• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Royals try to rebound against Athletics

May 7, 2011 - 2:59 PM (Sports Network) - Sporting the most home wins of any team in the majors, the Kansas City Royals try to work their way back into the win column tonight as they play the second of a three-game set against the Oakland A's at Kauffman Stadium.

Kansas City, which is an impressive 14-7 at home thus far in 2011, is only one of two teams in the American League Central that is over .500 at the moment as it trails Cleveland by 4 1/2 games in the standings. The Royals had a chance to gain some ground on the Indians on Friday after the Tribe bowed to the LA Angels in extra innings on the road, but KC ended up dropping the first meeting of the season against the A's by a score of 3-2.

The Royals, who are due to hit the road for series against both the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers once they've finished up with Oakland, lost for the second time in the last three outings as the offense sputtered and was 0- for-6 with runners in scoring position. Alex Gordon accounted for one run with a home run, his third of the campaign, while Mike Aviles registered a triple and plated Matt Treanor. The meeting also saw the arrival of hot prospect Eric Hosmer to the lineup for the first time. The Florida native finished 0-for-2 with two strikeouts but walked twice and had a steal.

"I was a little excited," Hosmer said of his debut. "It was normal for anybody on their debut, but seeing all those people out there, it was an unbelievable feeling. I'm glad I can get my feet wet and move on from the first day and start helping this team win games."

Hosmer had been hitting .439 with three homers and 15 RBI in 26 games at Triple-A Omaha prior to being called up to the big club.

Royals starting pitcher Sean O`Sullivan was tagged with the loss as he allowed three runs on five hits and a walk over eight innings of action.

Gio Gonzalez was awarded the win for the A's as he allowed two runs on four hits while striking out six batters for a team that won for the sixth time in the last nine outings. Brian Fuentes posted his eighth save of 2011 after pitching a scoreless ninth.

Coco Crisp, Andy LaRoche and Kevin Kouzmanoff each drove in the run for the visitors.

Heading to the hill for the A's this evening is Brandon McCarthy, who is in his first season with Oakland after spending the last four campaigns as part of the Texas Rangers organization. The right-hander, who has appeared in nine games in his career against Kansas City with most as a reliever, last pitched on Monday when he permitted six hits and a pair of walks, while striking out four over six innings. McCarthy wasn't charged with any earned runs, yet he failed to earn a decision in the 5-4 win over the Rangers.

The 27-year old California native has just one win on the season through six appearances.

As for the Royals, they'll be handing the ball to Luke Hochevar, who has a career record of 12-17 with a 4.49 ERA at home at Kauffman Stadium through four years of service with the club. The right-hander managed to even his record at 3-3 last weekend thanks to the team's 10-3 victory over Minnesota at home. In that outing Hochevar permitted three earned runs on five hits and a season-high four walks over 6 1/3 innings. Hochevar struck out just one batter, matching his lowest tally of the campaign in that department.

The Tennessee product has started a total of five games in his career versus Oakland and has yet to ring up a victory. Over the course of 24 innings he has issued 15 walks and fanned 19 while his ERA versus the A's has risen to an even 9.00.

As a group, the KC pitching staff has been roughed up a bit so far this season, currently ranked last in the AL in opponent batting average (.269) and second-to-last in terms of strikeouts (188). Over on the other side, the A's hurlers easily have the best collective ERA (2.64) and are the only staff with a number that is below three right now.

The Royals have made up for their lackluster performances on the mound by posting a league-leading 164 runs over 32 outings while Oakland is at the other end of the spectrum, ranked 13th in the AL with just 112 runs scored as the team bats a combined .235.

After Kansas City posted a 6-3 record against the A's back in 2008, Oakland has been the superior club with a mark of 12-5 the previous two seasons.