• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Athletics-Royals Preview

Aug 8, 2009 - 6:10 AM By PAUL DIGIACOMO STATS Senior Editor

Oakland (47-61) at Kansas City (42-66), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Over the first three months of the season, Zack Greinke was considered a candidate to win the AL Cy Young Award. Unfortunately for the Kansas City Royals and their ace, not much has gone right since then.

Greinke looks to win for the first time in seven starts Saturday night when the slumping Royals host the Oakland Athletics in a matchup between last-place teams.

The right-hander opened 2009 by going 10-3 with a 1.95 ERA in his first 16 starts. But after beating Pittsburgh on June 28, he is 0-4 in six outings despite registering a 3.65 ERA.

Greinke (10-7, 2.36), who has not won against an AL opponent since beating Detroit on May 26, is coming off one of his worst starts of the year. He allowed a season-high 10 hits and six runs over five innings in losing 10-4 to Tampa Bay on the road Monday.

Greinke now gets to face a team he has never lost to in his career, as he is 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA in 10 games - six starts - against Oakland.

"I'll just try to pitch as good as I can and not make mistakes," he told the Royals' official Web site. "It'll work out if you just limit your mistakes."

Greinke will be opposing an Oakland club that posted its fourth win in five games Friday night, 9-4, after releasing Jason Giambi earlier in the day.

Giambi, who played his first seven seasons with the Athletics and returned to Oakland this year after seven seasons with the New York Yankees, has been on the disabled list since July 20 with a strained right quadriceps.

"We're at a point where we have a couple of first basemen, younger guys, we'd like to play. This gives him a chance maybe to go somewhere else and play," manager Bob Geren said. "He did a lot for our team, both this year and in the past."

Scott Hairston had two hits and drove in three Friday for the Athletics, giving him eight RBIs in his last four games. Cliff Pennington had his first career three-hit game, contributing two RBIs and scoring twice.

The Royals (42-67) lost for the 21st time in 27 games, falling to 5-20 at home since June 17. They had 14 hits but went 4 for 20 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base.

"We felt like we were right there," designated hitter Mike Jacobs said. "We had a lot of guys on base but we didn't seem to get the big hits like we needed to. Another hit here or another hit there and it could have been a different game."

Oakland recalled Clay Mortensen after Friday's game to make his first big league start Saturday. The 24-year-old right-hander was acquired from St. Louis on July 24 as part of the trade for outfielder Matt Holliday.

Mortensen was 0-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two starts with Triple-A Sacramento. He made one relief appearance with the Cardinals on June 29, giving up six runs - two earned - and five hits in three innings against San Francisco.

Oakland has won all three matchups with the Royals this year after dropping the last six meetings in 2008.