KANSAS CITY, Mo. Von Miller Broncos Jersey . -- Kris Medlen is perfectly happy throwing crisp, pinpoint 89-mph fastballs, especially if the alternative is to throw 100-mph heat while living on the edge. That would be the life of Braves closer Craig Kimbrel. Both of them did their duty on Tuesday night in Atlantas first visit to Kansas City. Medlen outpitched the Royals Ervin Santana to position himself for the win, and Kimbrel survived a shaky ninth to preserve a 4-3 victory in the opener of their two-game series. "You know how stressful it is trying to locate 89 every pitch?" Medlen deadpanned. "Its not very fun, but its a tough skill to do. Its why Im hanging around." Why hes excelling, too. Medlen (5-7) improved to 4-1 in June. The victory wasnt without drama once he left the game, though. Jordan Walden had to pitch around a leadoff walk to get out of the eighth inning, and Kimbrel got into the same trouble in the ninth. But he did one worse, allowing a single to David Lough and letting him swipe second base to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with nobody out. Kimbrel recovered to strike out Elliot Johnson and Jarrod Dyson, and then intentionally walked Alex Gordon to load the bases for Alcides Escobar. He flied out to right on the first pitch he saw to end the game, giving Kimbrel his 11th straight save and 22nd of the season. "Whenever you walk the leadoff batter in a one-run ballgame," he said, "it puts you in a sticky situation, but we were able to work out of it." Jason Heyward drove in a pair of runs with a double in the fifth, and then broke a seventh-inning tie with his solo shot off Tim Collins (2-2). It was his sixth homer of the season. Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer in the fifth for the Royals. "We had a lot of opportunities," Johnson said. "We didnt make the most of them." In a curious twist to interleague play, the Royals had played 142 games against NL teams at Kauffman Stadium without a visit by Atlanta. If not for last years All-Star Game at the K, longtime Braves third baseman Chipper Jones would have retired having never played in the park. Their debut wound up being dominated by pitching. The Royals scratched out their first run off Medlen in the first when Alex Gordon reached on a single, took second on an error and went to third on a sacrifice bunt. But he was caught in a rundown on a grounder by Hosmer, who reached second before Gordon was tagged out. Hosmer scored on Billy Butlers ensuing single. That was all the Royals would muster off Medlen until Escobar managed a two-out single in the fifth. The resurgent Hosmer followed with his tying two-run shot over the right-field wall, his fourth home run of the season but third in 10 games. It proved to be timely, too, coming just after the Braves pulled ahead. Ervin Santana had struck out five through the first three innings, but began running into trouble the second time through the Braves power-packed lineup. But it wasnt home runs that gave them the lead, but a series of singles and doubles. Chris Johnson led off the fifth with a double, and Andrelton Simmons put runners on the corners with his base hit. Jordan Schafer tied the game 1-all on his double, and Heywards double down the right-field line gave the Braves a 3-1 lead. "I felt very good the whole game," Santana said. "I just missed a couple of pitches, and they made good adjustments on them." Heyward didnt hit his double particularly hard. The homer off Collins was crushed. Heyward greeted a 0-2 pitch from the Royals diminutive left-hander with a ferocious swing, sending the ball soaring over the wall in right field and giving the Braves a 4-3 lead. "I was just looking for a pitch in the zone to hit," he said. "Looking for a pitch in the zone to hit right there and try not to miss it. Put a good swing on it." A good enough swing to give Kimbrel a chance to create some ninth-inning drama. "Its not the way you draw it up," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of the living-on-the-edge save, "but well take it." Notes: The Braves began the day with 96 homers, tied with Colorado for first in the National League. Theyre now 41-9 when they hit a homer and 4-23 when they do not. ... Braves OF Justin Upton was the DH after missing two games with a sore right hand. ... The Royals recalled LHP Will Smith and optioned RHP Kelvin Herrera to Triple-A Omaha. ... LHP Mike Minor pitches for the Braves on Wednesday night. RHP Luis Mendoza goes for the Royals on Wednesday night. John Elway Youth Jersey . They are back to a game above .500 on the year and back to .500 on the road. It was their 10th extra time game of the year, and only the second one that did not got to a shootout. Drew Lock Jersey . Canada wasnt in the game from the outset. Head coach Dan Church left Calgary in the morning without addressing the players. He told The Canadian Press he felt the organization lacked confidence in his ability to defend the Olympic gold medal in February. