St. Joseph News-PressPOSTED: 5:47 pm CDT October 18, 2011

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(Sports Network) – Saddled with the longest losing streak in the majors
entering the weekend, the LA Angels of Anaheim try to stop the bleeding
tonight as they tangle with the Kansas City Royals in the second game of a
three-game set at Angel Stadium.

If not for the fact that the Oakland A’s just suffered through a 10-game
slide, the Angels would surely be lingering at the bottom of the American
League West, but as it stands right now the team is third in the division and
is just six games out of first despite a six-game skid.

On Friday night the Angels bowed out to Kansas City for the sixth time in
eight tries this season, dropping a 4-2 decision which means the team is now
five games under .500 (14-19) at home and has lost eight of the last nine
contests overall.

Angels starter Ervin Santana was tagged with his sixth loss in nine decisions
as he permitted all four runs on seven hits over seven innings. Santana fanned
five batters, but he also walked five as well.

“It’s going to take more than one guy to get the continuity we’re looking
for,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said after the disappointing outcome.

Howie Kendrick and Bobby Abreu both knocked in a run for the hosts.

Billy Butler and Melky Cabrera both hit home runs for the Royals, who won
their second in a row and are still a league-worst 7-16 on the road.
Nevertheless, Kansas City has somehow found a way to compete against the other
clubs in the AL West and are actually one game over .500 (12-11) in such
matchups.

KC starter Jeff Francis was rewarded with the win, just his third in nine
decisions this season, as he scattered eight hits and allowed only two runs,
walking one and striking out three over 6 1/3 innings. Joakim Soria stepped up
in the ninth inning, fanning two, as he posted his ninth save of 2011.

Set to take the hill for the Royals tonight, in search of his first win of the
2011 campaign, is right-hander Felipe Paulino. The 27-year-old has found that
victories at the major league level are hard to come by given that he has a
career record of just 6-25 now into his four year.

Paulino, who spent the first three years of his career in the Houston
organization and compiled a 6-21 mark, began this year with the Colorado
Rockies before getting moved to Kansas City. Inserted into the starting
rotation by the Royals after having his issues coming out of the bullpen,
Paulino has shown signs of promise in his first two AL starts. On Monday he
made it through 6 2/3 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, permitting just
one earned run on three hits and three walks, while striking out four in the
no-decision.

Paulino has yet to record a decision versus the Angels.

Gunning for the 100th win of his career will be Joel Pineiro for the Angels
when he takes the hill tonight. The right-hander, who is 0-1 this season and
an even 5-5 in his career versus Kansas City, is currently showing an overall
mark of 99-89 now in his 12th year in the majors.

Pineiro has now gone more than a month since posting his most recent victory,
a triumph over the Chicago White Sox at home back on May 10. Since then he has
suffered three losses personally and the team has lost in all five of his
appearances. Last weekend he stepped to the hill against the New York Yankees
and permitted four runs on nine hits, two of those being home runs, over the
course of 6 2/3 innings in what was eventually a 5-3 setback.

Kansas City pitchers are some of the most vulnerable in the American League
right now, sporting a league-worst .272 batting average against. All of those
hits have resulted in a team ERA of 4.67 which is also the highest in the AL
entering the weekend.

Kansas City may have the advantage against the Angels so far this year, but in
the previous three seasons LA dominated the Royals to the tune of 17-6.

The Sports Network

Jeff Francis survived a shaky sixth inning to get his first road victory of the season, left fielder Alex Gordon threw out a runner at home plate and the Kansas City Royals beat the Angels, 4-2, on Friday night.

Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler each hit solo homers for the Royals. Former first-round draft pick Mike Moustakas went 1 for 3 in his big league debut.

Francis (3-6) pitched 6 1/3 innings in his third start against the Angels this season, allowing two runs and eight hits after being staked to a 4-0 lead. The left-hander, who struck out three and walked one, hadn’t won a road game since beating Florida on July 20, 2010, while pitching for Colorado.

Greg Holland retired all five batters he faced. Joakim Soria pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save in 14 attempts and second in two nights after returning to the closer role.

The Royals have won consecutive games for the first time since May 19-20, and have clinched a season series from the Angels for only the second time in the last 15 years after taking five of seven in Kansas City.

