PEORIA, Ariz. ? After meetings and more meetings and only two games left before breaking camp in Arizona, the Kansas City Royals still are undecided on the final two slots in their rotation.

The candidates are right-handers Brett Tomko and Kyle Davies and left-handers John Bale and Jorge De La Rosa. Bale, who is 0-1 with a 4.91 earned run average while holding hitters to a .228 average, is a leading contender to win one spot.

“I’m not sure I can give you any good excuse right now,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said Tuesday night on what would keep Bale from being in the rotation. “It’s a fair question. I just can’t go final on it because there are a few more days left.”

The Royals defeated the San Diego Padres, 8-4, on Tuesday night.

Davies pitched five innings in a minor-league game Tuesday and allowed six runs, all earned, on 11 hits.