Boston @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 18, 2011 ) Boston 4, Kansas City 3

THE STORY: Two lefthanders with similarly disappointing histories do battle Friday night as the Boston Red Sox visit the Kansas City Royals in the second of a four-game series. Boston sends Andrew Miller to the mound in search of his fifth win of the season. Royals counterpart Jeff Francis is also seeking win No. 5 in what has been a thoroughly disappointing campaign.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, NESN, Fox Sports Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Andrew Miller (4-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Royals LH Jeff Francis (4-13, 4.76 ERA).

Miller never lived up to the hype after being selected sixth overall by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 draft. The towering southpaw has been limited to just 62 major-league starts due to injury and ineffectiveness, and has had his share of struggles in 2011 despite a strong won-lost record. Miller is 0-2 in five appearances against the Royals, with an unsightly 11.08 ERA over 13 innings.

Francis was also a highly-regarded lefty, selected ninth overall by Colorado in 2002. Since winning 17 games for the Rockies in 2007, the 30-year-old Canadian has gone 12-29 and missed the entire 2009 campaign with arm troubles. Francis has faced Boston just once in his career, tossing five scoreless innings against them in an interleague showdown back in 2007.

ABOUT THE RED SOX (75-48): Climbing out of a 2-9 hole to possess one of the best records in baseball hasn't been easy for Boston. Neither will having to deal with another key injury in their quest to overtake the New York Yankees for top spot in the American League East. Third baseman Kevin Youkilis was placed on the 15-day disabled list prior to Thursday's series-opening 4-2 win over the Royals. Youkilis had been playing through a back injury for a while, but the Red Sox opted to place him on the DL rather than risk losing him for a longer stretch. Jed Lowrie took over at the hot corner, and will likely get the bulk of the starts there going forward.

ABOUT THE ROYALS (51-74): Kansas City doesn't often attract the spotlight, but all eyes were on the Royals on Thursday - and not necessarily in a good way - after they signed outfielder Jeff Francoeur to a two-year contract extension. Francoeur is enjoying a strong season with the Royals, batting .275 with 15 home runs, 66 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 121 games. The 2002 first-round pick is a two-time 100-RBI man, but has played himself out of favor twice before - first in Atlanta, where he hit .242 over his final season-and-a-half with the Braves, then with the Mets, where he managed a .237 average in 401 at-bats in 2010 before being traded to the Texas Rangers.

FINAL PITCH: Francoeur and Melky Cabrera, two of the Royals' top offensive stars this season, are a combined 4-for-20 lifetime against Miller.