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Royals-Blue Jays Preview

Jun 6, 2009 - 10:28 PM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Kansas City (23-31) at Toronto (31-26), 1:07 p.m. EDT

After witnessing his main competition for the AL Cy Young Award falter in the opener of this series, Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay will try to avoid the same fate Sunday against the visiting Kansas City Royals.

Halladay will also look to become the major league's first 10-game winner when the Blue Jays wrap up a three-game set with the Royals.

Kansas City's Zack Greinke, who has a major league-best 1.55 ERA, was tagged for a season-high seven runs - five earned - in Toronto's 9-3 win Friday, but the Royals bounced back with Saturday's 6-2 victory to snap a season-worst eight-game slide.

To finish with a winning record on their nine-game homestand, the Blue Jays (31-27) will look to Halladay (9-1, 2.77 ERA) to give them yet another strong performance. In his second complete game of the season Tuesday night, the 2003 Cy Young winner recorded a career-high 14 strikeouts in a 6-4 home victory against the Los Angeles Angels and moved ahead of Greinke for the major league lead in victories.

While winning his sixth straight decision and throwing a career-high 133 pitches, Halladay allowed four runs - all in the seventh inning - and seven singles.

"What he's able to do with that baseball, it's like playing a video game for me," catcher Rob Barajas told the Blue Jays' official Web site. "You know the man is going to go out there and execute his pitches. He's some kind of special."

Halladay, 8-3 in 13 starts against Kansas City, has three complete-game victories and a 1.32 ERA in his last four matchups with the Royals. The Blue Jays gave him zero runs of support during the only loss in that span, but Halladay didn't need much support last season against Kansas City at Rogers Centre as he allowed one run and four singles over nine innings.

He'll face a Royals team that's won only six of its last 26, but in ending its eight-game slide, Kansas City (24-31) also snapped a six-game skid in Toronto and clinched the season series. Willie Bloomquist had a three-run triple, and Mark Teahen homered and drove in three.

"That was great," Bloomquist said. "Everyone feels good. It's about time we feel good about ourselves and get a win under our belt."

Searching for their first consecutive victories since May 17-19, the Royals will try to help Kyle Davies (2-5, 5.20) get back on track after losing his last four starts. The right-hander's previous victory was April 30 in his first career start against Toronto as he allowed three runs over 5 2-3 innings in an 8-6 home win.

Davies gave up only three hits in Tuesday night's 6-2 loss in Tampa but also tied a career high with six walks. The Rays' Ben Zobrist followed one of those free passes with a two-run homer, and Zobrist and Manny Aybar scored after drawing walks in Davies' final inning.

"It's a bad combo: extra-base hits, especially ones that get out of the ballpark, and walks," manager Trey Hillman said.

The Blue Jays, batting .280 this season, were held to less than five hits for the fifth time this season Saturday. Lyle Overbay, however, extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a two-out double in the seventh.