--CF Coco Crisp drew four walks Tuesday, matching his career high. Crisp, who has walked a team-leading 21 times, also walked four times on Aug. 1, 2007, against the Orioles while with the Red Sox.
--RHP Sidney Ponson, who is 0-4 with a 7.16 ERA in five starts, will start Wednesday against the Mariners. "I really don't consider his start to be a make-or-break point for Sidney," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "If we gave him a little run support in two of his starts, I don't think this would be as much of a topic as it has become." Hillman pointed out Ponson could be 2-2. In home losses against the Yankees and Tigers, the Royals scored a total of three runs for Ponson. He went eight innings in a 3-2 loss to the Tigers. --RHP Zack Greinke became the first pitcher in the majors with six victories Monday and lowered his earned run average to 0.40 with a complete-game shutout of the White Sox. Greinke joins RHP Bret Saberhagen (1987) and Jose Lima (2003) as the only Royals pitchers to win their first six decisions. Lima won seven in 2003. Greinke struck out 10 and walked none, the fourth time in his career he has logged double-figure strikeouts with no walks.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We could see last year they (the Royals) made a lot of progress and they're better this year. When (RHP Zack) Greinke pitches, they are as good as any team in baseball." -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland.
BY THE NUMBERS: 1-for-13 -- C John Buck on throwing out base runners this season after throwing out just seven of 65 in 2008.
