Coming into the game with a 2.08 ERA, Greinke gave up ten hits, six earned runs and three walks in only five innings. The loss gave Greinke a 10-7 record on the season and his ERA jumped to 2.36.

The star at the plate for the Rays was All-Star MVP Carl Crawford. He finished with three hits in five at-bats to go along with three RBIs, one run and his 49th stolen base. DH Willy Aybar hit two solo homers — in the fifth inning and the seventh inning.

With the loss, the Royals fell to 41-64. After a good start to the season, the Royals now have the worst record in the American League. Only the Washington Nationals have a worse record.

Although the Rays improved to 58-48, they are still 5.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East and five games behind the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card race.

Zack Greinke - Kansas City Royals (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Zack Greinke Hit Hard as Rays Cruise

Pitching all nine innings, Greinke needed only 104 pitches to allow six hits, no walks and no earned runs while striking out ten batters. He has won all six of his starts and his ERA is a microscopic 0.40 and his WHIP is an equally as impressive 0.84.

In his first four starts of the season, Greinke didn’t allow an earned run. He allowed two earned runs against the Toronto Blue Jays in his fifth start, however he came back as strong as ever against the White Sox in his sixth start.

Thanks mostly to Greinke’s pitching, the Royals currently find themselves in first place of the AL Central. They lead the Detroit Tigers by 1.5 games, the Minnesota Twins by 2 games and the Chicago White Sox by 2.5 games.

Last season, the Royals were 75-87 on the year. The 2009 campaign appears to be a season where the Royals can finally make some noise, especially if Greinke keeps pitching the way he currently is performing.

Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals

Post from: EveryJoe

Zack Greinke Wins Again, Improves to 6-0

His streak of 43 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run ended in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. With two outs in the first inning, Vernon Wells hit a single that scored Marco Scutaro from second base. In the third, Alex Rios hit into a double play but a second earned run was scored against Greinke.

Despite those two runs, the Royals were easily able to win the game by a final count of 11-3. Billy Butler hit two homers and finished the game 4-for-5 with four runs and four RBI.

With the win, the Royals are now 11-10 on the season. Even with the loss, the Blue Jays sport an impressive record of 15-8.

Kansas City Royals (Image: Flickr)

Post from: EveryJoe

Zack Greinke Wins but Streak Snapped