Diamondbacks  12    Royals  5

Arizona Diamondbacks (28-38) at Kansas City Royals (29-35), 8:10 p.m.

Sports Network | June 18, 2009

(Sports Network) - Two pitchers coming off complete-game gems go head to head tonight when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals complete their three-game interleague series at Kauffman Stadium.

Arizona righty Dan Haren looks for a third straight victory tonight and a second straight nine-inning effort to follow up on the two-hit masterpiece he had in an 8-1 win against Houston on Friday.

In that game, Haren allowed one earned run, walked two and struck out seven in improving his season's record to 5-4 and lowering his earned run average to a stingy 2.20 in 94 innings.

Over his last three starts, he's allowed just eight hits and three runs in 23 innings.

Haren is 1-1 in six road starts in 2009, allowing 32 hits and 12 runs in 41 innings. He is 2-1 in five starts in his career against the Royals and has posted a 2.02 ERA in 35 2/3 innings pitched versus Kansas City.

For Kansas City, recent No. 1 overall pick Luke Hochevar returns after hurling the initial nine-inning outing of his 31-appearance major-league career.

Against the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Friday, the 2006 No. 1 overall pick allowed three hits and a run in a 4-1 victory. In the game, Hochevar struck out three and walked one to help the Royals on the way to a three-game sweep.

Previously in 2009, he'd won just once in four starts and had allowed 21 hits and 16 earned runs in 18 1/3 innings.

Hochevar won his lone career start against the Diamondbacks last season, allowing 10 hits and two earned runs in seven innings while walking none and striking out six.

On Wednesday, Stephen Drew finished with two hits, including a bases-loaded triple, and Arizona jumped all over Zack Greinke and the Royals en route to a 12-5 win to even this series.

Miguel Montero and Justin Upton each had three hits and an RBI, while Chris Young had a hit, three walks and scored four times for the Diamondbacks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. The win came after the team held a pre- game closed-door meeting.

Arizona starter Max Scherzer (4-4) got the win after giving up two runs in six innings. He allowed nine hits, walked three, fanned five and threw 109 pitches, 63 for strikes.

Greinke (8-3) got the loss after giving up six runs -- four earned -- in 6 2/3 innings. The Royals starter allowed eight hits, walked two and fanned nine.

Greinke took his first home loss of the season and yielded six runs for only the second time in 14 starts this year. His outing sharply contrasted that of Gil Meche, who tossed a four-hit shutout in the opener of this three- game series on Tuesday.

Kansas City took two of three meetings from the Diamondbacks in Phoenix last year. Arizona is visiting Kauffman Stadium for the first time since winning two of three tests there in 2003.