Major League Baseball

Angels 14, Royals 6

Published Mar. 23, 2011 5:48 a.m. ET

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The next time Jeff Francis faces the Los Angeles Angels it will be a more meaningful game for the Kansas City Royals left-hander.

Francis gave up six runs, but only three earned, on five hits and a walk, while striking out seven in five innings as the Angels took advantage of five Royals errors to win 14-6 Tuesday night.

The Angels did not bring most of their regulars, but they stroked 15 hits led by Hank Conger's three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Peter Bourjos also homered, while minor league outfielder Clay Fuller hit a grand slam in the eighth off Royals left-hander Robert Fish.

The Royals and Angels open the season against each other March 31 in Kansas City with Francis scheduled to start the second game of the season.

Did Francis show his entire arsenal against the Angels in an exhibition game?

''I don't have a big arsenal to show or not show,'' Francis said. ''There might be a few things that I'm working on executing that I might throw in certain situations that I might not throw (in the regular season). But for the most part it's a fastball, it's a curveball and it's a change (up).

''That's what I do. That's it. I'm not working on a secret knuckleball. I only know one way to pitch, so I'm preparing for the season. What is there to hide?''

Not even a 100-mile per hour fastball like teammate Jeremy Jeffress throws.

''That's what I'm holding back,'' Francis said and laughed.

The defense betrayed Francis.

''It's my job to get another out,'' Francis said. ''I don't put the blame on anybody but myself. That kind of stuff happens. They're physical errors.''

Mike Aviles and Lorenzo Cain each committed two errors and Alcides Escobar one, leading to six unearned Angels runs.

''I think it was an aberration,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''It certainly wasn't good defensively in a lot of areas. It's the first game we've had like that. You can go back on the course of the whole spring and we've played good baseball. This is the first game we haven't played good baseball and it wasn't good baseball by any stretch of the imagination. It wasn't very good at all.

''But on the positive side, I thought Francis got hurt on three balls up, but when he kept the ball down I thought he pitched very, very well.''

Billy Butler and Escobar each homered for the Royals, while Melky Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly to raise his Cactus League-leading average to .500.

Notes: RHP Luke Hochevar, who will start the Royals opener, threw 89 pitches, 60 for strikes in 6 1-3 innings Tuesday in a minor league game against Round Rock, the Texas Rangers Triple-A club. He gave up four runs, one unearned, on nine hits. Hochevar threw in a minor league game after his Monday game against Cleveland was rained out. Angels RHP Dan Haren, who was scheduled to pitch against the Royals, instead allowed eight runs in six innings against the Chicago Cubs Triple-A team Tuesday. Brandon Wood made his first spring start at first base for the Angels. Royals OF Gregor Blanco struck out twice, running his total to 13 strikeouts in 28 at-bats. The Royals sent minor league OF Brett Carroll to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations. Carroll was 0-for-15 as a non-roster invitee in nine games. He hit .192 in 32 games last season with the Florida Marlins.

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