• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Carmona looks to stay unbeaten vs. Royals in Game One

Sep 13, 2008 - 10:09 AM Kansas City (62-84) at Cleveland (72-74) (1ST GAME) 1:05 p.m. EDT

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The Cleveland Indians have enjoyed success recently against the Kansas City Royals, winning five of six against their division rivals over the last month. Fausto Carmona has had similar success during his short career.

Cleveland hopes the young righthander can stay unbeaten against Kansas City when the teams meet in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.

Carmona (8-6, 4.88), who is 4-0 in six career starts against the Royals with a 3.46 ERA, has had a rough campaign after storming onto the scene with a 19-8 record last season.

The righthander had won three straight before getting knocked around in his last start, allowing seven runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles on September 8, a 14-3 loss.

With a sweep of Saturday's games, the Indians would move back to .500 for the first time since May 18, when they were 22-22. Cleveland has allowed 24 runs over its last six games against Kansas City.

The Royals counter with Zack Greinke (10-10, 3.70). The righthander is 1-3 over his last six starts despite a 2.78 ERA. Over that span, the 24-year-old has received 15 runs of support while the Royals have gone 1-5 in his starts.

Kansas City has dropped four of five, scoring only 12 runs in that span.