Greinke gets scored upon but Royals still romp

[April 30, 2009]  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Zack Greinke gave up an earned run for the first time in 43 innings, but Billy Butler backed him up with two homers and the Kansas City Royals had 11 extra-base hits in an 11-3 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

Vernon Wells' RBI single with two outs in the first produced the first earned run off Greinke (5-0) since last September, a span of six starts. After throwing complete-game shutouts his two previous starts, Grienke went seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs with two walks and eight strikeouts. He leads the AL with 44 strikeouts.

His ERA climbed from 0.00 to 0.50.

Butler, hitting .193 when the game began, was 4 for 4 with two homers, a double, four RBIs and four runs scored. He homered, doubled and homered in three at-bats off left-hander Brian Tallet (1-1), who was charged with 10 runs on 11 hits in four-plus innings.

Besides Butler's two homers, the Royals had Mark Teahen's two-run shot, Mike Aviles' two-run triple, and seven doubles. The Royals had 15 hits in all.

Marco Scutaro doubled leading off against Greinke, the first pitcher in Royals history to post a 5-0 April. After Aaron Hill and Alex Rios struck out, Wells dropped an RBI single into right-center. Before that, the only run off Greinke this year was unearned, off a throwing error by shortstop Aviles.

He gave up another run in the third when Scutaro walked leading off and eventually scored from third on a double-play grounder. Greinke, whose 43 innings without an earned run are a club record, joined former Los Angeles Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela as the only pitchers since the early 1900s to not allow an earned run through their first four starts of a season.

Aviles also had one of the Royals' doubles while Coco Crisp had two doubles and scored twice. After his two-run triple, Aviles scored on a passed ball to make it 10-2 in the fifth.

Notes: Eight Royals pitchers had won four games in April ... The game was delayed 31 minutes at the start by rain. ... First base umpire Lance Barksdale first signaled Alberto Callaspo's double down the line in the fifth inning foul, but in a very animated fashion immediately changed his mind and signaled fair. Toronto manager Cito Gaston came out and discussed it briefly. ... RHP Gil Meche, who left Tuesday night's game with a sore lower back will probably not miss a start, the Royals said. ... Butler's average went from .193 to .242.

[Associated Press; By DOUG TUCKER]

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