(Sports Network) - The Toronto Blue Jays will try to pitch themselves past the Kansas City Royals again, as the teams continue a four-game series today at Rogers Centre.

Roy Halladay and Jesse Litsch started the first two games of this series and they simply shut down the slumping Royals, tossing a combined 17 straight shutout innings.

After a complete game performance by Halladay in a 7-1 win in the opener on Friday, Litsch tossed his first career shutout in a 6-0 triumph over Kansas City on Saturday.

Litsch (6-1) needed 103 pitches to master the Royals, allowing only seven hits and one walk. He fanned three for the Jays' third straight win.

Brad Wilkerson launched a grand slam in the first inning and Scott Rolen walked and scored twice, going 1-for-2. Lyle Overbay added a run batted in, scored and walked three times for the Jays, who have victories in five of their last seven.

Kansas City starter Luke Hochevar (3-4) allowed five runs -- four earned -- on six hits and four walks to absorb the loss for Kansas City, which dropped its sixth straight contest. The Royals have been outscored 39-13 over that same stretch.

Gil Meche will toe the rubber for the Royals today in hope he can end the team's losing skid. The right-hander has started to come on after a slow start, going an even 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA over his past four outings.

In his last start on Tuesday, Meche lasted seven innings for the third time in four games, but was on the short end of a 2-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He yielded just two earned runs and five hits, while striking out a season-high eight batters in the setback.

Meche is 4-5 with a 5.01 ERA in 12 career appearance, 11 starts, against Toronto and that includes a loss on April 27th. In that game, he allowed three earned runs and nine hits over 6 2/3 innings of a 5-2 defeat at home.

The Jays will turn to Dustin McGowan in hope that he can give them another dominant pitching performance. The right-hander, though, is winless over his past three starts and has had some control issues, surrendering 10 walks and hitting three more batters over his last 15 innings of work.

McGowan was last on the hill on Tuesday, when he gave up three runs - two earned - and five hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 3-1 loss to the Angels.

In his only career start against the Royals last season, McGowan allowed four runs - three earned - over 6 1/3 innings of a 4-1 setback.

The Royals won two of three versus Toronto at home in late April, but the teams have split their last eight meetings.