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Jul 16, 2009 - 6:56 PM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Tampa Bay (48-41) at Kansas City (37-51), 8:10 p.m. EDT

American League ERA leader Zack Greinke was passed over by Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon for starting honors in the All-Star game. Maddon, though, shouldn't have a problem sending James Shields out to face the Kansas City Royals.

Shields looks to earn his sixth win in as many starts against the Royals as the Rays face Greinke in the opener of a three-game series in Kansas City on Friday night.

Greinke (10-5, 2.12 ERA) is having an outstanding season for Kansas City (37-51), but Maddon decided to start Toronto ace Roy Halladay for the AL in Tuesday's All-Star game.

Greinke ended up striking out two in one scoreless inning, and Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford pulled back a home run with a leaping grab in the seventh en route to winning MVP honors as the AL beat the NL 4-3.

"I would have liked to have started, but it's not a real big deal," Greinke said. "I think he made the right decision, just because he's done it forever and I've done it for half a season."

Maddon's next starter for Tampa Bay (48-41) will be Shields (6-6, 3.42), who has posted a 2.50 ERA in winning all five of his outings versus the Royals, striking out 32 while walking three in 36 innings.

Shields, though, hasn't won since beating the New York Mets on the road June 20. The right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning Sunday but surrendered three runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings of Tampa Bay's 7-3 loss to Oakland.

Greinke, meanwhile, has lost two straight starts. He gave up three runs, all in the first two innings, and seven hits in six innings of a 3-1 defeat at Detroit on July 8.

The right-hander is 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA in four starts against the Rays.

The second batter Greinke faces Friday will likely be Crawford, who leads the major leagues with 44 stolen bases. Not only did the left fielder save a run with his catch in the All-Star game, he led off the fifth with a single and ended up scoring to tie the game at 3-all.

"I've been talking to everybody all year about this. Carl, he has become a better baseball player since I first met him in 2006," Maddon told the Rays' official Web site.

Tampa Bay could use a spark at the plate from Crawford. The Rays have been held to three runs or fewer in seven of their last 10 games, losing six.

The Royals haven't fared any better, scoring one run or none three times in their last five contests. In its last game before the break, Kansas City was held to three hits in a 6-0 loss to Boston on Sunday.

Facing Tampa Bay pitching may not help matters. The Royals hit .149 and averaged 1.3 runs as they were swept in a three-game series with the Rays from June 2-4.

Kansas City struck out 26 times and had just four extra-base hits (two homers and two doubles) in 94 at-bats.