Final
Reds-Royals Preview
Jun 12, 2009 - 6:07 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS WriterCincinnati (31-28) at Kansas City (25-34), 8:10 p.m. EDT
After their last game, it seemed like even local wildlife was out to add to the Kansas City Royals' misery. Manager Trey Hillman, however, said the reason for his team's dismal stretch is a lot less complicated.
Hillman and the Royals host the Cincinnati Reds for the first time in 10 years when the teams open a three-game series Friday night.
The Royals (25-34) have lost 23 of their last 30 and are 2-11 since May 27. On Thursday, they fell 4-3 to Cleveland in 10 innings when Shin-Soo Choo hit a walkoff single over second base that hit a low-flying gull and ricocheted past center fielder Coco Crisp.
"Crazy things happen in this game," Crisp said. "It was hit so sharply, I felt like I had a chance. You never know what the heck is going to happen."
Hillman wasn't about to blame a bird for the Royals' latest loss. His team blew a two-run lead in the eighth, set up by two fielding errors. Kansas City had five errors in the series to give it 11 in the last eight games.
"If we don't make errors the first day and today, we should sweep this series," Hillman said.
After going 13-5 in interleague play last season, the Royals dropped two of three against St. Louis last month, getting shut out twice. Still, given the way it has played against the AL lately, Kansas City is welcoming a change.
"We've had good success in it, so I'm looking forward to it and I hope it gets us rolling in the right direction," third baseman Mark Teahen told the Royals' official Web site.
Cincinnati (31-28) has struggled with consistency recently, splitting its first 10 games in June. It won two of three at Washington this week, though, concluding the series with a 3-2 loss Thursday.
Although the Reds won the series, they scored nine runs and batted .190 over the three games. They are hitting .205 this month.
"I feel like we should have lost every game," second baseman Brandon Phillips told the Reds' official Web site. "We're not hitting the ball. Two runs is not good enough."
The Reds will open this series by handing the ball to rookie Matt Maloney (0-0, 3.00 ERA), who will make his second major league start in place of the injured Edinson Volquez.
The 25-year-old left-hander gave up two runs and six hits - two homers - in six innings of a 4-3, 11-inning win against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
"I didn't feel nervous at all," he said. "I just went out there and tried to do what I had been doing."
The Royals will counter with Luke Hochevar (1-2, 7.85), making his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha. He gave up two runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-2 win over Toronto on Saturday for his first victory since July 11.
This is the right-hander's first appearance against the Reds. He is 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four interleague starts after giving up four runs over 6 1-3 innings of a 5-0 loss to the Cardinals on May 23.
The Reds are 7-4 against the Royals, sweeping a three-game series in Kansas City in 1999 in the only meeting there between the teams. That series included a doubleheader after a power outage.
- ML
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CINCINNATI 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0
KANSAS CITY 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 x 4 6 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: CIN - MATT MALONEY, MIKE LINCOLN (7TH) AND RYAN HANIGAN
KAN - LUKE HOCHEVAR AND MIGUEL OLIVO
HOME RUNS: CIN - JONNY GOMES (1) OFF LUKE HOCHEVAR IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
K
Jun 12 10:39 PM - ML
AT KANSAS CITY - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY ALBERTO CALLASPO (4) TO LEFT WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 6TH OFF MATT MALONEY SCORED MARK TEAHEN.
CURRENT SCORE: CINCINNATI 1, KANSAS CITY 4
DUE UP FOR KANSAS CITY: M OLIVO (.250, 1-FOR-2)
Reds 1, Royals 4 Bot 6, 0 OutsJun 12 10:06 PM - ML
AT KANSAS CITY - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY DAVID DEJESUS SCORED ALBERTO CALLASPO.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, D DEJESUS ON FIRST, C CRISP ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CINCINNATI 1
KANSAS CITY 2 BOTTOM, 5TH
DUE UP FOR KANSAS CITY: W BLOOMQUIST (.282, 1-FOR-2)
Reds 1, Royals 2 Bot 5, 0 OutsJun 12 9:44 PM - ML
AT KANSAS CITY - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY JONNY GOMES (1) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN THE
5TH OFF LUKE HOCHEVAR.
CURRENT SCORE: CINCINNATI 1, KANSAS CITY 1
DUE UP FOR CINCINNATI: R HANIGAN (.316, 0-FOR-1)
Reds 1, Royals 1 Top 5, 0 OutsJun 12 9:27 PM - ML
AT KANSAS CITY - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY BILLY BUTLER (5) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 1ST OFF MATT MALONEY.
CURRENT SCORE: CINCINNATI 0, KANSAS CITY 1
DUE UP FOR KANSAS CITY: M JACOBS (.235, 10 HR, 26 RBI)
Reds 0, Royals 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsJun 12 8:21 PM
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