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Lowly Royals finding little resistance against NL

Jun 20, 2008 - 1:53 PM San Francisco (31-42) at Kansas City (31-42) 8:10 p.m. EDT

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- The Kansas City Royals have had little success against the American League this season, but that hasn't stopped them from excelling against the National League.

The Royals go for their sixth straight win on Friday when they open a three-game interleague series against the San Francisco Giants.

Kansas City (31-42), which owns the second worst record in the AL, have won seven of nine meetings against NL teams this season, including a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals during its last series.

The Royals haven't won six consecutive contests since opening the 2003 campaign with nine straight wins. Luke Hochevar (4-5, 4.66 ERA) tries to keep the winning streak going when he takes the mound on Friday.

Hochevar earned his first win in a month on Saturday, allowing just three runs - two earned - and 10 hits in seven innings, striking out six en route to a 12-3 victory against the NL West Division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks.

Matt Cain (3-5, 4.39) counters for the Giants, who are just 1-8 this season against the AL and have dropped seven of their last nine games overall.

Cain has just one victory in his last five outings but has pitched well, logging quality starts four times over that span. The 23-year-old righthander needs to continue that success to improve a dismal interleague record as he is 0-6 with a 5.04 ERA in his last seven starts against AL teams.