Ervin Santana (3-6) allowed four runs, seven hits and a season-high five walks in seven innings and struck out five. The right-hander has given up two home runs in each of his last three starts, and five of his last seven.

Third baseman Moustakas, the second overall pick in the 2007 draft behind Tampa Bay Rays All-Star left-hander David Price, was called up from triple-A Omaha. The 22-year-old Los Angeles native was drafted out of Chatsworth High in the San Fernando Valley.

He got his first big league hit in the sixth, a broken-bat single to right field. He scored on Alcides Escobar’s run-scoring double. Chris Getz had an RBI single in the inning.

The switch-hitting Cabrera, who came in 2 for 14 lifetime against Santana, drove an 0-2 pitch to right field for his ninth homer with one out in the first. Jeff Francoeur grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the third, but the Royals made it 2-0 in the fourth when Butler drove Santana’s first pitch of the inning to left field for his sixth home run.

The Angels, held to just two singles through five innings, cut the margin to 4-2 in their half of the sixth with an RBI double by Howie Kendrick and a run-scoring single by Bobby Abreu — who entered that at-bat 0 for 14 lifetime against Francis with eight strikeouts. Abreu tried to score on a single by Erick Aybar, but Gordon made a perfect one-hop throw to Brayan Pena.

Moustakas batted .287 with 10 home runs, 44 RBIs and a .347 on-base percentage in 55 games this season for Omaha. He was reunited with Eric Hosmer, another left-handed hitter who was selected third overall in the 2008 draft — two spots ahead of San Francisco catcher Buster Posey.

The Angels turned a rare 5-6 double play at third base to end the fifth inning. Third baseman Maicer Izturis made a diving grab of Francoeur’s line drive toward the hole with Cabrera breaking for the plate, and shortstop Aybar alertly raced to the bag to take the short toss from Izturis before Cabrera could get back.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Los Angeles Angels’ Bobby Abreu, right, is tagged out at home by Kansas City Royals catcher Brayan Pena as he tries to score on a single by Erick Aybar during the sixth inning of their baseball game, Friday, June 10, 2011, in Anaheim, Calif.

Jeff Francis survived a shaky sixth inning to get his first road victory of the season, left fielder Alex Gordon threw out a runner at home plate and the Kansas City Royals beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 Friday night.
Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler each hit solo homers for the Royals. Former first-round draft pick Mike Moustakas went 1 for 3 in his big league debut.
Francis (3-6) pitched 6 1-3 innings in his third start against the Angels this season, allowing two runs and eight hits after being staked to a 4-0 lead. The left-hander, who struck out three and walked one, hadn’t won a road game since beating Florida on July 20, 2010, while pitching for Colorado.
Greg Holland retired all five batters he faced. Joakim Soria pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save in 14 attempts and second in two nights after returning to the closer role.
The Royals have won consecutive games for the first time since May 19-20, and have clinched a season series from the Angels for only the second time in the last 15 years after taking five of seven in Kansas City.
Ervin Santana (3-6) allowed four runs, seven hits and a season-high five walks in seven innings and struck out five. The right-hander has given up two home runs in each of his last three starts, and five of his last seven.
Third baseman Moustakas, the second overall pick in the 2007 draft behind Tampa Bay Rays All-Star left-hander David Price, was called up from Triple-A Omaha. The 22-year-old Los Angeles native was drafted out of Chatsworth High School in the San Fernando Valley.
He got his first big league hit in the sixth, a broken-bat single to right field. He scored on Alcides Escobar’s run-scoring double. Chris Getz had an RBI single in the inning.
The switch-hitting Cabrera, who came in 2 for 14 lifetime against Santana, drove an 0-2 pitch to right field for his ninth homer with one out in the first. Jeff Francoeur grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the third, but the Royals made it 2-0 in the fourth when Butler drove Santana’s first pitch of the inning to left field for his sixth home run.
The Angels, held to just two singles through five innings, cut the margin to 4-2 in their half of the sixth with an RBI double by Howie Kendrick and a run-scoring single by Bobby Abreu — who entered that at-bat 0 for 14 lifetime against Francis with eight strikeouts. Abreu tried to score on a single by Erick Aybar, but Gordon made a perfect one-hop throw to Brayan Pena.
Moustakas batted .287 with 10 home runs, 44 RBIs and a .347 on-base percentage in 55 games this season for Omaha. He was reunited with Eric Hosmer, another left-handed hitter who was selected third overall in the 2008 draft — two spots ahead of San Francisco catcher Buster Posey.
The Angels turned a rare 5-6 double play at third base to end the fifth inning. Third baseman Maicer Izturis made a diving grab of Francoeur’s line drive toward the hole with Cabrera breaking for the plate, and shortstop Aybar alertly raced to the bag to take the short toss from Izturis before Cabrera could get back.
NOTES: Mike Scioscia, second among active managers behind Tony La Russa with 1,847 regular-season games, gave kudos to the St. Louis Cardinals’ skipper on the day La Russa joined Connie Mack as the only managers or coaches in American professional sports history to reach 5,000 games. “That’s quite an accomplishment,” Scioscia said. “Tony’s done more than survive. He’s excelled in every situation he’s been in, and the depth of his knowledge of people in this game is remarkable. The passion he’s had to do it for as long as he has and as well as he has takes a special person, and the fire is burning in his belly as well as it ever has.” … Four of Butler’s seven career hits against Santana have been home runs. The Royals have hit 11 homers this season against the Angels, including game-ending drives — by Butler (June 1), Kila Ka’aihue (April 1) and Matt Treanor (April 3). … All six of the Royals’ top draft picks from 2004 through 2009 are currently on the 25-man roster — Butler, Gordon, Luke Hochevar, Moustakas, Hosmer and Aaron Crow. … Moustakas played at Angel Stadium last July in the All-Star Futures game, along with Hosmer.

