<table> </table> The Royals played Sunday&#8217;s game without a left-handed pitcher on their staff.</p><p>Lefty reliever Josh Newman was sent to Omaha before Sunday&#8217;s game to make room for starter Brandon Duckworth.</p><p>For most of the season the Royals have gone without a left-hander in the starting rotation but had several options with lefties in the bullpen, headed by Ron Mahay.</p><p>But with the recent injury to Mahay in addition to the injury to Jimmy Gobble and the trade of Horacio Ramirez, the Royals, at least for one game, had no options if they wanted a lefty-lefty matchup.</p><p>Royals manager Trey Hillman didn&#8217;t think it was a problem.</p><p>&#8220;Josh didn&#8217;t get a whole lot of opportunity to perform, but the opportunities he did have he wasn&#8217;t as effective as he would like to be or we would like to be,&#8221; Hillman said.</p><p>Newman made four relief appearances and gave up six earned runs in seven innings.</p><p>To have a left-hander on the staff just to have one, Hillman said, is counterproductive if that pitcher is not getting the job done.</p><p>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t bother me,&#8221; Hillman said. &#8220;We are where we are with our left-handed situation. I think more importantly we need to have effective, (high-) quality outings and protect the guys so we won&#8217;t run into any more injuries.&#8221;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Hochevar season over</span></strong></p><p>Luke Hochevar&#8217;s rookie season officially came to an end Sunday when he was moved from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. The move was made to clear space for Duckworth to be added to the Royals&#8217; 40-man roster.</p><p>The bruise to the rib-cage area made it unlikely that Hochevar was going to pitch again this season anyway.</p><p>&#8220;It would be senseless for us to try to force the issue to get him back for what would be two or three more starts,&#8221; Hillman said.</p><p>Hochevar finished 6-12 with a 5.51 ERA in 22 starts. He struck out 72 and walked 47.</p><p>&#8220;Overall, I think every start I went out I was getting better,&#8221; Hochevar said. &#8220;I was feeling more comfortable, feeling more confident. From a results standpoint some things didn&#8217;t bounce my way.</p><p>&#8220;I feel I made some good strides and got better. I learned some of the hitters. I learned the league and learned what it takes to be successful. Obviously, winning games is the most important thing, but for my first year I was pleased the way every time I went I got better and made adjustments.&#8221;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Play for pride</span></strong></p><p>Now that the Royals have little chance of finishing .500 and barely a glimmer of hope of escaping the basement in the AL Central, what do they have left to play for?</p><p>&#8220;Pride,&#8221; Hillman said. &#8220;Hopefully there is a sense of pride doing what we do. This is the entertainment business. I hope that the pride factor in what we want to do in trying to re-establish the fan base in Kansas City is at the forefront of their minds.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not something any coach or manager can make an individual player have. It is something that&#8217;s got to come from within. A lot of it has to do with character. We will see what kind of character level is there for the remainder of the season.&#8221;</p><p>Hillman said he understands the perception from the outside that the players aren&#8217;t playing hard and are not focused. But what he sees tells him otherwise.</p><p>He pointed to the near comeback in Friday&#8217;s game as one example of the team not quitting.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think you do that unless you have guys on the field who want to accomplish something.&#8221;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Up next</span></strong></p><p>The Royals begin a three-game series tonight at home against Texas. Gil Meche, 10-9, 4.01 ERA opens for the Royals against right-hander Scott Feldman, 4-5, 5.15. In Tuesday&#8217;s game, Zack Greinke, 9-9, 3.86 takes on right-hander Kevin Millwood, 7-7, 5.24 and in the series finale, Brian Bannister, 7-13, 5.89 faces lefty Matt Harrison, 5-3, 6.27.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Minor details</span></strong></p><p>Omaha&#8217;s slugging first baseman, Kila Ka&#8217;aihue, was hit in the right wrist in the first inning against Memphis and had to leave the game on Saturday. Ka&#8217;aihue didn&#8217;t start Sunday.