Royals notebook: Hillman won’t be a slave to pitch counts

CLEVELAND | Manager Trey Hillman opened some eyes last Sunday when he kept Gil Meche on the mound for a career-high 129 pitches in a 5-2 loss to Toronto at Kauffman Stadium.

Meche’s total was also the highest by any starter this season and the most by a Royals starter since Chad Durbin threw 137 pitches on July 28, 2001. It was the most by anyone since Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang threw 135 on July 8, 2006.

The obvious question:

Has Hillman, after managing the last five years in Japan, imported that culture’s disdain for pitch counts?

A little, it seems.

“Mac and I’ve talked about it,” Hillman said in reference to pitching coach Bob McClure. “Dayton (Moore) and I talked about pitch counts in the interview. I told him I thought pitch counts are very relevant; I just think we hold onto them too closely.”

In Meche’s case last Sunday, Hillman contends the pitcher was closely watched for signs of fatigue. An extra day of rest before Meche’s next start _ Saturday against the Indians _ also played a role in the decision.

“You factor all of those things in,” Hillman said, “and, obviously, the thing that you always worry about is, `Am I putting the guy in harm’s way by leaving him out there?’ I check on that a lot.”

There appears no pattern, at this point, to suggest Hillman is overusing his starters. The Royals entered the weekend ranked fifth among the 14 American League teams in pitches thrown per game by starters at 96.4.

The Mariners are first at 100.1, followed by the Blue Jays at 100.0. The Yankees are last at 85.6.

Further, the Royals have only one other game by a starter that ranks among the top 100 this season for most pitches thrown. Brian Bannister threw 111 pitches on April 13 in his complete game against the Twins.

Bannister’s game ties for the 64th highest number of pitches. No other Royals starter has thrown more than 108 pitches. And Zack Greinke is the only starter to top 100 more than twice; he’s done it four times is six starts but never for more than 107.

Hillman said he won’t let Meche throw 129 pitches again tonight.

“I’d probably take him up to 120,” Hillman said. “My old training would probably kick in at that point, and I’d think, `OK, Scooter, you took him to 129 last time.’ It’s a grind. It’s a long season. You need these guys for the long haul.

“But at the same time, I think there is something we can learn from over there. And one of those things would be: Let’s throw more.”

Bale encouraged

Left-hander John Bale experienced no problems in testing his fatigued shoulder in a pre-game throwing session. The only problem was rain in Cleveland forced Bale to do workout in the indoor batting cages _ not ideal when facing hitters and eliminating a long-toss warmup.

“It was a little creepy in there,” he admitted, “especially with (Miguel) Olivo hitting off of you. It went well, though. I threw close to 70 pitches, counting the warm-ups.

“I had to warm up off the mound with the catcher down because I couldn’t long-toss inside.”

Bale made three starts before a “dead arm” forced him to the disabled list after his April 15 outing in Seattle. Tentative plans call for him to play catch today and Sunday before throwing another live session of batting practice Monday at Kauffman Stadium.

“We’re on the right track,” Hillman said. “We’ll see how his body feels (today).”

Bale appears likely to rejoin the staff as a reliever.

Gordon back at No. 3

The Royals believe it’s a matter of time before Alex Gordon develops into a consistently productive No. 3 hitter. That’s why Gordon returned to that spot in the lineup after spending the two previous games at No. 7.

“I think he has a tendency to put a little pressure on himself (when batting third),” Hillman said, “whether he realizes it or not. When he puts a little pressure on himself, his swing gets a little longer.

“As soon as we move him out of the three slot, in a short one-month history, his swing gets a little bit shorter and a little more compact. Hopefully, he can stay a little shorter. He’s going to have to.”

Gordon entered Friday with just six hits in 34 at-bats -- a .176 average -- when batting third. He is batting .347 when he bats anywhere but third.

Power in the Far East

It only makes it worse, as the Royals struggle into the weekend with just 15 homers in 28 games, to see a couple of alums are muscling up in Japan.

First baseman Craig Brazell tops the Pacific League with 11 homers for the Seibu Lions, and outfielder Aaron Guiel leads the Central League with eight homers and 22 RBIs for the Yakult Swallows.

Minor details

•Right-hander Julio Pimentel produced his fourth straight quality start Thursday when he yielded just two earned runs in seven innings for Class AA Northwest Arkansas in a 9-6 victory at Springfield. Pimentel, 22, is 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 35 innings. He has allowed five earned runs in 27 2/3 innings in his last four starts.

•Infielder Mike Aviles extended his hitting streak to 13 games by going one for four in Class AAA Omaha’s 5-3 loss at Sacramento. Aviles is batting .358 overall and .393 in the streak.

To reach Bob Dutton, Royals reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4352 or send e-mail to bdutton@kcstar.com.