Seattle @ Kansas City preview
Kauffman Stadium
Last Meeting ( Apr 27, 2010 ) Seattle 3, Kansas City 2
The Kansas City Royals’ bullpen hasn’t been helping the starting rotation much this season. But Gil Meche hasn’t been making it easy on himself, either.
The Royals will be looking to bounce back for another tough loss when they close out a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Kansas City owns the worst team ERA in the American League (5.07) due mainly to a major league-worst bullpen that has blown up to the tune of a 6.61 ERA. Take away All-Star closer Joakim Soria and his 2.00 mark and the team looks even worse.
It was Josh Rupe doing the damage in the second game of the series on Tuesday, coughing up three runs while managing to secure one out in the eighth inning to hand the Mariners a 3-2 victory.
Rupe’s meltdown came in relief of reigning Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke, who tossed seven scoreless innings and struck out five. Greinke leads the team with a 2.56 ERA and 27 strikeouts but has yet to record a win – angering fantasy owners everywhere.
Meche, on the other hand, has had no problem digging his own holes in the early going. The former ace of the Royals staff, Meche owns an embarrassing 11.37 ERA and is coming off a loss at the Minnesota Twins on Friday in which he walked five and yielded four runs in just 3 1/3 innings.
Seattle hasn’t always been the best matchup for Meche, who owns a career 2-2 record with a 5.57 ERA in six starts against the team with whom he spent the first six seasons of his career.
Kansas City’s pitching staff has masked strong offensive starts for a number of players, including former Mariner Jose Guillen, who is batting .329 with seven homers so far after managing just nine blasts in 2009.
Guillen and company will be taking their cuts Wednesday against left-hander Ryan-Rowland-Smith. The big Australian has yet to earn a win in four tries this season and is coming off a shaky outing against the Chicago White Sox on Friday in which he allowed three home runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Rowland-Smith has had a difficult time reigning in his command, issuing 10 walks in 23 1/3 innings against just five strikeouts.
The Mariners got offensive support on Tuesday from Franklin Gutierrez, Jose Lopez and Milton Bradley, each of whom recorded an RBI in the decisive eighth inning. Gutierrez finished with two hits and leads the team with a .367 batting average.