Luis Mendoza will get another shot with start for Royals

On Sunday morning, the day he arrived back in the big leagues, Luis Mendoza stood in front of his locker and tried to demonstrate why things are different now.

Mendoza, a 27-year-old right-hander, lifted his arm above his head and pointed out the adjustments he’s made: a slightly higher release point, more tail and sink on his fastball and a more consistent delivery.

These are perhaps the most basic reasons why he posted a 2.18 ERA for Class AAA Omaha this season while being selected the Pacific Coast League pitcher of the year.

And these changes, combined with the numbers, are also the reason the Royals rewarded Mendoza with two starts in the season’s final days, beginning tonight against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium.

Mendoza has two starts. This much he knows. Just a handful of innings to show the Royals that, at the very least, they need to take a closer look at a pitcher who has spent most of his career in the minor leagues.

All of that success in Omaha was nice, Mendoza said, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is the big leagues.

“I know it’s (just) two starts,” said Mendoza, who helped Omaha clinch the Pacific Coast League title last week. “But I think those are the biggest starts of the year.”

Mendoza may not be alone.

The Royals are still firmly in starting-pitcher search mode. Luke Hochevar, Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino remain safe bets to begin the 2012 season in the rotation. But veteran left-handers Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis will be free agents at the end of the season. And for now, the Royals project to have two openings in their starting rotation.

This could change, of course. The Royals are expected to be aggressive in acquiring a starter or two in the free-agent market or via trade. And perhaps another young starter will emerge from the Royals’ pool of pitching prospects.

But the search and assessments start here, with a collection of in-house candidates.

Left-hander Everett Teaford has already impressed in two September starts. Mendoza, who was added to the 40-man roster on Saturday after pitching this season on a minor-league contract, will attempt to do the same. And with Hochevar, Duffy and Francis shut down, and one more open date in the rotation, the Royals will likely summon either Sean O’Sullivan or Vin Mazzaro from Omaha to make a spot start.

So that leads to this question: What exactly can the Royals see in a handful of innings in the season’s final weeks?

“It’s not going to make or break them by any stretch of the imagination,” manager Ned Yost said.

Still, the Royals have been cautious about giving up on any pitcher with starting potential. And for a team desperate for a few arms, every little bit of evaluation material helps.

“Mendoza has already had a good year,” Yost said. “… But it’s good to see him in person as we go into (the offseason).”

And for Mendoza and Teaford, these are opportunities that could mean the difference between a roster spot in Kansas City and a trip back to the minor-league grind in 2012.

Mendoza had a 7.73 ERA over 80 1/3 innings in brief stints for the Texas Rangers during 2007-09 before being dealt to the Royals on April 2, 2010. That led to a disastrous stay in the Royals’ bullpen — a 22.50 ERA in four outings — and a demotion to Omaha a few weeks later.

That failure sparked action. Mendoza went to Omaha pitching coach Doug Henry with one goal: He wanted to start over.

“We started working,” Mendoza said, “and I told Doug, ‘Hey, I’m gonna pitch (like it’s) for the first time.’ ”

By this year’s spring training, Yost said he could already see the roots of improvement.

“I’d have taken him on the club; he threw that well,” Yost said. “But we had other guys that were throwing the ball really well, too.”

Yost has also been impressed with Teaford, who has allowed just one earned run in 11 innings over two starts since joining the rotation on Sept. 11.

“Teaford opened some eyes his last two starts,” Yost said.

As the season winds down, Teaford talks about showcasing his versatility after bouncing back and forth from Omaha to the Royals’ bullpen for most of the season.

“I wanna show that I can handle the mental part,” Teaford said, “and the preparation part of starting — and having to face guys three times in one game.”

Mendoza has similar thoughts but adds that he feels more comfortable as a starter. He says he doesn’t want to put too much pressure on just two starts. But now that he’s here, back in the big leagues, he’d like to prove that this time will be different.

“I think I got a lot to show,” Mendoza said. “I know it’s not Triple-A — this is the big leagues.”