Blue Jays 2 - 3 Royals
Final
  for this game

Young hurlers highlight finale of Blue Jays, Royals set

Jun 9, 2011 - 3:05 PM

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(Sports Network) - Two recent first-round draft picks square off on the mound today when the Toronto Blue Jays return to Kauffman Stadium to complete a four-game series with the host Kansas City Royals.

The Blue Jays will start lefty Ricky Romero, the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, while the Royals counter with righty Luke Hochevar, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2006 draft.

Toronto got the upper hand in the series on Wednesday, when Adam Lind belted the second grand slam of his career and Jayson Nix added a three-run blast in a 9-8 win.

Juan Rivera added a pair of RBI for the Blue Jays, who have won three of their last four overall and two of three in the series.

Carlos Villanueva (4-0) allowed four runs on six hits while striking out five over seven innings to earn the victory. His personal eight-game win streak, which dates back to last season, marks a career high.

Trailing 9-7 in the ninth, Kansas City cut the deficit to one with an Alex Gordon RBI double. Casey Janssen was able to induce Melky Cabrera into a fly out to short, however, to preserve the final margin and earn his first save of the season.

Danny Duffy (0-2) lasted just four innings to suffer the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits and four walks.

Romero, a 26-year-old native of Los Angeles, has pitched seven innings or more in each of his last five starts, winning three straight decisions before he was beaten, 5-3, by the Baltimore Orioles in his most recent outing on June 4.

A 14-game winner last season, he has compiled 79 2/3 innings through his initial 12 outings in 2011, lasting seven innings eight times and failing to go six innings only twice.

He was a winner in a lone career start against the Royals after allowing three runs on five hits in seven innings.

For Kansas City, the 27-year-old Hochevar seeks a first win since May 1.

The University of Tennessee product defeated Minnesota, 10-3, to improve to 3-3 on the season that day, but is 0-3 in six subsequent starts, in which the Royals are 2-4.

Overall, Kansas City has won six of his 13 starts in 2011.

The 6-foot-5, 218-pounder was tagged for 11 hits and six runs in his most recent outing, a 7-2 loss to the Twins on June 4.

He is 2-1 in three lifetime matchups with the Blue Jays.

Kansas City split its six games with the Jays a year ago.






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