Royals take swings against Romero in opener with Jays

Lefty Ricky Romero can stay unbeaten at home in 2012 and keep Toronto unbeaten against Kansas City for the season when the Blue Jays host the Royals in game one of a four-game series tonight at Rogers Centre.

The 27-year-old Los Angeles native ran his home record to 5-0 with an 8-6 defeat of Baltimore on May 29, when he allowed four runs on six hits across six innings of work.

He's had a no-decision in one Toronto home win since, a 6-5 victory over Philadelphia in which he gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings.

The Blue Jays swept a four-game series from the Royals in April, including a victory by Romero in which he surrendered two runs on five hits in eight innings of a 5-3 triumph.

In four career meetings with Kansas City, the former first-round pick - sixth overall, 2005 - is 2-1 with a 3.41 earned run average in 29 innings.

Kansas City starts Georgia-born lefty Everett Teaford, who pitches for the fifth time this season and second since April.

The 28-year-old, a 12th-round pick in 2006, debuted with the Royals last season and was 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 26 appearances - including three starts.

Teaford began this season with Kansas City in April, going 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in three appearances before heading to Triple-A Omaha, where he won four decisions in seven appearances while giving up just four runs in 33 innings.

He returned for a June 27 home start against Tampa Bay and allowed two runs on four hits in five innings, emerging with a no-decision in the Royals' 5-4 win.

Teaford faced the Blue Jays once in relief as a rookie and gave up two hits in a scoreless innings on June 8, in a game Toronto won, 9-8.

The Blue Jays dropped the season series to the Royals in 2011, four games to three.

On Sunday in Minnesota, Drew Butera's three-run homer in the eighth proved to be the difference as the Twins survived to take a 10-8 win over the Royals to wrap up a four-game set.

Irving Falu had three hits and drove in four while Eric Hosmer added three hits and scored twice for the Royals, who had won four straight prior to dropping the last three games of this series.

Bruce Chen (7-7) was tagged for six runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings to take the loss.

In Toronto, Torii Hunter's sacrifice fly in the ninth inning was the winner as LA Angels of Anaheim downed the Blue Jays, 10-6, in the finale of a four-game series.

Colby Rasmus hit a three-run home run while J.P. Arencibia hit a solo home run for the Blue Jays, who have dropped four of their last six.

Aaron Laffey gave up three runs - two earned - on four hits and four strikeouts over six innings. Francisco Cordero (3-5) was tagged for three runs while recording just one out in the eighth for the loss.