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-joe-flacco-broncos-jerseys/ . This week they discuss the Philadelphia 76ers, Gregg Popovich, Royal and Ancient Golf Club and Bill Belichick.HOUSTON -- Xavier Sua-Filo had a two-year layoff between his first season of football at UCLA and his final two years, thanks to a Mormon mission. The guard, taken by the Texans with the first pick in the second round on Friday night, believes the time off helped him improve as a player and a person. "Obviously I was away from the game for two years, but I think it helped me be physically more mature and mentally more mature and helped me just become a better football player," he said. "When I came back I was an older guy. I was more suited to be a leader at UCLA. I look at it all positive." Despite a need at quarterback, the Texans went with another position again after selecting defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday night. They continued that trend in the third when they took Iowa tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz with the 65th pick. Houston traded the first pick in the fourth round (101st overall) and the first pick in the fifth round (141) to the Eagles to move up and select Notre Dame nose tackle Louis Nix at No. 83. Despite their need at quarterback, the Texans have also drafted defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick and guard Xavier Sua-Filo in the second round and picked up tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz with the 65th overall pick. Nix started eight games in 2013 and finished with 27 tackles and two tackles for losses. Houston general manager Rick Smith said Friday night that he still believes there are some good quarterbacks left in the draft. "Weve done a lot of work on quarterbacks throughout the process because it is a position -- wed like to be able to draft quarterbacks and develop young quarterbacks and thats certainly something that we want to do," Smith said. "But we will always do that with corresponding value. So if theres an opportunity for us to do that (Saturday), we certainly will entertain that." In 2009, Sua-Filo became the first true freshman in UCLA history to start 13 games before leaving for his mission in Alabama and Floriida. Drew Lock Womens Jersey. He picked up right where he left off in 2012 when he started 14 games at left guard for an offence that averaged 466.5 yards a game. He split time between left guard and left tackle last season and won the Morris Trophy as the Pac 12s top offensive lineman. Sua-Filo isnt sure how the Texans will use him, but hes looking forward to showcasing his versatility in Houston. "I can play either," he said. "I just want to get in there and I want to compete and contribute and help the team as best as I can." Fiedorowicz had 30 receptions for 299 yards and six touchdowns last season. Houston re-signed tight end Garrett Graham this off-season, but lost tight end Owen Daniels in free agency. The 6-5, 265-pound Fiedorowicz said he has always looked up to New England tight end Rob Gronkowski and that despite his own skill as a blocker he wants to prove he can be a well-rounded tight end. "I feel like Im going to really prove to everybody that Im a dual-threat," he said. "Im going to catch the ball, Im going to block on the edge and do everything (OBrien) asks." Sua-Filo has fashioned his game after veteran New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins and raved about his skills. "I love the way he plays," Sua-Filo said. "I think hes physical. I think hes nasty. You know, I try to implement as much from his game that I can." The 6-foot-4, 307-pound Sua-Filo, perhaps unsurprisingly, is looking forward to the culinary delights in Houston. "The whole state of Texas is pretty great, but Im looking forward to eating at Pappadeaux and Whataburger," he said of the Houston-based Cajun restaurant and the burger-chain, which started in Corpus Christi, Texas. Nix started eight games in 2013 and finished with 27 tackles and two tackles for losses. He cant wait to join a defensive line with 2012 Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and Clowney. "I never thought ever in life that would happen," Nix said. "Im super excited." ' ' '