days, an unusual summer occurrence in Arlington.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: RHP Luke Hochevar was placed on the 15-day disabled list with symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome.Rangers: LHP Derek Holland

LONG POND, Pa. -- Chris Buescher sat in his Ford, hoping that the fog would stick over Pocono and the cloud over the rookies middling season would start to lift.Buescher idled in his car, then stood with his arms folded on pit road.I tried not to get my hopes up, he said.Buescher emerged from the fog to become a surprising winner in Mondays shortened Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. He is now on the verge of being in the mix for NASCARs championship after not finishing better than 14th all season before Monday.Imagine a title push that kicks off with Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and little-known Buescher in the field.The plan was to always make the Chase, Buescher said. Were that much closer now.Hes not there yet. Buescher is six points behind David Ragan for 30th to reach the cutoff needed to become eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.Buescher, who drives for underfunded Front Row Motorsports, was the beneficiary on a rare Monday race postponed a day by rain. With nasty weather punishing the track, NASCAR called the red flag with 22 laps left and parked the cars on pit road. Buescher was as much a spectator in the No. 34 Ford as the few fans left in the stands, though NASCAR let drivers get out of their cars after about 10 minutes as they waited out gloomy conditions.Im a little scared to get out, Buescher said.No need. He was declared the winner after about an 80-minute delay. He was doused with beer and water in a makeshift victory lane celebration inside a garage stall, his Ford covered on rainy pit road instead of bathed in confetti.Brad Keselowski was second, followed by Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. Jeff Gordon finished 27th driving for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr.In order to qualify for the Chase, drivers must rank 30th or better in points. Buescher will need to find a way to climb higher over Ragan in the final five races before the Chase field is set.Buescher won twice last season in the Xfinity Series and won the series championship. He will spend 2016 as basically the fourth Jack Roush driver because of a shared technical alliance between the organizations.He finished 30th or worse 10 times this season. Ragan had Front Rows only victory 118 races ago in fall 2013 at Talladega.Veteran crew chief Bob Osborne gambled with the decision to keep Buescher on the track while others made pit stops with 28 laps left. Once the cars were halted, Buescher and his crew rooted for the rain and fog to stick around. At one point, the 23-year-old Buescher, a former ARCA champion, rested against a fence and was swarmed by fans and photographers wanting a picture before the race was even called.Im trying to remember every rain dance Ive ever learned, he said in the car.Buescher is now on the brink of becoming the first Chase bracket buster. Led by four-time winners Busch and Keselowski, there are 11 slots seemingly set for race winners, and Buescher would make 12. Jamie McMurray, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, and Kyle Larson are among the four winless drivers battling for the final four spots.This is going to change our whole year right here, Buescher said.Drivers with a Chase spot secured enjoyed Bueschers feel-good victory that broke up the recent Toyota hot streak.I told him, `If I couldnt win, it was cool to see him win, Keselowski said.NASCAR defended dragging out the decision to call the race, even as severe storms hit a track where a fan was killed by a lightning strike in 2012.We never lost the track, said Steve ODonnell, NASCARs chief racing development officer. I think most NASCAR fans want to see a complete race.Here are other items of note from Mondays race:SO CLOSEWith rain looming toward the halfway point, Larson and Dillon engaged in a thrilling five-lap battle for first. Larson kept his tight lead with a timely block of Dillon just two laps shy of the halfway point. Dillon dipped low and briefly snagged the lead, only for Larson to snatch it right back at the halfway point that made the race official.But Larson and Dillon took their door-to-door battle on the high line, allowing Joey Logano to swoop low and seize the lead in one of the most exciting mid-race moves of the season. Logano, the 2015 Daytona 500 champion, pulled away in the fog -- but Elliott got loose and turned Logano into the wall with 55 laps left in the race and sent his 22 to the garage.FLAT TRUEXMartin Truex Jr. run up front from the pole was a short one, the former Pocono winners race derailed by a flat right front tire. Truex led 16 laps early until the tire blew and forced him to pit road for repairs. He had multiple issues once he returned to the track and finished 38th.Truex has one win this season and won the June 2015 Pocono race. Truex said his No. 78 Toyota was strong enough to contend for a victory.A lug nut spun off, hit the ground, bounced behind the wheel somehow and knocked the inner valve stem off, he said.GORDONS RUNJeff Gordons track record for wins remains at six. Gordon, filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the second straight week, battled a seat belt issue and finished 27th. Earnhardt missed his third straight race because he suffers from symptoms of a concussion. Hendrick Motorsports has not said who will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet on Sunday at Watkins Glen.UP NEXT:Logano is the defending race winner at Watkins Glen.