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05/07/2009 11:22 PM ET
Hochevar eyeing return to Majors
Former first overall pick lowers ERA to 0.90 with eight-inning gem
By John Torenli / Special to MLB.com
Luke Hochevar is 5-0 with an 0.90 ERA in six starts for Omaha this season. (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)

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Luke Hochevar was disappointed when he didn't make the Kansas City Royals' starting rotation out of Spring Training.

The former first overall pick isn't letting it affect his performance at Triple-A Omaha thus far this season.

Eager to prove he belongs back in the Majors, Hochevar continued his dominant start Thursday, striking out nine over a season-high eight scoreless frames in the Royals' 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Memphis Redbirds.

"When you get sent down, obviously you want to prove that you belong up there," Hochevar admitted. "But that really hasn't been a huge factor. I just think everything that I've worked on and picked up over the past couple of years is finally coming together."

Is it ever. Hochevar (6-0), who was the odd man out of the Royals' starting five just before camp broke, may force the organization to take another look at its decision.

After going 6-12 with a 5.51 ERA in 22 starts with Kansas City last year, he emerged victorious in each of his first five starts with Omaha and was three outs away from a sixth win in a row before the Royals' bullpen squandered a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning Thursday.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander lowered his ERA to a minuscule 0.90 with his latest gem. He has struck out 30 while walking 10 over 40 brilliant innings.

"Getting a year of experience at the big league level and learning what I need to do to be successful at that level has really helped me," Hochevar said. "Everything is still coming together -- my delivery, execution and focus as well as my situational pitching."

Though the Royals have jumped out to an early lead in the AL Central and boast the Majors' top team ERA at 3.62, there could be a place for Hochevar at the big league level sooner rather than later.

But those decisions are left to the Kansas City braintrust as Hochevar continues to control the only thing he can: opposing batters.

"Everybody up there is pitching extremely well," he noted. "They're leading the league in pitching, going out getting wins and putting up quality starts. When you see that happen and you see a team start to click, you want to be a part of that. I want to be in that environment and help win ballgames. But I have to keep my nose to the grindstone."

Locked in a classic pitchers' duel with Memphis' Evan MacLane on Thursday, Hochevar never let up. He struck out the side around a one-out single by Casey Rowlett in the opening frame and escaped a two-out jam in the second before cruising through the Redbirds' lineup the rest of the way.

Brandon Yarbrough led off the eighth with a single to center field and moved to second on Donovan Solano's sacrifice. But Hochevar made sure the game remained scoreless, inducing a comebacker off the bat of Jon Jay and getting Rowlett on a grounder to first with his 97th and final pitch of the night.

MacLane matched Hochevar through the first seven innings, but left after yielding two runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 7 2/3 frames.

"MacLane pitched extremely well," Hochevar said. "When you go against a guy that's going pitch-for-pitch with you, you have to get locked in. You can't give an inch, which makes your execution more important on every pitch."

John Torenli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.