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Angels-Royals Preview

Sep 5, 2009 - 5:04 AM By CHRIS ALTRUDA STATS Editor

Los Angeles (78-54) at Kansas City (51-82), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Zack Greinke already knows he can't rely on an inconsistent offense as he chases the AL Cy Young Award while pitching for the Kansas City Royals.

A tired bullpen heading into this game likely won't give him much help either as the staff ace takes the mound Saturday versus the Los Angeles Angels.

Belying his 13-8 record, Greinke leads the majors with three shutouts. He's also tied for the major league lead with six complete games, is first in the AL with a 2.32 ERA and second with 202 strikeouts. While he has received an average of 4.1 runs of support in his 27 starts, the Royals (51-83) have been shut out in four of those outings, and Greinke was on the short end of a 1-0 loss at Los Angeles on May 9 despite throwing a four-hitter.

However, the right-hander has been stellar in winning his last two starts. He struck out 15 in a victory over Cleveland on Aug. 25, then threw a one-hitter at Seattle on Sunday, retiring the final 22 batters of his 3-0 victory.

"He's just a full-dimensional guy," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "He's overpowering, he misses bats, he knows how to use his defense and that's what he did today. He was just in total command the whole day. Very impressive."

Greinke, who is 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA in five games - including four starts - against Los Angeles, will set a career high in victories with his next win.

He likely will have to pitch deep in this game after the Royals bullpen - owners of the worst ERA in the majors at 5.19 - logged 3 2-3 innings and squandered a one-run lead in Friday's 2-1 defeat. Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run, go-ahead single in the eighth for Los Angeles (79-54), which maintained its 3 1/2-game AL West lead over Texas.

"Even if you throw a perfect pitch, you never know with that guy," said Royals reliever Roman Colon, who allowed Guerrero's hit. "The guy can hit balls that bounce out of the dirt."

Guerrero is 3 for 7 with a home run lifetime versus Greinke.

John Lackey (9-7, 3.92) will get the start for Los Angeles, trying to follow a solid performance by Jered Weaver. Lackey was effective in winning his last outing, limiting Oakland to one run and five hits in eight innings of a 9-1 victory - making him the fifth Angels pitcher with 100 wins. The right-hander, though, is more concerned about making a final playoff push than personal accolades.

"Hopefully we can keep getting some runs and take it into the final weeks that way," said Lackey, who was a rookie on the Angels team that won the World Series in 2002. "You've got to be playing your best baseball at the right time. Several guys on that '02 team will tell you we might not have been the best team, but we were hot."

Lackey, who is 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA in seven lifetime starts against the Royals, has not faced them since 2007.