Oakland @ Kansas City preview
Kauffman Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2010 ) Oakland 3, Kansas City 1
Zack Greinke has not been able to put together a prolonged stretch of consistent outings this season.
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner has a handful of starts left to turn things around, starting Tuesday night when he takes the mound against the Oakland Athletics in the second of a three-game series.
Greinke (8-12) will be looking to end a four-start winless streak, one in which he has three no-decisions and has pitched eight innings in three of the outings.
Unlike a year ago, when Greinke compiled a spectacular 2.16 ERA, the 26-year-old right-hander has been prone to the big inning this season.
Cases in point: He allowed three runs in the fifth inning in a 4-3 loss at Minnesota on Wednesday. And in his start prior to that one, he coughed up a 4-0 lead by surrendering four runs to Detroit in the seventh inning of an eventual 9-5 defeat.
At least Greinke will be facing one of his favorite opponents. He is 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA in 12 appearances - eight starts - in his career against Oakland.
Of course, that one loss came earlier this season in a matchup against today's opposing starter, Gio Gonzalez.
A left-hander who will turn 25 on Sunday, Gonzalez (14-8) has blossomed for the Athletics this season.
He has won his last four starts, allowing just five runs in 25 2/3 innings. Gonzalez also is riding a stretch of nine consecutive starts in which he has not yielded more than six hits.
One of the keys for Gonzalez this season is keeping opposing hitters in the ballpark. Last season, he surrendered 14 home runs in just 98 2/3 innings. This year, he has allowed only 13 blasts in 179 2/3 innings.
When he matched up with Greinke on July 16 in Kansas City, Gonzalez stymied the Royals on one run and seven hits in seven innings of a 6-2 victory.
Greinke allowed five runs – two earned – on four hits over six innings in that loss. Two errors, including one of his own, led to his demise.
Kansas City committed three errors in Monday’s 3-1 loss to Oakland. It was the second three-error game in the last four for the Royals, who have lost six of their last seven contests.
Mike Aviles had three of Kansas City’s seven hits and accounted for its only run with a solo homer Monday.
Despite scratching out just four hits in the series opener, the Athletics won for the fourth time in five games.