Kansas City @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 5, 2011 ) Kansas City 11, Oakland 6

THE STORY: Kansas City looks to pick up rare back-to-back road wins when it plays the second game of a three-game series at Oakland on Tuesday night. The Royals, who rank 27th in the major leagues with a 25-44 away record, broke a late tie with five ninth-inning runs en route to an 11-6 triumph in Monday afternoon's series opener. Billy Butler hit a pair of home runs for Kansas City, which moved percentage points ahead of Minnesota at the bottom of the American League Central.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports (Kansas City), Comcast Sports California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals LH Danny Duffy (3-8, 5.73 ERA) vs. Athletics LH Gio Gonzalez (12-11, 3.21 ERA).

It has been a tough rookie campaign for the 22-year-old Duffy, who will likely be making his final start of the season Tuesday with his innings limit approaching. He is 0-4 in his last six starts, allowing 19 runs in his last 19 1/3 innings of work. Duffy's first major league victory came on June 14 at Oakland, where he allowed two runs on just four hits in six innings. Control has been an issue – after posting excellent strikeout-to-walk numbers in the minors, Duffy has walked 48 hitters in 99 big-league innings.

Gonzalez has three consecutive victories since struggling through an 0-5 stretch from July 24 through Aug. 15, pitching seven shutout innings in his last outing at Cleveland on Thursday (4 H, 4 BB, 7 K). Like Duffy, he has struggled with command, walking an American League-leading 80 hitters, though he is also ninth in the league with 167 strikeouts. Gonzalez is 2-0 against the Royals in 2011, allowing four runs and striking out 16 in 13 innings.

ABOUT THE ROYALS (59-83): Kansas City has spent a good part of the year in the AL Central cellar largely because of its struggles on the mound. The Royals rank near the bottom of the major leagues in most pitching categories, including ERA (4.54), WHIP (1.43) and walks allowed (500). A young offense that has shown flashes of potential boasts the fourth-highest team batting average (.270) in baseball and also ranks among the league leaders in doubles (283), triples (32) and stolen bases (130).

ABOUT THE ATHLETICS (64-77): Oakland has struggled for very different reasons than Kansas City – the A's have gotten solid starting pitching for much of the season, particularly from Gonzalez, but the offense has failed to consistently produce. The team's .246 average ranks 23rd in the major leagues, and Oakland is 11th in the American League with 563 runs scored. CF Coco Crisp, the team's top hitting regular at .268, ranks second in the league with 39 stolen bases.

FINAL PITCH: Monday's win was just Kansas City's eighth in the last 24 meetings with Oakland. The A's are 8-4 in their last 12 home games against the Royals.