PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jacob Stallings has 19 hits in parts of three major league seasons http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/a … ock-jersey , and the rookie third-string catcher has made a some of them count.Stallings hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.It was Stallings’ second career game-ending hit. After Jordan Luplow grounded into a double play, Kevin Kramer walked and moved to second on Kevin Newman’s single. Stallings then singled into left field off Ben Lively (0-3) for his third hit of the game, scoring Kramer.Stallings was not in the original lineup. He was told 2½ hours before the game he would be subbing for ailing Francisco Cervelli.“It was pretty similar to my other one, same spot and same kind of pitch,” Stallings said. “It was good to help the team on short notice. It was fun to come through for the guys.”Stallings has spent the last three years shuttling between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis while stuck on the organizational depth chart behind Cervelli and Elias Diaz.“The biggest thing for me is staying ready,” said Stallings, whose father, Kevin, was the University of Pittsburgh’s basketball coach for two seasons before being fired in March. “On a day like today, when I’m not ready to play, I’m still ready. You get paranoid because you never know what might happen.”Stallings has made a good impression on Pirates manager Clint Hurdle.“He puts his foot down early and hits the ball hard where it’s pitched. Old-school hitting,” Hurdle said. “He’s done a very professional job on everything he’s done.”The Pirates scored twice with two outs in the eighth inning to tie the game at 6-all. The first run scored when first baseman Ryan O’Hearn failed to handle a throw from third baseman Hunter Dozier on a grounder by Pablo Reyes. Starling Marte followed with an RBI triple.Newman had three of Pittsburgh’s 16 hits as the rookie shortstop extended his hitting streak to six games and helped the Pirates win for the ninth time in 12 games.Edgar Santana (3-3) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.O’Hearn led off the top of the eighth with his 11th home run in 36 games since making his debut July 31 and gave the Royals a two-run lead.Josh Bell drew Pittsburgh to 5-4 in the seventh with a run-scoring single.O’Hearn’s RBI double capped a four-run fifth inning and put the Royals on top 5-3 following consecutive run-scoring singles by Adalberto Mondesi, Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez.Gordon doubled in the game’s first run in top of the third inning and Corey Dickerson countered with an RBI single in the bottom half. Adam Frazier’s two-run single in the fourth gave the Pirates a short-lived 3-1 lead.Kansas City’s Brad Keller allowed four runs and 10 hits in six-plus innings. Pittsburgh’s Joe Musgrove also pitched six innings, giving up five runs and eight hits.Keller got his first major league hit when he singled off Musgrove to lead off the fifth inning. It came in Keller’s second career at-bat after he struck out in the second.Keller was in line for his team-high ninth win until the Royals squandered the lead. He was selected from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Rule 5 Draft in December after having never pitched above Class A.“He got us into the seventh and did a great job of doing that,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. “He threw the ball really, really well. He put us in position to win.”O’Hearn’s homer to right field off Steven Brault was the first allowed by the left-hander in 117 career plate appearances against left-handed batters.TRAINER’S ROOMPirates: 2B Frazier (right knee discomfort) left for a pinch-runner immediately after hitting his double. . Cervelli (flu-like symptoms) was on deck ready to pinch-hit when Stallings delivered the game-winning hit. . Diaz (strained right hamstring) has been cleared to play after sitting out since Aug. 31. . Pitching coach Ray Searage underwent cervical surgery and assistant pitching coach Justin Meccage is taking his place.AND 31 YEARS LATER .Royals 2B Whit Merrifield played his first game in Pittsburgh. Merrifield’s father, Bill Yasmany Tomas Jersey , was called up by the Pirates for one day late in the 1987 season then sent to instructional league to make the conversion from third baseman to first baseman.Bill Merrifield did not appear in a game and never returned to the major leagues.REMEMBERING MACA moment of silence was held for rapper/singer Mac Miller, who died last week. Miller was a Pittsburgh native and Pirates’ fan.UP NEXTRoyals: LHP Eric Skoglund (1-5, 6.19) makes his third appearance and second start Tuesday night since being sidelined from May 26-Sept. 6 with a sprained ligament in his left elbow.Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (13-9, 3.37) has allowed three earned runs or less in 19 straight starts. