Sun Jun 15 11:01:52 2008

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Royals take aim at series win in Arizona

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(Sports Network) - The Kansas City Royals again shoot for back-to-back wins for the first time since the beginning of the month as they close out a three- game interleague set against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix.

On Saturday night the Royals had one of their best offensive efforts of the 2008 season as they dropped a 12-3 decision on the Diamondbacks. The Royals set season highs for hits with 17, extra-base hits with eight and tied a season-high for runs in the onslaught.

Mike Aviles led the attack with his four hits, two RBI and four runs scored for the visitors, followed by David DeJesus and Jose Guillen who both logged a pair of hits and two runs scored as well. In all, KC had no fewer than six players collect at least two hits. John Buck was one of them as he led the group with three runs knocked in.

Luke Hochevar, who entered the contest with some of the weakest run support so far this season, had little trouble converting his fourth victory of the year. Hochevar gave up two earned runs on 10 hits and struck out six in seven innings of action.

The legendary Randy Johnson was hit with one of his worst outings of the campaign, making it through just 4 1/3 innings, permitting 10 hits and eight runs (seven earned), while striking out just three in the setback.

Orlando Hudson accounted for three of the team's 10 hits and knocked in a run, while Conor Jackson had two hits and an RBI himself in the setback.

Needing just six more strikeouts to reach 800 for his career, Gil Meche makes his way to the hill for the Royals this afternoon in Phoenix. The eight-year veteran who broke in with the Seattle Mariners in 1999 has suffered the loss in three of his last five outings, with his team losing all five of those appearances.

On Tuesday Meche surrendered just a single earned run on four hits, walking two and striking out four in six innings, but failed to earn a decision in the 6-5 setback top Texas at home.

The right-hander has a 1-0 record with a 2.57 ERA in his previous appearances against the Diamondbacks.

As for Arizona, it plans to counter Meche with Micah Owings for his first-ever appearances against the Royals.

Owings, a product out of Tulane University, started the season 5-1 but has since dropped three of his last four decisions. The most recent outing for right-hander came on Tuesday versus the New York Mets in Flushing, where he allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks in just 4 1/3 innings.

In his last two games Owings has been charged with eight earned runs and made it through a total of only 7 1/3 innings.

Arizona hitters may have one of the better slugging percentages (.424) in the NL after 69 games, but the team's .249 batting average has them near the bottom of the stat sheet in that department.

Mark Reynolds has been hitting his marks in the batter's box for the Diamondbacks, producing nine hits and nine RBI on four home runs, a triple and a pair of doubles, which have also allowed him to score seven runs along the way.

Guillen has been shooting the ball all over the field for the Royals over the last week, producing 14 hits in 29 at-bats, knocking in seven and scoring six runs. Alex Gordon has two home runs among his last 10 hits and has matched Guillen with six runs. Aviles has made the most of his 10 hits in the last seven days, eventually crossing the plate eight times himself.