CLEVELAND | Even fourth place is now starting to grow dim in the distance as the Royals continue their August freefall.</p><p>The Royals, on Tuesday, played a team with a losing record for the first time since the All-Star break. It didn&#8217;t matter. Cleveland muscled up with three home runs and rolled to a 9-4 victory at Progressive Field.</p><p>It gets worse.</p><p>Royals starter Luke Hochevar left the game after throwing one warmup pitch in the sixth inning because of muscular tightness in his right rib cage. The extent of the injury won&#8217;t be known until today, but it doesn&#8217;t look good.</p><p>Hochevar admitted it was still &#8220;tough to catch my breath&#8221; afterward in the clubhouse.</p><p>&#8220;The first pitch took my breath away,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t think anything of it. I tried to make another pitch, and it was still the same. It just grabbed me.&#8221;</p><p>Catcher Miguel Olivo immediately signaled the bench and went to the mound.</p><p>&#8220;I said, &#8216;What&#8217;s wrong?&#8217; &#8221; Olivo recalled. &#8220;He said, &#8216;I&#8217;m OK,&#8217; but I called the trainer. I knew right away he couldn&#8217;t pitch like that.&#8221;</p><p>Manager Trey Hillman isn&#8217;t optimistic.</p><p>&#8220;When someone feels something (in that area),&#8221; he said, &#8220;it&#8217;s usually muscular. For a pitcher, that&#8217;s not a good sign. But I don&#8217;t want to be the grim reaper until we know more. We&#8217;ll evaluate it (today) after he wakes up.&#8221;</p><p>The Royals are already down one starting pitcher after last Friday&#8217;s decision to option Kyle Davies to the minors in order to bolster the bullpen by recalling Jeff Fulchino. Players must remain in the minors for 10 days after being optioned unless replacing a player going to the disabled list.</p><p>Hochevar, 6-12, left the game after allowing four runs and seven hits &#8212; enough to ensure a seventh loss in his last eight decisions.</p><p>Just to make sure, reliever Leo Nu&#241;ez gave up a three-run homer to Grady Sizemore after replacing Hochevar in the sixth inning. That turned a 4-3 deficit into 7-3 and continued Nu&#241;ez&#8217;s struggles since his July 21 return from the disabled list.</p><p>&#8220;Changeup,&#8221; Nu&#241;ez said. &#8220;Up.&#8221;</p><p>Nu&#241;ez has a 6.23 ERA in 11 appearances since returning after posting a 1.71 mark in 21 games before suffering a strained upper back muscle in late May.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s command and pitching behind in the count,&#8221; Hillman said. &#8220;When you get a guy out there who throws that hard, and he&#8217;s behind in the count as much as he&#8217;s been since he&#8217;s been back, that puts hitters in real comfortable counts.&#8221;</p><p>The Royals have now lost 10 of their last 12 in falling to 55-70. They also fell 2 1/2 games behind fourth-place Cleveland in their quest to avoid finishing last for a fifth straight season.</p><p>David DeJesus staked Hochevar to a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the first inning against Indians starter Anthony Reyes. But Shin-Soo Choo ignited Cleveland three-run second with a one-out homer.</p><p>Ryan Garko&#8217;s leadoff homer in the fourth extended the lead to 4-1 before the Royals scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.</p><p>The Indians closed their scoring with two runs in the eighth inning against just-signed Kip Wells. Cleveland finished with 13 hits, including at least one from all nine starters.</p><p>Sizemore&#8217;s homer was his 28th of the season, but he was mired in a 10-for-61 slump before his three-run blast against Nu&#241;ez.</p><p>&#8220;The way they&#8217;ve been pitching me,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I just looked for something out over the plate.&#8221;