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The retirement of Joe Mauer freed up an annual $23 million allocation from Minnesota’s payroll and the free agent market remains wide open with spring training just a week away.Now, though, is not the time for the Twins to spend. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine of the front office are instead focused on pushing several underperforming young players for more.Don’t mistake the upcoming season for a teardown, not with Nelson Cruz as the offseason acquisition on a $14 million salary, but the Twins aren’t exactly on the verge of a World Series. Their relatively quiet winter said as much, along with the hiring of 37-year-old Rocco Baldelli as the youngest manager in the major leagues.“Buying wins just through free agency is a little bit of fool’s gold,” Falvey said. “You need to invest in the group that you have, and I feel really good about ours.”That starts with center fielder Byron Buxton and third baseman Miguel Sano, the long-linked duo of 25-year-olds that has a long way to go to reach franchise cornerstone status. Both players had a particularly rough 2018 season, a setback that, fair or not, contributed to the firing of manager Paul Molitor after a 78-84 finish.One of the first items on Baldelli’s to-do list was to travel to the Atlanta area and the Dominican Republic to start getting to know Buxton and Sano.“Just getting down there and spending just a little bit of time and having a meal and giving them the chance to talk about the things that they want to talk about, I think, was very important,” Baldelli said.With Cruz, C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/a … ler-jersey , the Twins have added three players who’ve each hit the 30-homer mark within the past two seasons. Cron also came with an established relationship with Baldelli, who came from the coaching staff with Tampa Bay, where Cron played in 2018.“Rocco’s the man,” Cron said. “I have nothing but good things to say about him.”The first pitchers and catchers workout is set for Feb. 14 in Fort Myers, Florida.NEW LOOKCron will replace Mauer at first base. Schoop will take over at second base for Brian Dozier, one of the seven veterans traded last summer in the dismantling triggered by a disappointing start that saw the Twins fall to 12 games out of first place by the Fourth of July. The addition of Cruz ought to make the biggest impact. The six-time All-Star, who will serve as the primary designated hitter, averaged 41 home runs over the last five seasons. The 38-year-old was targeted for his presence in the clubhouse, too, which could prove particularly helpful for his fellow Dominican, Sano.ROOKIES TO WATCHDespite the focus on developing players, the Twins are not actually that young. They probably won’t have any position players under 25 on the opening day roster. All-Star Jose Berrios, who is 24, is the only significant player in that age bracket. Thus, no legitimate 2019 American League Rookie of the Year candidates will be in camp.Two of the organization’s top prospects, however, will be there as non-roster invitees: shortstop Royce Lewis and outfielder Alex Kirilloff. Lewis, the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, and Kirilloff Chris Owings Jersey , the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft, each finished last season with Class A Cedar Rapids.THEY’RE SETTwins starters were only 22nd in MLB with a collective 4.54 ERA last year, but the rotation looks stable. Berrios, Kyle Gibson and Jake Odorizzi each made 32 starts last season, with Odorizzi carrying the strongest potential for improvement after a career-worst 4.49 ERA in his first year in Minnesota. Though injuries limited him in several seasons, recent signee Martin Perez first cracked the rotation with Texas in 2012. Michael Pineda, who sat out last year to complete the rehab of his elbow following Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, has 687 strikeouts in 680 career innings and will make a guaranteed $8 million.THEY’RE NOTThe most unsettled spot is the closer role. Newcomer Blake Parker handled that last season for the Los Angeles Angels, and Trevor Hildenberger, Trevor May and Taylor Rogers each recorded saves after Fernando Rodney was traded last summer. Addison Reed has the most ninth-inning experience. Those five relievers are near-locks for the opening day roster, but there are still two or three bullpen spots open.ON DECKIf Buxton can get back into a groove, Max Kepler can increase his power and 2018 team MVP award winner Eddie Rosario can pick up where he left off last summer, the Twins would boast one of the most skilled outfield trios in baseball. Baldelli’s moves will be worth watching over the coming weeks, too, for clues about how the bullpen and the lineup will be arranged leading up to the season opener on March 28 against Cleveland.