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Royals aim for third straight win vs. Mariners

Jul 12, 2008 - 10:10 AM Seattle (36-57) at Kansas City (42-52) 7:10 p.m. EDT

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- The Kansas City Royals are hoping to ride hot pitching to a third straight win Saturday when they host the lowly Seattle Mariners.

The Royals have allowed two runs in their back-to-back victories, taking the opening game of the series, 3-1, behind seven strong innings from rookie righthander Luke Hochevar and a two-run double from David DeJesus.

The pitching resurgence comes after the team allowed an average of 6.8 runs per game during the first nine games of the month. All-Star Joakim Soria has earned the save in each of the past two games, tying him with Jeff Montgomery for the club record of 25 before the All-Star break.

Hochevar's strong performance helped overcome the loss of slugger Jose Guillen, who had to be scratched from the lineup Friday with a stiff neck and may be unavailable Saturday. Guillen ranks third in the AL with 65 RBI.

Gil Meche (6-9, 4.67 ERA) will look to keep the quality starts coming. The veteran righthander has been strong, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.89 ERA over his last six starts.

Meche spent the first six years of his career with the Mariners before signing a five-year, $55 million deal with Kansas City prior to the 2007 campaign. He has gone 1-1 with a 4.86 ERA in three starts against his old team.

Seattle will counter with lefthander Jarrod Washburn (4-8, 5.03). The veteran suffered a loss in his last outing, allowing four runs in a complete-game effort at Oakland on Monday. He is 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA in his last six starts.