KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Royals finished this season a long way from where they finished last season.In time, location and record.Instead of capping a World Series championship on a crisp November night in New York, the Royals ended their year with a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians on a mild Sunday afternoon in early October.It left them 81-81, their first non-winning season in four years.We were just one win away from having a winning season, Royals manager Ned Yost said. We had four cracks at it at the end of the year and just couldnt get it. Offensively, we just couldnt do it.The Tigers loss to the Braves coupled with the Red Soxs loss to the Blue Jays gave Cleveland (94-67) homefield advantage in the divisional round. The newly minted AL Central champions open against Boston (93-69) on Thursday at Progressive field with Trevor Bauer slated to take the hill.You get to the last weekend of the year, you see a lot of guys kind of tailing off, said Francona, who has yet to win a postseason game in Cleveland. Our guys never did that.Not even in their regular-season finale.Josh Tomlin (13-9) dueled with the Royals Ian Kennedy (11-11) into the eighth before finally pulling ahead. Carlos Santana drew a walk off Kennedy to start the inning, Jason Kipnis followed with a double and Francisco Lindor hit a fly ball deep enough to right field for the lead.Tomlin got the first batter in the eighth before Andrew Miller finished it up, and Cody Allen handled the ninth to earn his 32nd save and give the Indians a nice boost heading into the playoffs.Ive never really experienced the postseason, said Tomlin, the expected Game 3 starter, so I know Ill be ready when that time comes. We knew we put ourselves in good position.It was a frustrating finale to an injury plagued season for the Royals, who had been to the past two World Series and were coming off their first championship since 1985. A dismal July nearly buried them, an inspired August got them back into contention, and a stumbling finish left them at .500.Meanwhile, there were so many playoff permutations riding on the final day of the regular season that Francona was still trying to sort everything out 3 hours before first pitch.The only thing he knew was his club was playing Boston on Thursday -- somewhere.So, the Indians chose to focus solely on a club theyve dominated this season.They fell into a 1-0 hole when Jarrod Dyson and Whit Merrifield opened the game with doubles off Tomlin, the expected Game 3 starter in the divisional series, but the lead didnt even last the two innings.The Indians answered in the third when Tyler Naquin was plunked by a pitch from Kennedy, and Yan Gomes went deep to left field on the first big league pitch hed seen since July 17.Kansas City tied it up when Cheslor Cuthbert homered leading off the fifth inning.Tomlin wound up allowing two runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings, retiring the final 10 he faced. Kennedy retired 13 in a row during a similar stretch, giving up three runs on four hits in 7 2/3 innings.One mistake, I gave up a home run and it kind of cost me, Kennedy said. Overall, I was really happy how the outing went. At least, I gave our team a real solid chance.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: Gomes, activated from the 60-day DL on Friday, started for the first time since breaking his right hand in a rehab game Sept. 14. Its been a long way back, Gomes said. They said I cant hurt it any more. Youll just have to play through it, play through the pain.Royals: 1B Eric Hosmer missed the finale with a wrist issue hes been battling for weeks. C Sal Perez was the DH to protect an ailing hamstring. ... RHP Dillon Gee is scheduled to have another procedure Oct. 11 for blood clots in his shoulder and lung. The issue popped up during a start in Detroit.UP NEXTIndians: The chase begins for their first playoff victory since 2007, when they lost to the Red Sox -- managed by Francona -- in a seven-game AL championship series.Royals: Time to think about next season. General manager Dayton Moore has some roster decisions to make, including whether to exercise team options on SS Alcides Escobar and RHP Wade Davis. Jerseys NFL Wholesale . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. China NFL Jerseys . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. http://www.cheapauthenticnfljerseys.net/ .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. NFL Jerseys Cheap . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Cheap China Jerseys . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. YAS MARINA, Abu Dhabi -- Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are like chalk and cheese. From their very different childhoods and backgrounds, the two men have grown up into two very different people.Hamilton is the F1 driver as rock star, with his private jets, pop-star and model girlfriends, and a life that makes for excellent tabloid fodder. In contrast, Rosberg features in the papers for his work at race weekends, and in the times between can be found focussing on either his training or his family.But where the two men really differ is in their public approaches to the title fight, from Hamiltons heart-on-sleeve burning passion that used to manifest itself in the odd bit of win or wall behaviour, to Rosbergs one race at a time approach to the title.Both men will line up on the grid for Sundays #DuelInTheDesert 2016 season finale with nine wins apiece under their belts, and both have delivered some exceptional performances -- and some rather less stellar -- over the course of the past nine months.Even after Hamilton claimed the final pole position of the 2016 season on Saturday night at Yas Marina, Rosbergs approach (with the media, at least) was to persist in taking the last round of the title fight as one more racing weekend.Speaking at the official FIA post-qualifying press conference in Abu Dhabi, Rosberg continued to be measured in his responses to the questions posed by both the media as a whole and the conference moderator, telling the world that he would go for the win on Sunday.I came here to try and be on pole and try and win the race tomorrow, thats what I want to do, Rosberg said. So I cant be satisfied by today, Lewis just did a good job and was a couple of tenths quicker. It just wasnt possible for me to do that time today, even though we gave it everything. But as you know there will still be possibilities tomorrow, and for sure Ill try and go for the win.Adrenaline is always there in qualifying, but thats what is great about it. To go on the edge and push flat out. I was feeling good out there I had a really good balance and I was quite pleased. As qualifying went on it felt better and better, I got a good lap in in the end in Q3, but not enough.It is hard to argue with the efficcacy of Rosbergs approach, as the German driver has spent more time leading the championship standings this season than Hamilton.dddddddddddd But among certain corners of the media -- German and British alike, lest you think nationality play a part in press room criticism -- there is a clear lack of appetite for Nico as world champion. His calm approach and carefully managed statements to the press are perceived by many as a lack of passion for what should be the ultimate goal of any F1 driver.Cool, calm, and collected are fantastic attributes for a racing driver to possess on track, but from a media perspective all that balance tends to read as dull once the helmet is off and the dictaphones are out. Whatever pride, delight, excitement, and/or enthusiasm Rosberg does or doesnt feel when he secures pole position or takes the chequered flag is a challenge to communicate to the watching or reading fan. Balance can often come across as banal.Hamilton, on the other hand, is human Marmite. People either love him or hate him, and those who fall into the latter category appear -- based on their vociferous feedback below the line or on social media -- to love to hate him. It means that Hamilton can never win, but nor can he ever really lose: as a racing driver, he incites passion both positive and negative among the sports fans.As for banal? Hamilton doesnt know the meaning of the word. Buoyed by success, he is effusive and bubbly, and can sometimes read as cocky. Deflated by a sub-par weekend, the Briton can revert to monosyllabic replies that would put Kimi Raikkonen to shame, or to petulant dramatics.Whatever accusations one might want to level at Hamilton for his behaviour in the press and in public, the three-time champion is pure passion. If he secures a fourth title on Sunday, you can expect tears of joy, heart-on-sleeve speechifying, and an awful lot of human drama. And if the trophy goes to Rosberg? The paddocks TV crews will all be aiming their cameras at Hamilton with a view to getting the emotional response everyone is looking for after a long year on the road. ' ' '