Royals 4, Brewers 1

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Now that Jose Guillen knows he'll be allowed to play on opening day, he's beginning to show he'll be ready to go.

Guillen had an RBI single and stole a base and the Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 in an exhibition game at Miller Park on Friday night.

It was only the fourth hit of spring training for Guillen, who came into Friday's game batting .136 -- not exactly the offensive oomph the Royals were looking for when they signed Guillen to a $36 million, three-year contract in the offseason.

Guillen shrugged off his spring slumber before Friday's game.

"Believe me, I'm the last guy that you need to worry about in here in this clubhouse," Guillen said. "I'm ready to go. When I tell you I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go."

Earlier Friday, Guillen was told that Major League Baseball officials had granted a 10-day stay on his 15-day suspension that was set to begin Sunday.

MLB and the players union are negotiating an agreement that would toughen the sport's drug rules, a deal that could include amnesty for players who were implicated in the Mitchell Report. A report in the San Francisco Chronicle linked Guillen to the purchase of performance enhancing drugs, allegations the outfielder wouldn't address.

Guillen said the uncertainty hasn't bothered him.

"It's my job," Guillen said. "I can't worry about what those people upstairs are going to do. That's why you have lawyers. You just let them do their job, and I'll just take care of my part."

Also taking care of his part was Kansas City starter Brian Bannister, who frustrated Brewers batters by giving up only one run and six hits in five innings. Bannister shut the Brewers out until the fifth, when J.J. Hardy hit a solo home run to cut the Royals' lead to 3-1.

"I felt more comfortable in this environment than I did all spring training," Bannister said. "This was the real lineup in the real stadium with real fans. Everything was just regular-season like."

Brewers pitchers weren't as sharp, at least early on.

Reliever Derrick Turnbow pitched the sixth, giving up a walk and a single before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed a run to score -- a development sure to spurn a new round of concern about the talented right-hander's inconsistency.

"I didn't really want to see that, but I thought that he threw the ball well," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "I thought he was keeping the ball down."

Milwaukee starter Jeff Suppan gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings. Suppan said he wasn't concerned that he struggled in his first two innings -- and is looking forward to watching the Brewers' bullpen work this season.

"I think it's going to be a fun year to watch them," Suppan said.

Among the bright spots for the Brewers was new closer Eric Gagne, who pitched a perfect ninth in only his eighth appearance this spring. Salomon Torres and Guillermo Mota also pitched scoreless innings in relief for Milwaukee. Ryan Braun was 4-for-4.

Game notes
Veteran right-hander Hideo Nomo is not expected to pitch Saturday in Milwaukee, and will return to Arizona after Saturday's game to work with a team physical therapist. Nomo, who is trying to make a comeback at age 39, has a strained groin muscle. ... Royals right-hander Yasuhiko Yabuta has a right leg contusion after he was hit by a batted ball Friday night. ... Brewers C Eric Munson accepted an assignment to Triple-A Nashville.