Mayday: Royals' Hochevar has struggled this month
Right-hander Luke Hochevar was the winning pitcher April 25 when the Kansas City Royals won at Cleveland to snap a 12-game losing streak.
In two May starts since then, Hochevar is 0-2, allowing 16 runs, all earned, on 19 hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings. The Yankees knocked out Hochevar on Sunday with a six-run third inning, which was highlighted by a Robinson Cano grand slam, en route to a 10-4 thrashing of the Royals.
"When you give up a grand slam, that's not what you want," Hochevar said. "But then again I need to get back to square one and figure it out and get things going and start helping this club and not be putting us in a hole early in the game. I've just got to bear down and find out whether I'm falling into patterns or whatever it is."
Hochevar, the first player picked in the 2006 draft, has lost some confidence.
"Obviously, this is not where I want to be, putting the team in a hole and not giving us a chance to win," he said. "I need to get back to helping the ballclub and doing the things I need to do to pitch deep into games and get outs. That's the bottom line."
Manager Ned Yost said he is not planning "anything that drastic" such as removing Hochevar from the rotation.
"Right now Hoch is just kind of in a rut and having trouble getting out of it," Yost said. "He went to Detroit and had a bad game and had another bad game today. I'm not really sure what it is. His stuff is good. He gets to a point where he starts fighting his location and balls are hitting the fat part of the plate."
Yost and pitching coach Dave Eiland will study video of Hochevar to see what he is doing wrong and work to correct it.
"Pitchers do get into slumps like hitters do," Yost said. "He's definitely in one right now, but it's not something I think he can't work himself out of and get to be a productive member of our rotation."
Hochevar is 2-3 with a 9.00 ERA in six starts, allowing 39 hits and walking 12 in 28 innings, while striking out 18.
"You go through your checklist," Yost said. "Are his mechanics OK? Is he duplicating his mechanics? Today he struggled to duplicate his mechanics. It's not a new pitch. It's not a new grip."
Hochevar ruled out anything physically, saying his arm feels fine.
