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Angels-Royals Preview

May 31, 2010 - 2:59 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Los Angeles (24-27) at Kansas City (21-29), 2:10 p.m. EDT

A second straight walk-off home run may normally have been cause for major celebration for the Los Angeles Angels, but Kendry Morales' freak injury Saturday caused his team to be more reserved after Sunday's victory.

It will be at least two weeks before they have to worry about celebrating another game-ending hit.

The Angels begin their longest road trip of the season - a 14-game trek - with red-hot Ervin Santana on the mound Monday for the first of four against the Kansas City Royals.

Morales, Los Angeles' leader in home runs (11) and RBIs (39), will miss at least a few months with a broken leg he sustained while jumping onto home plate after his walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Saturday's 5-1 win over Seattle.

Howie Kendrick ended Sunday's 9-7 victory with a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, but his teammates stood back from the plate as he crossed.

"Watching the ball go over the wall, it was unbelievable," Kendrick said. "To have two walkoffs two days in a row was phenomenal. I think that says a lot about our team and how we play the game. It's an unfortunate situation with Kendry, and we're going to miss him the next couple of months. But everybody's got to pick it up."

The Angels (25-27) have won four of five overall, a stretch they hope begins a rise from a mediocre start toward a fourth consecutive AL West title. Their lengthy trip includes seven games against division opponents, with visits to Seattle and Oakland before an interleague set at Dodger Stadium.

Kansas City may be the most inviting stop. Last year, the Angels won their first nine games against the Royals - including six in Kansas City - before Santana lost 6-3 at Kauffman Stadium on Sept. 7.

Santana (4-3, 3.65 ERA) has been sharp lately, winning his last three starts including a complete-game effort in Tuesday's 8-3 victory over Toronto. The right-hander yielded four hits, although three were homers.

"I gave up those three solo home runs, but I just kept focusing on the next hitter," Santana said. "I'm not going to throw a complete game all the time, but I just try to go as far as I can for as long as I can."

His counterpart, Luke Hochevar, has also been pitching deep into games. The right-hander pitched a complete game in a 9-3 win at Cleveland on May 20, then beat Texas with eight strong innings in a 5-2 victory Wednesday.

Hochevar (5-2, 4.95) has been wildly inconsistent in the majors since Kansas City selected him first overall in the 2006 draft, but the Royals hope he is finally finding a groove.

"You can't pitch any better than he's pitched the last two games," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "All the ingredients are there for him to be an ultra-successful American League pitcher. He's throwing the ball as good as you can possibly throw it."

In his only appearance against the Angels, Hochevar gave up seven runs in 3 2-3 innings of a 7-2 loss Sept. 6.

The Royals (21-30) return home after splitting four games at Boston, but totaling one run while losing the last two games.

"Two out of four is nice, but it's much better when you win the last two," Yost said.