• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

De La Rosa, Royals aim for three-game series sweep of Angels

Jun 27, 2007 - 3:34 PM Kansas City (32-46) at La Angels (49-29) 3:35 pm EDT

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Angels may have the best record in baseball, but the Kansas City Royals have not been intimated.

Jorge De La Rosa (4-9, 5.75 ERA) takes the hill Wednesday as the Royals aim for a season-high fourth straight win and their first three-game sweep of the Angels in 11 years.

The Royals have not swept the Angels since they took a four-game series from May 6-9 of 1996. De La Rosa, who is 0-5 with a 8.42 ERA in his last seven starts, is hoping the Royals' recent hot streak will prevent him from becoming the AL's first 10-game loser.

The 26-year-old lefthander was roughed up for seven runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings by Milwaukee on Friday.

Kansas City, owners of the worst record in the American League, has outscored Anaheim 17-7 in the first two games after taking Wednesday's game 12-4 behind Gil Meche and homers by John Buck, and rookies Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.

Should Kansas City complete the sweep it would be their first since taking the final three-games of last season from the Detroit Tigers.

Meanwhile, Jered Weaver (6-3, 3.80) makes his first start since June 16. He was sidelined with a sore right shoulder which was injured during a head-first slide into second base against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 24-year-old righthander won that game, yielding three hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings.

Weaver is 5-0 with a 3.22 ERA over his last eight outings and has received six runs or more in four of his last five wins. The Angels received an offensive boost on Wednesday when first baseman Casey Kotchman returned after missing eight games with a concussion he sustained on June 16.