Kansas City @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 10, 2007 ) Philadelphia 5, Kansas City 17

The Philadelphia Phillies stumbled out of the gate. Then Cliff Lee took the mound, and suddenly they have a little momentum entering the home opener Friday afternoon against the Kansas City Royals. After Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay struggled in their season debuts, Lee sparkled in a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday as Philadelphia got into the win column. He yielded just two hits and struck out eight.

The Royals followed an almost identical pattern, dropping their first two in Chicago before Jeremy Guthrie climbed the hill Thursday and shut down the White Sox in a 3-1 victory. Guthrie's effort helped Kansas City gain some measure of satisfaction from its opening series despite the fact that it produced just five runs on 17 hits in the three games. The Royals, expected to provide some pop with a handful of quality young hitters, are batting .177 thus far.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Kansas City (Kansas City), Comcast SportsNet (Philadelphia)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Wade Davis (2012: 3-0, 2.43 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Kyle Kendrick (11-12, 3.90)

Friday marks two major events for Davis. Not only is he making his Royals debut but he is also returning to the starting role after being a featured part of the Tampa Bay bullpen last year. He was exceptional as a reliever, but the Royals were intent on having him arrive as a starter as part of the trade that also brought James Shields to Kansas City and sent top prospect Wil Myers to Tampa Bay. One of Davis' rockiest relief outings last year came at Philadelphia on June 24, when he gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. Davis posted four wins and a 1.29 ERA in Cactus League action.

Kendrick's results this spring were quite different (1-3, 6.88 ERA), but the right-hander has earned the right to be first in line after the power trio of Hamels, Halladay and Lee. Kendrick established a career high in strikeouts in 2012 while recording double digits in victories for the fourth time in six seasons with Philadelphia. Like Davis, Kendrick spent some time in the bullpen last year but became a full-time member of the rotation as the season wore on and finished 7-3 with a 2.43 ERA in his last 10 outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Billy Butler and Mike Moustakas, the Royals' 3-4 hitters, are both 1-for-11 and have combined for seven strikeouts through the first three games.

2. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins played in his 1,795th game Thursday, moving into second place on the franchise leaderboard. He is 609 games behind Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.

3. This marks Kansas City's second visit to Philadelphia since the 1980 World Series. The Royals dropped two of three at Citizens Bank Park in 2004.

PREDICTION: Phillies 5, Rays 3