the programs biggest since the crippling NCAA sanctions almost 30 years ago. The Mustangs faded in the second half after strong early efforts against two other high-scoring Texas teams, Baylor and TCU. They finished the job this time.TONE-SETTING TURNOVERSThe Cougars lost two fumbles in the first quarter and never got their high-powered offense going. Houston was outgained 406-303. When you play a team at their place thats fresh, thats hungry, motivated, to give them life like that, Herman said. Youre playing catch-up the whole game from that point on.CAREER GAMESMU defensive end Jarvis Pruitt recovered one of the fumbles and had three sacks in the Mustangs first win over a ranked team since beating No. 20 TCU 40-33 in overtime in 2011.POLL IMPLICATIONSHouston: The Cougars could tumble all the way out of the rankings after being at No. 6 for several weeks following the victory over the Sooners. The fall has been sudden for a program coming off its first New Years bowl in 30 years and the second 13-win season in program history.UP NEXTHouston: The Cougars start a stretch of three straight home games against UCF next Saturday. That stretch ends against No. 7 Louisville. They also get a bye after nine straight weeks of playing.Its a one-game season to get to that bye week and put everything weve got into protecting our home stadium and preparing and executing better than we did tonight, Herman said.SMU: The Mustangs visit Tulane next Saturday before a home game against Memphis, which just lost its first conference game against Navy.---Online:AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '