Kansas City @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 20, 2010 ) Kansas City 3, Toronto 4

Vernon Wells versus Zack Greinke. Who ya got?
That's the most intriguing matchup of Wednesday's final game of the three-game series between the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Greinke will start on the hill for the Royals, who are hoping to avoid a sweep. Wells will surely be in the lineup for the Blue Jays looking to continue his blazing start to the season.
The two stars of Wednesday's game, Greinke and Wells entered 2010 with much different expectations. Greinke was coming off an AL Cy Young Award season in 2009, when he was the most dominant pitcher in the American League. He had a 2.16 ERA, 242 strikeouts and was looked at as a rising superstar with unlimited potential for 2010. Wells was coming off a poor three-year span that saw his numbers dip considerably across the board, and he basically was viewed as a has-been.
Greinke has been good, but not great, in his three starts this year. In 17 2/3 innings, he has allowed seven earned runs. But Greinke hasn't registered a win, and in his last start he walked five batters in five innings. That's a far cry from last season, when Greinke didn't allow a seventh earned run until May 26, and allowed only two earned runs in five April starts.
Wells has defied all expectations and is lighting up the American League. He is batting .364 and is tied for the major league lead with seven home runs. He also has 12 RBIs, six doubles and a 1.308 OPS.
It will be interesting to see who gets the better of the matchup. Historically, Greinke has had the upper hand. Wells is batting .211 in 19 at-bats with no homers and three RBIs versus the right-hander. But most of those at-bats came during the 2007-09 seasons, when Wells was not at his best. Wells is on fire right now, and Greinke is still feeling his way through the early part of the year.
In addition, Greinke is only 2-4 with a 5.15 ERA in his career versus the Blue Jays - and an even worse 1-4 with a 7.07 ERA in five starts at Rogers Centre.
One member of the Blue Jays who hits well against Greinke is Lyle Overbay. The first baseman is batting .467 in 15 at-bats versus Greinke with two home runs and five RBIs. Adam Lind also has a home run off Greinke.
Grienke's counterpart on the mound will be Shaun Marcum, who is 3-1 with a 1.09 ERA in his career versus Kansas City. David DeJesus is hitless in 13 at-bats against Marcum, and Jose Guillen has just one hit in 11 at-bats, though it was a home run. Alberto Callaspo and Scott Podsednik are a combined 0-for-5 and Billy Butler is 2-for-9.