By Jim Gardner

– Contributor

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Jun 10, 2011 –

The Angels are in the midst of a scoring slump which has translated itself into a losing streak.  The Angels offense has managed to score just 13 runs during the 6 games of their current home stand, resulting in a 1-5 record.  The one win came on Jered Weaver’s pitching gem against the Yankees a week ago, but the team scored just 3 runs in that game too.  On Friday night, the Angels open a 3-game series against the Kansas City Royals to conclude their nine-game home stand.

Looking to end their 5-game losing streak, the Angels turn to Ervin Santana (3-5, 4.30 ERA) who has been less than stellar against the Royals this season.  In his previous two starts in 2011, Santana has compiled a 6.39 ERA without a decision.

Kansas City will send left-hander Jeff Francis (2-6, 4.52 ERA) to the hill.  Francis has seen success against Los Angeles this season as he’s 1-0 in two starts, compiling a 2.57 ERA.

The Royals will be activating the second of their top minor league prospect tonight when Mike Moustakas is expected to make his major league debut at third base.  Moustakas, who graduated from Chatsworth High School, was a first-round pick in 2007 and had been hitting .287 with 10 home runs for Triple-A Omaha.

Who’s Hot – Last 7 Games:
Bobby Abreu – 9 for his last 21 (.429), 3 2B, 2 SB
Maicer Izturis – 8 for his last 23 (.348)
Peter Bourjos – 6 for his last 17 (.353)

Eric Hosmer– 11 for his last 29 (.379), 1 2B, 4 RBI
Billy Butler – 9 for his last 24 (.375), 1 HR

Who’s Cold – Last 7 Games:
Torii Hunter – 5 for his last 25 (.200)
Howie Kendrick – 2 for his last 19 (.105)
Erick Aybar – 3 for his last 21 (.143)

Chris Getz – 3 for his last 20 (.150)
Wilson Betemit – 2 for his last 16 (.188), 7 K
Mike Aviles –1 for his last 17 (.059)

Game time is 7:05 (PDT) and will be show in Fox Sports West.  For more Angels’ news, be sure to check out Halos Heaven.

Read More: Jeff Francis (P – KAN), Ervin Santana (P – ANA), Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels

These guys – again?

The Angels play the Kansas City Royals this weekend just a week after making their second visit of the season to Kansas City.

At least they have the Royals on their own turf this time. Those two trips to Kansas City have been painful for the Angels. They lost five of the seven games — four in the Royals’ last at-bat, three on walkoff home runs.