• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Royals-Athletics Preview

Aug 3, 2010 - 6:01 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Kansas City (45-60) at Oakland (52-52), 10:05 p.m. EDT

As the Oakland Athletics continue to play well at home, they have been even better no matter where they've faced the Kansas City Royals of late.

The A's look to continue their recent home success with a sixth straight victory over the Royals on Tuesday night.

Rajai Davis hit a two-run homer and Trevor Cahill tossed a three-hitter in Oakland's 6-0 victory over Kansas City on Monday. The A's (53-52) are 4-0 against Kansas City this season and have won 10 of 12 over the Royals, who had won three in a row entering their nine-game road trip.

The Royals (45-61) have lost seven of eight on the road overall.

"We want to win as bad as anyone," scheduled starter Kyle Davies told the Royals' official website. "Nobody wants to come into a clubhouse when we've been losing."

Facing the Royals could help Oakland improve on their 31-22 record at home. The A's have won three in a row and seven of nine at the Coliseum, where they began a six-game homestand Monday.

Davis continues to fare well at the plate, going 13 for 32 with seven RBIs in his last eight games. All five of his home runs this season have come at home. Davis is 5 for 14 against the Royals this year.

After Cahill recorded his first career complete game, Vin Mazzaro (6-3, 4.04 ERA) takes the mound hoping to bounce back from his first loss in over a month.

The right-hander, who has already surpassed his career win total by two, was 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA in five starts before giving up seven runs and 12 hits in 5 1-3 innings of a 7-4 loss at Texas on Thursday.

"He's been throwing the ball so well for us," manager Bob Geren told the Athletics' official website. "He'll bounce back after this."

That is certainly possible against the Royals. Mazzaro improved to 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA against them after allowing a run in 7 2-3 innings of a 9-6 win at Kansas City on July 18.

Kansas City's Billy Butler is 3 for 5 with a double against Mazzaro, but 2 for 14 against the A's this season after going 0 for 2 on Monday.

Third baseman Wilson Betemit is batting .417 with five RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak. His eighth-inning double Monday was his third hit in 20 career at-bats against Oakland.

Davies (5-6, 5.48) will try for a third straight win over the A's after he allowed two runs and struck out eight in 11 innings to win his last two starts against Oakland.

The right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.98 ERA in five starts since losing to St. Louis on June 26. He gave up four runs and walked four in 5 2-3 innings of a 6-5, 11-inning loss to Baltimore on Thursday.