Oakland @ Kansas City preview
Kauffman Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 14, 2010 ) Oakland 3, Kansas City 11
The Kansas City Royals don't need more convincing that Oakland's Trevor Cahill is among the game's best young pitchers.
In just his second season, Cahill has already beaten the Royals three times in four starts.
The 22-year-old right-hander will look to remain perfect against Kansas City when the Athletics and Royals meet in the rubber game of a three-game series Wednesday night.
Cahill (16-6) could have his hands full with a Kansas City lineup that walloped three home runs in an 11-3 romp over the Athletics on Tuesday night.
He will be hard-pressed to match his last outing against the Royals. On Aug. 2, Cahill tossed a three-hit shutout against Kansas City - the only complete game of his brief career.
It was the best of a string of superb performances turned in by Cahill in the past two months. He has surrendered three runs or less in nine of his last 10 starts.
Cahill has not allowed a run in his last two outings, blanking the Los Angeles Angels on four hits over six innings and shutting out the Boston Red Sox on three hits over seven innings his last time out.
It marked the fourth time in his last nine starts that Cahill did not allow a run as he lowered his ERA to 2.61 - third lowest in the American League – and became the first Oakland pitcher to win 16 games since Barry Zito and Joe Blanton had 16 in 2006.
That has elevated him into Cy Young contention despite starting the season in the minor leagues and not making his first start until April 30.
The Royals got home runs from Mike Aviles, Kila Ka'aihue and Wilson Betemit in taking an 11-0 lead after just three innings in Tuesday’s game.
Betemit went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, giving him nine hits in his last 18 at-bats and raising his batting average to .313. Aviles also homered and had three hits for the second straight game.
Bruce Chen (9-7) will take the mound tonight for Kansas City in his third attempt to win his 10th game of the season.
With his 10th team in 12 seasons, the 33-year-old left-hander has posted double-digit victories just once in his career, going 13-10 with Baltimore in 2005.
Chen also started the year in the minors, was elevated to a role in the bullpen in April and forced into the starting rotation due to injuries at the end of May.
He turned in one of his best performances of the season in his last start, limiting the Chicago White Sox to one run and four hits in seven innings of an eventual 4-3 loss.