MLB

• Meche takes ball for KC at Baltimore's Camden Yards

  
  

  (Sports Network) - The Kansas City Royals have been playing terrific baseball over the past few weeks, and Gil Meche has played a significant role in the team's surge. The Royals staff ace goes in search of a fourth straight victory in tonight's third test of a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

  Meche has yielded a total of just six runs -- five earned -- over a span of 20 innings in consecutive wins over Arizona, San Francisco and St. Louis. Factor in a six-inning no-decision against Texas on June 10 in which he gave up only one run, and the right-hander has produced a 2.08 earned run average through a four-start stretch.

  In Friday's 7-1 home win over the Cardinals, Meche allowed just one run and six hits while issuing only one walk in seven innings of work.

  The 29-year-old was touched for five runs through five innings in a loss to the Orioles in Kansas City back in May, however. Meche has a respectable 3.26 ERA in 16 career starts against Baltimore, but is just 4-5 lifetime versus the O's.

  Meche will attempt to play the role of stopper on Wednesday, after his club was dealt a 7-5 setback by the Orioles last night in the second game of this series.

  Ramon Hernandez finished 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and Brian Roberts hit a solo homer to help Baltimore snap a two-game slide and avenge a 6-5 defeat to the Royals on Monday.

  The Orioles were also aided by a solid effort by starting pitcher Radhames Liz (3-0).

  The young right-hander held Kansas City to three runs on seven hits in six innings of work.

  Luke Hochevar (5-6) took the loss for the Royals after giving up six runs on six hits over six innings.

  Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen each homered for Kansas City, with Teahen finishing with two RBI on the evening.

  The Royals had a six-game road win streak snapped and fell for the third time in their last four overall contests. Kansas City is still an impressive 12-4 since June 14, however.

  While Meche has been on a roll as of late, Baltimore's Daniel Cabrera has endured his share of midseason struggles. The erratic right-hander, who gets the call for the O's this evening, hasn't won in seven starts since downing the Yankees on May 20. Cabrera has compiled three losses and four no-decisions during that rough stretch.

  During his winless period, Cabrera has posted a subpar 6.21 ERA and walked 23 batters in 42 innings. The towering Dominican went 5-1 with a 3.48 ERA through his first 10 starts of the year, while issuing just 18 free passes over 67 1/3 frames.

  Cabrera did show signs of a rebound in Friday's start at Washington. He held the Nationals to two runs over the first six innings, but was touched for a pair of runs in the seventh to absorb the loss.

  Perhaps a matchup with the Royals will enable Cabrera to get back on track. The 27-year-old is 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in seven career starts against Kansas City and fired a three-hitter in Baltimore's 4-1 win at Kauffman Stadium on May 8.

  The Orioles have won 16 of their last 19 meetings with Kansas City following Tuesday's triumph, including eight of the nine matchups held at Camden Yards during that stretch.

  Baltimore also took three of four games from the Royals in Kansas City back in May.

  07/02 11:03:17 ET