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Royals try to end slide in opener with Cubs

Jun 24, 2011 - 2:51 PM (Sports Network) - Surprise early-season standout Bruce Chen returns for the first time in more than a month tonight, when the Kansas City Royals open a three-game interleague series with the visiting Chicago Cubs at Kauffman Stadium.

Chen, who turned 34 on Sunday and has pitched for nine teams across 299 big- league outings, won four of his first five decisions this year before going on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left lat muscle on May 6.

The shelving came a day after his most recent start in which he pitched seven innings and allowed a run on five hits in a 9-1 defeat of the Baltimore Orioles.

In 42 2/3 innings this season, he's allowed just 17 runs on 43 hits, racking up a 3.59 earned run average and allowing a .261 opposition batting average.

His career opponent batting average is .262, while his career ERA in 1,052 1/3 innings is exactly a run higher at 3.59.

Chen is 1-1 lifetime against the Cubs in 11 outings.

Another 34-year-old, righty Ryan Dempster, starts for Chicago tonight.

The British Columbia native has won four of his last six decisions since starting the season at 1-4.

He dropped a 4-3 verdict to the New York Yankees after allowing eight hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings on June 18, but tossed seven scoreless innings against Milwaukee in a 1-0 Cubs win five days earlier.

Dempster, who's made 501 big-league appearances with three teams since reaching the majors with Florida in 1998, won his lone career start against the Royals after allowing six hits and four runs in six innings.

On Thursday in Kansas City, Juan Miranda and Miguel Montero both hit solo homers to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Royals, 5-3, in the finale of a three-game interleague series.

Matt Treanor and Alcides Escobar had an RBI apiece for the Royals, who have lost five in a row and seven of eight overall.

Felipe Paulino (0-1) remained winless in a Kansas City uniform despite pitching into the ninth. He allowed five runs on nine hits to go with eight strikeouts and one walk.

On Wednesday in Chicago, A.J. Pierzynski plated two runs with his first triple in over two years and Jake Peavy made a successful return from the 15-day disabled list in the White Sox's 4-3 victory over the Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field.

Doug Davis (1-6) surrendered four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits over five frames to absorb the loss, the Cubs' fourth in five games.