(Sports Network) - Zack Greinke tries to put the brakes on a four-start winless streak when the Kansas City Royals play the first of three straight games against the Oakland Athletics this evening at Kauffman Stadium.

Greinke, who is 9-9 with a 3.72 earned run average on the year, hasn't won since topping Chicago back on August 3 and received a no-decision his last time out despite a decent effort against Texas. Greinke surrendered just an unearned run and four hits over six innings of that August 26 matchup, but did not factor in the decision of his team's 2-1 setback.

The 24-year-old righty defeated the A's the last time he faced them and is 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA lifetime against them.

Kansas City enters tonight's tilt having lost five of its last six following a 4-2 setback in Detroit on Sunday. Jose Guillen hit a solo home run and Alberto Callaspo was 3-for-3 for the Royals, who have dropped 12 of their last 14 contests.

Starter Gil Meche pitched well, going seven innings and allowing two runs and five hits without walking a batter and striking out six. Kip Wells (1-3) came on for Meche in the eighth and promptly gave up the lead.

Like Kansas City, Oakland is nowhere near a playoff race, but the Athletics did split a four-game series over the weekend with a team that is fighting for a spot in the postseason, the Minnesota Twins.

The A's, though, failed to win the series thanks to a 12-4 setback Sunday at McAfee Coliseum. Aaron Cunningham picked up his first major-league hit and drove in two runs for Oakland, which has dropped two of three.

Oakland starter Greg Smith (6-14) took the loss after allowing seven hits and eight runs over five-plus innings.

The A's have now gone 37 straight games without scoring more than six runs, the longest streak by an AL team since 1988, when Milwaukee went 40 consecutive games without a seven-run outburst. Oakland has scored the fewest runs in the AL (531), while the Royals have plated the second-fewest (557).

Getting the call for the A's tonight will be rookie Gio Gonzalez, who is 1-2 with a 7.25 ERA. Gonzalez received a no-decision on Wednesday in Anaheim, as the Angels managed four runs and three hits off the young lefty in three innings of a 6-5 Los Angeles win.

Gonzalez has never faced the Royals.

This series could also see the return to Kansas City for Oakland slugger Mike Sweeney, who played for the Royals from 1995-2007. Sweeney signed with the A's this offseason, but has been on the disabled list since the middle of May with a knee injury. He is expected to be activated at some point in the series.

These teams have split six matchups this season.