Luke Hochevar will enter his start on Saturday with the renewed confidence of a man who thinks he has his problems figured out.</p><p>Hochevar was recently told he’s been tipping his pitches and has spent the last several days working to fix the issue. It’s created a combination of frustration and relief for Hochevar, who feels in some ways he’s wasted the last two seasons -- apparently, the problem goes back a ways -- but is hopeful it’s now corrected.</p><p>“You feel like you’re pitching your game, making pitches, and getting killed,” he said. “It’s nice, because I felt like we went through every scenario, like, ‘I’m not mixing enough, maybe I need to pitch backward more. Maybe my location’s not good enough.’</p><p>“It’s human nature, you start questioning your stuff, ‘Is my stuff good enough?’ I even thought about canning my curveball.”</p><p>If it’s that simple, then perhaps the Royals are about to see what Hochevar is truly capable of. But there are also indications that tipping pitches -- the problem was first reported on the Royals’ postgame show on 610 AM -- doesn’t explain all of Hochevar’s struggles.</p><p>“I think every pitcher tips,” said Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge, who wasn’t aware of any specific issues with Hochevar. “To a certain point, every pitcher tips.”</p><p>There are other opinions around baseball that Hochevar’s problems -- he’s 6-9 with a 6.10 ERA -- are due more to faulty command and a lack of confidence. Too many fastballs down the middle, for instance.</p><p>Either way, Hochevar thinks he’s detected and fixed the problem, so Royals fans should be able to make up their own minds soon enough.</p><p><b>Meche likely out, Bannister to get second opinion</b></p><p>Gil Meche is now unlikely to pitch again the rest of the season, and Brian Bannister is headed to New York for a second opinion, both Royals pitchers dealing with shoulder injuries.</p><p>Royals manager Trey Hillman would not reveal what Bannister’s diagnosis is from team doctors, or whether he thought it possible for Bannister to pitch again this season.</p><p>The Royals hope Meche -- who has shoulder inflammation -- can play catch sometime soon but are in no hurry to put him back in the rotation.</p><p>“I guess it’s possible, but it’s doubtful,” Hillman said. “We want to monitor his body, continue to treat it.”</p><p>Meche last pitched Aug. 29 against the Mariners, giving up seven runs and eight hits in four innings. He spent more than a month on the disabled list with back problems, and battled a dead arm earlier in the year.</p><p>Meche, who turned 31 this week, is 6-10 with a 5.09 ERA in 129 innings over 23 starts. He made 34 starts in each of his first two seasons with the Royals, pitching more than 200 innings with an ERA under 4.00 both years.</p><p>Bannister is 7-12 with a 4.73 ERA in 154 innings over 26 starts. He last pitched Sept. 2 against the A’s, allowing three runs and three hits in just 1 1/3 innings, leaving with what has been described as a fatigued shoulder.</p><p><b>Minor details</b></p><p>The Royals named their minor-league pitchers and players of the year, with each recipient offered an invitation to Kauffman Stadium for Futures Night on Sept. 25.</p><p>Here’s the list:</p><p>* Class AAA Omaha: LHP Lenny DiNardo and OF Cory Aldridge.</p><p>* Class AA Northwest Arkansas: LHP Ben Swaggerty and OF David Lough.</p><p>* Class A Wilmington: LHP Brandon Sisk and 3B Mike Moustakas.</p><p>* Class A Burlington: LHP Mike Montgomery and OF Nick Van Stratten.</p><p>* Rookie Idaho Falls: LHP John Lamb and IF Deivy Batista.</p><p>* Rookie Burlington: RHP Greg Billo and OF Luis Del Rosario.</p><p>* Rookie Surprise: LHP Claudio Bavera and OF Alex Llanos.</p><p>* Rookie Dominican: RHP Jonathan Rodriguez and C Rainier Bello.</p><p><b>Etc.</b></p><p>Research by Elias confirms that Billy Butler is the first player with four three-double games in a season since at least 1901.