---This story has been corrected to show that winning is not a requirement to qualifying for the Chase.Eddie Murray Jersey . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. Ross Stripling Jersey . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/1505h-eddie-murray-jersey-dodgers.html . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Russell Martin Jersey . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Pedro Martinez Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yordano Venturas first career complete game wasnt enough to get the Kansas City Royals their first winning streak this month.Mitch Morelands second home run of the game broke a tie in the eighth inning and Cole Hamels earned his 12th win of the season as the Royals lost to the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night.The Royals came to Texas to open a four-game weekend series on the heels of a 7-5 home win over the Los Angeles Angels that snapped a four-game losing streak. Theyre 4-9 since the All-Star break, havent won consecutive games since June 29-30, and have fallen nine games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central.In Wednesdays win, the Royals snapped an 18-inning scoreless streak. In Thursdays loss, Kansas City managed six hits off Hamels (12-2) and closer Sam Dyson and went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position.When Royals manager Ned Yost was asked how his team can emerge from its slump, his blunt answer referred to such struggles at the plate.Start stinking hitting, he said. Its as simple as that. Start hitting and start getting some run production.Ventura (6-9) allowed only four hits, but three were home runs. That included the second of Mitch Morelands two shots, both to the opposite field, which broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning.Ventura struck out six and walked only one. He said through a translator that he was able to do with the ball what he wanted, keep it low in the strike zone.I hate that the result was what it was, but I thought he pitched a great game, Yost said. He got out on a couple of pitches but less than a handful. He really stayed within himself.In Venturas last six starts, he has five losses and a no-decision. His most recent win came on June 17.The game was a pitching rematch of the Rangers 7-4 win in Kansas City last Saturday, with the same pitchers of record. Hamels 123 pitches on Thursday night were 10 more than his previous high for the year. Since the All-Star break, hes 3-0 with a 00.dddddddddddd84 ERA and .190 opponents batting average.Hes our front-end guy, Texas manager Jeff Banister said. I mean, hes our ace. Hes the guy that sits in the front of that rotation.Paulo Orlandos second home run of the season, and first since May 17, was pulled well beyond the 14-foot wall in left field and gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead.Kansas City broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth when Raul Mondesis topper to shortstop scored Alex Gordon. Gordon had singled and advanced to third on a blooper to center by Brett Eibner that broke an 0-for-19 streak.JUST PLAYING AROUNDWhen Rougned Odor homered off Ventura in the second inning, the two exchanged stares. Both are known to get emotional on the field, but Ventura said they were simply having fun.Even though were not on the same team, I have a good friendship with him, Ventura said through the translator. It was a bad pitch. Odor is a good fastball hitter, and I missed my location.SHORT HOPSThe first son of Royals 3B Cheslor Cuthbert was born on Thursday morning in Venezuela. . Texas also didnt have a hit with runners in scoring position because it didnt have an at-bat in such a situation. . The game began after a 35-minute rain delay. It was the second rain delay in three days, an unusual summer occurrence in Arlington.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: RHP Luke Hochevar was placed on the 15-day disabled list with symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome.Rangers: LHP Derek Holland (shoulder) is expected to throw a bullpen session on Friday. One of the scheduled hitters is RF Shin Soo-Choo (hamstring strain).UP NEXTFriday nights game will be a pitching rematch of Sunday afternoons 2-1 Texas win at Kauffman Stadium in which each starter allowed one run and got a no-decision. Royals RHP Edinson Volquez (8-8) allowed seven hits in six innings, Rangers RHP A.J. Griffin (3-1) four hits in five innings. ' ' '