Two Straight in Tampa

Game Date: June 2, 2007
Royals 9, Devil Rays 4 / Box Score
WP: Perez (3-5), LP: Jackson (0-7)
Royal Home Runs: Brown (2)
Royals Record: 21-35

Maybe we ought to play more games on the road, huh? We're 8-2 in our last ten road games. And nobody needs to be reminded of how awful we were during our last homestand.

The last two nights, the Royals have jumped on Devil Ray starting pitchers early and they coasted to wins after that. Last night, Odalis Perez did what Odalis Perez typically does. He pitched five innings and allowed four runs. His numbers are rarely impressive, but he somehow finds a way to adapt to game situations and as a result, he keeps us in games.

The combination of Joel Peralta, Jimmy Gobble, David Riske, and Zack Greinke (who is looking more like closer material every day) shut the door on the Devil Rays. They allowed just one hit and one walk over the final four innings.

David DeJesus looked good at the plate after a day off, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. Emil Brown was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI and a home run. John Buck had two hits. And Tony Pena extended his hitting streak to 11 games, raising his average to .270 in the process.

The pitching match up this afternoon is quite interesting. Scott Elarton (1-1, 7.65) will go up against former Royal J.P. Howell who was just called up from Triple-A. Elarton has never pitched well against the Rays. He's 0-5 in his career against them with a 9.13 ERA.

On paper, the game looks more like a college "baseball" game. We could wind up with a 21-17 score. But whenever you expect something like that to happen, the opposite often occurs.