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Unbeaten Chen, Royals try to salvage set in Texas

Apr 24, 2011 - 3:32 PM (Sports Network) - Kansas City Royals starter Bruce Chen will try to stay unbeaten on the season and prevent his team from being swept in three games by the Texas Rangers when the two clubs collide Sunday in Arlington.

Chen, who led Kansas City with 12 wins last season, is 3-0 with a 2.42 earned run average in four starts this season. He has won three straight trips to the hill and held Cleveland to a pair of runs on six hits in seven innings during Tuesday's 5-4 win at Kauffman Stadium.

The veteran left-hander is 1-1 with a less desirable 10.18 ERA in seven career games (3 starts) against Texas. Chen will try to pitch the Royals back into the win column after they lost their second straight game in Saturday's 3-1 setback.

Royals starter Kyle Davies was saddled with the loss, allowing three runs -- two earned -- and four hits in six innings. Kila Ka`aihue provided the scoring for KC with a solo home run in the top of the seventh, while Melky Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a double in defeat.

"It was a tough ball game and we were in it the whole time," Davies said postgame. "We're going to come back tomorrow and we're going to fight."

Kansas City has lost five of its last seven games and will travel to Cleveland for a three-game series later this week.

Meanwhile, the Rangers will aim for their third sweep of the 2011 season today and are 3-2 on a 10-game homestand.

In Saturday's win over the Royals, Michael Young had two hits and a run scored and starting pitcher Alexi Ogando remained unbeaten (3-0) in six-plus innings of work, allowing one run on five hits with five K's.

"Once again, he went out there and kept us in the game," Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Ogando. "He didn't have his best stuff but he was able to make pitches when he had to."

The defending American League champion Rangers will also host Toronto for four games on the residency and are set to unleash unbeaten starter C.J. Wilson on the Royals this afternoon. Wilson is 2-0 with a 3.08 earned run average in four starts and threw seven innings of one-run ball in Monday's 7-1 victory over the LA Angels of Anaheim.

Wilson struck out a season-high nine batters and will make just his third career starts against Kansas City. The lefty is 2-0 with a 1.63 ERA in 12 matchups (2 starts) with the Royals.

Texas took seven of nine from the Royals last season and has won seven in a row as the host in this series.