The Royals head into their break on a sour note, as they lose in Houston 9-6. Mike Sweeney, Joe Randa and Johnny Damon all homered for Kansas City, but the Astros hit three home runs of their own and beat Jay Witasick, dropping him to 2-8. Lance Berkman homered twice for the Astros, and Moises Alou went deep as well. Struggling Jose Lima earned the win for Houston, giving him a 2-13 record. The Royals brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the ninth, but Mark Quinn struck out looking. The Royals are seven games below .500 and 15 behind the White Sox as they head into the break. Sweeney and Jermaine Dye will be in Atlanta for the all-star game.
