Final
Angels-Royals Preview
Aug 13, 2015 - 7:01 AM The Los Angeles Angels may be in the wrong place and facing the wrong opponent to avoid their longest road skid in 46 years, though they could be facing the right pitcher.They have dropped nine straight on the road and seven in a row overall to the AL-best Kansas City Royals, who will send the woeful Jeremy Guthrie to the mound in Thursday night's opener of a four-game set.
Los Angeles (59-54) totaled four runs and batted .196 in a three-game sweep by the Chicago White Sox following Wednesday's 3-2, 13-inning defeat. The Angels are enduring their longest road slide in 22 years after going 1 for 32 with runners in scoring position in the series, including 0 for 15 in the finale.
"We lost that game long before the 13th inning," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We had a lot of opportunities."
A loss Thursday would mark the franchise's fourth double-digit road skid and first since a club-record 14-game stretch April 29-June 8, 1969.
Los Angeles returns to Kansas City for the first time since losing 8-3 in Game 3 of the division series as the Royals completed a sweep. They then swept three games in Anaheim from April 10-12 to run their overall win streak in this series to seven.
Kansas City (68-45) has the AL's best home record at 39-19, though its seven-game win streak there ended with Wednesday's 7-4 loss to Detroit. Manager Ned Yost took the blame for allowing Edinson Volquez to begin the eighth inning with a two-run lead only to see the starter fail to retire the four hitters he faced.
The Royals bullpen has a league-best 2.29 ERA.
"That's my fault, too," Yost said. "I've got a pretty hard fast rule that I don't let my starter get beat in the eighth inning and I did it there."
Yost likely won't give such leeway to Guthrie (8-7, 5.84 ERA), who has the league's worst ERA and is allowing batters to hit .320 for baseball's worst mark. The right-hander has an 8.50 ERA in his last three outings, getting credit for Saturday's 7-6 win over the White Sox despite surrendering six runs over 5 2-3 innings.
Guthrie gave up four runs in seven innings to earn a 6-4 win over the Angels on April 11 after going 0-3 with a 4.75 ERA in his previous five starts against them.
Mike Trout is 6 for 16 with a homer versus Guthrie and Kole Calhoun 4 for 7 with two homers. Albert Pujols is 3 for 17 in the matchup.
Angels starter Garrett Richards (11-9, 3.51) has a 4.84 road ERA compared to a 2.53 at home. He has a 4.19 ERA in eight appearances against the Royals, including two starts.
Alex Rios is 5 for 21 versus the right-hander and Kendrys Morales 2 for 13.
The Royals bullpen could get stronger since Wade Davis may be available after missing the past six games with back stiffness. Davis has never allowed a homer in 65 home games as a reliever with Kansas City.
Drew Butera will get another start at catcher since Salvador Perez is expected to miss a second straight game with a sore left wrist.
- LOS ANGELES: 7
KANSAS CITY: 6
Final
Aug 13 11:56 PM - Calhoun doubled to right, Victorino scored, Giavotella scored.
Angels 7, Royals 5 Top 9, 0 OutsAug 13 11:26 PM - Kole Calhoun doubles to deep right field. Johnny Giavotella scores. Shane Victorino scores.
Angels 7, Royals 5 Top 9, 0 OutsAug 13 11:25 PM - Cron doubled to right, DeJesus scored, C.Perez scored.
Angels 5, Royals 5 Top 9, 0 OutsAug 13 11:20 PM - C.J. Cron doubles to right field. Carlos Perez scores. David DeJesus scores.
Angels 5, Royals 5 Top 9, 0 OutsAug 13 11:19 PM - David Murphy grounds out to second base, Omar Infante to Eric Hosmer. Mike Trout scores.
Angels 3, Royals 5 Top 8, 1 OutAug 13 11:05 PM - Dav.Murphy grounded out, second baseman Infante to first baseman Hosmer, Trout scored.
Angels 3, Royals 5 Top 8, 2 OutsAug 13 11:05 PM - Mike Trout doubles to deep center field. Kole Calhoun scores.
Angels 2, Royals 5 Top 8, 0 OutsAug 13 11:03 PM - Kendrys Morales doubles to deep right center field. Eric Hosmer scores.
Angels 1, Royals 5 Bot 7, 1 OutAug 13 10:47 PM - Eric Hosmer singles to right field. Jarrod Dyson scores.
Angels 1, Royals 4 Bot 7, 1 OutAug 13 10:45 PM - Drew Butera singles to center field. Mike Moustakas scores.
Angels 1, Royals 3 Bot 6, 2 OutsAug 13 10:14 PM - Rios hit a sacrifice fly to right fielder Calhoun, K.Morales scored, Moustakas to third.
Angels 1, Royals 2 Bot 6, 1 OutAug 13 10:10 PM - Alex Rios out on a sacrifice fly to deep right field to Kole Calhoun. Mike Moustakas to third. Kendrys Morales scores.
Angels 1, Royals 2 Bot 6, 0 OutsAug 13 10:10 PM - Conor Gillaspie singles to center field, advances to 2nd. David Murphy scores.
Angels 1, Royals 1 Top 4, 2 OutsAug 13 9:16 PM - L.Cain singled to right, A.Escobar scored, Zobrist to second.
Angels 0, Royals 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 13 8:24 PM - Lorenzo Cain singles to right field. Ben Zobrist to second. Alcides Escobar scores.
Angels 0, Royals 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 13 8:24 PM - Johnny Giavotella lines out to left center field to Ben Zobrist.
Aug 13 8:10 PM - LOS ANGELES: 0
KANSAS CITY: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Aug 13 8:10 PM
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