"Joakim Soria recorded his 30th save Wednesday night and joined Dan Quisenberry and Jeff Montgomery as the only pitchers in Royals' history to reach that milestone in consecutive seasons.

Quisenberry had a four-year run from 1982-85 and Montgomery did it three straight years from 1991-93. Now Soria, who had 42 last year in his first full season as the club's closer.

Soria's 30 saves this season, in 33 opportunities, came despite missing nearly a month of the season because of a sore shoulder. The ailment has also limited his availability on other occasions.

"It's better than I thought it would be," he said. "After I had shoulder inflammation and missed all of that time, it's good to have 30 saves."

Soria recorded 10 saves in September, which marked the first time in his career that he reached double figures for a single month.

DeJesus works out

Outfielder David DeJesus went through a light workout Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium in his first physical activity since contracting a severe case of the flu.

Barring overnight complications, DeJesus should rejoin the Royals prior to Friday's game at Minnesota. His playing status this weekend for the season's final series remains uncertain.

"He rode the bicycle," manager Trey Hillman reported. "He'll fly in probably late (tonight) or maybe Friday and we'll see how he is. He'll hopefully get a workout in on Friday, but I wouldn't stick him right back in the lineup on Friday.

"We're hopeful to have him Saturday and possibly Sunday. We'll see how his body is."

DeJesus has missed six straight games since contracting what club officials continue to label simply as "the flu." He is batting .281 with 13 homers and 71 RBIs in 144 games.

The Cy race

If Zack Greinke wins the Cy Young Award, he sure isn't going to do so by default. His two chief competitors continue to make late-season charges.

Seattle's Felix Hernandez turned in another strong effort Tuesday night in allowing just two earned runs in 7 2/3 innings in a 6-4 victory over Oakland. He is 18-5 overall with a 2.48 ERA, including 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his last six starts."