New York @ Kansas City preview
Kauffman Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 13, 2010 ) NY Yankees 3, Kansas City 4
The Kansas City Royals outlasted some nasty weather on Friday in order to snap their five-game losing streak. Now they look to post consecutive wins for the first time this month.
The Royals go for their second straight victory on Saturday when they host the New York Yankees in the third contest of their four-game series.
With the game-time temperature at Kauffman Stadium at 98 degrees, Kansas City opened a 3-0 lead in the second inning before New York answered with three runs of its own in the third.
Heavy rain accompanied by lightning halted play for 31 minutes that inning and, after a brief resumption, more storms held up the game for over two hours in the fifth - but not before Billy Butler's 11th home run of the season gave the Royals a 4-3 edge.
Jesse Chavez and Blake Wood combined for three scoreless innings before Kansas City turned things over to Joakim Soria, who made things interesting in the ninth. After Alex Rodriguez's two-out single - New York's second hit of the frame - put runners on first and third, Soria induced a groundout by Robinson Cano, nailing down his 25th consecutive save and 32nd in 34 opportunities this year.
Each of the Royals' last five wins have been by one run, as have four of their last seven losses.
Kansas City, which is 1-1 on its season-high 10-game homestand, will attempt to win consecutive games for the first time since July 31-Aug. 1 when it sends Sean O'Sullivan to the mound.
Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on July 22, O'Sullivan still is in search of his first win as a member of the Royals. In his first four starts with the club, the right-hander is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA.
O'Sullivan picked up a win in his last outing as a member of the Angels, allowing two runs and two hits in six innings of a 10-2 triumph at Yankee Stadium on July 20. Five days later, the 22-year-old did not fare nearly as well on New York's home turf in his Royals debut, surrendering five runs and seven hits over five frames in a 12-6 loss.
Like the Royals, the Yankees have had their share of one-run games of late. Each of New York's last five contests were decided by a lone run, with the Yankees dropping three.
Making the start for the Yankees on Saturday will be Phil Hughes, who has lost four of his last seven decisions after winning 10 of his first 11. He turned in a strong performance at home against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, allowing two runs and six hits in six innings, but was saddled with the loss in a 2-1 setback.
Hughes is 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA in four career games, including one relief appearance, against Kansas City. On July 25, the 24-year-old gave up three runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings in a 12-6 victory at Yankee Stadium vs. the Royals.
In eight starts on the road this year, Hughes is 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA.