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Guillen homers to lift Royals past Blue Jays

Apr 27, 2008 - 4:49 AM By Marc Bowman PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) - Luke Hochevar collected his first major league win and Jose Guillen homered to lead the Kansas City Royals past the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1, on Saturday.

Hochevar (1-1), the number one overall draft pick in 2006, worked out of jams most of the night, as the Blue Jays stranded runners in scoring position in each of the first five innings.

The 24-year-old righthander allowed one run and six hits with two walks over six innings while striking out three in his third career start and second of the season.

"It was awesome," Hochevar said of his first win. "It's something you dream about as a little kid and when it happens, it's surreal. It was easier to go out there after the last outing when I gave the hitters too much credit. I wanted to come out and pound the strike zone. Fate loves the fearless. I learned from Banny (pitcher Brian Bannister), watching him throw strikes."

"He's definitely got big-league stuff," Royals catcher John Buck said. "That's why you get drafted number one overall. He has that sinker and he was working down low in the zone, getting ground balls. He's definitely going to help our team."

Guillen, Kansas City's primary offensive addition in the off- season, led off the sixth inning with his second home run of the year - a 396-foot shot barely fair down the left field line - to break a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning.

"I thought the ball was going foul," Guillen said. "I just got lucky enough to keep it fair."

One night after the Royals' anemic offense set a season high with eight runs, Shaun Marcum (2-2) held Kansas City to just one hit through the first three innings.

The 26-year-old Kansas City area native was facing the Royals for the first time since taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning on August 10. Marcum worked seven innings, allowing four hits and two runs, walking three and striking out four.

"It's always nice to come home and be in front of your friends and family," Marcum said. "But that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is going out there and winning ballgames. We weren't able to do it tonight but we still have another one to play tomorrow, so we need to try to scratch out a win here and take that into Boston."

Kansas City broke through for the game's first score on Ross Gload's fourth-inning RBI single, scoring Mark Teahen, who had doubled to lead off the frame.

Three relievers pitched a pair of scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth for the Royals before Joakim Soria closed out the game for his sixth save in as many chances.

"I like it," Soria said of getting the ball with a one-run lead to protect. "I prefer closing because this is the place I can help my team. Every closer wants that kind of pressure."

Toronto lost their fifth straight and continued to struggle in clutch hitting situations, managing only one hit in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position. They scored their lone tally on Tony Pena, Jr.'s fifth-inning fielding error.

"There's not much that I can say," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "It's a game we could have and should have won, probably. That's all I have to say."

Pena threw out Adam Lind from his knees to end the Blue Jays' bases-loaded threat in the eighth.

"The grass was wet and I slipped a little over there," Pena said. "I tried to stop and I kept going, but I felt great to get that pick-me-up after not getting that double play ball."

"It was just a wonderful play," Kansas City manager Trey Hillman said. "He's got them in there on any given day. You're never sure how he's gonna do it or what he's gonna do, but he's going to make some spectacular plays."