Mendoza to be skipped after Friday's start

KANSAS CITY -- Right-hander Luis Mendoza will start on Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, but he'll be skipped on the next turn of the rotation because of three off-days in an eight-day period starting on Monday.

The weekend series with the Blue Jays will feature an intriguing matchup on Saturday night, when Royals' No. 1 pitcher James Shields will be opposed by R.A. Dickey, the knuckleballer who won last year's National League Cy Young Award with the Mets.

Ervin Santana will start Sunday's game against the Blue Jays and, after an open date, Jeremy Guthrie and Wade Davis will start in a two-game series at Atlanta. Then, Shields will come back after five days' rest instead of the usual four to pitch on Friday at Boston. Manager Ned Yost didn't want Shields to go after six days' rest, which would be the case if Mendoza was included.