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Royals' Guthrie eyes series win over former Orioles club

Jul 25, 2013 - 2:18 PM (Sports Network) - Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie can get to double-digit wins for the season and clinch a series victory when the Kansas City Royals host the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals pulled ahead in the series on Wednesday when Eric Hosmer delivered the game-tying two-run homer in the eighth, then Alcides Escobar won it with an RBI double in the ninth in a 4-3 triumph.

Down 3-1 against Wei-Yin Chen, Lorenzo Cain singled with one out and Hosmer tied the score with his blast to right center. Against Darren O'Day (5-1) in their last turn, David Lough singled with one out and came home with the winning run when Escobar roped a hit to center.

Luke Hochevar (3-1) tossed a scoreless top of the ninth. Ervin Santana worked the first eight frames, allowing seven hits and three runs -- one earned.

Hosmer added an early solo homer, with Billy Butler and Escobar chipping in a pair of hits each for the Royals.

"They're an extremely tough team. We played very well last night and very well tonight. It is good to beat them," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Matt Wieters slugged a two-run shot and Adam Jones knocked in the other run for the Orioles, while Chen gave up three runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Guthrie, a veteran of 203 big-league starts, won 10, 10 and 11 games in 2008, 2009 and 2010 while a member of the Orioles.

He was 9-17 with Baltimore in 2011, then went a combined 8-12 in 2012 while splitting the season between the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City.

The 34-year-old got to nine wins this season in his most recent start, when he defeated Detroit, 6-5, with six innings of five-run ball with six strikeouts.

He made his lone career appearance against Baltimore on May 9 at Camden Yards and emerged with a 6-2 after allowing one earned run on six hits in seven innings.

He's opposed by Mexican-born righty Miguel Gonzalez, who's won six of seven decisions across his last eight starts.

The 29-year-old, in his second major-league season, was 2-2 on the year through nine starts before beginning the recent streak with a 3-1 defeat of the Houston Astros on June 6.

He was 4-1 in five June starts and has gone 2-0 in three starts in July, including a 7-4 defeat of Texas on July 20, in which he allowed a single run on right hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Gonzalez won his lone career start against the Royals after allowing a run on six hits in eight innings.

The Orioles won two of three from the Royals when the teams met in May at Camden Yards. Baltimore also won the season series in 2012, 5-4.