Luke Hochevar took his seventh loss of the season Friday after giving up four runs on nine hits across six innings against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

Hochevar struck out three and walked one in the game. With the loss, he drops to 3-7 on the season. And his ERA jumped to a worrisome 6.57. The Royals don't have any better options ready to take over, so Hochevar will have to figure out his problems in the majors. He'll look for better results when he takes on the Brewers at home on Thursday.

Luke Hochevar was knocked around for six runs over 4 2/3 innings in Saturday's loss to the Athletics.

Hochevar gave up five hits and three walks in the loss and was tagged for four runs in his final inning of work. Many hyped the 2006 No. 1 overall pick as a possible sleeper after his strong second half last year, but he now owns a miserable 6.63 ERA through his first 11 starts this season. He shouldn't be anywhere near your fantasy roster.

Luke Hochevar could make it just 4 2/3 innings in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Orioles, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk.

Things didn't spiral out of control to quite the extent we're used to seeing from Hochevar on his off days, but he required 104 pitches to record his 14 outs, and departed the game after hitting Chris Davis with a pitch with two outs and a man on in the fifth. He had turned in three straight solid starts coming into today, but is still the owner of an abysmal 6.19 ERA and 1.53 WHIP through 52 1/3 innings. Despite his occasional flashes of brilliance, Hochevar simply isn't worth the headache in mixed leagues.

Luke Hochevar hurled seven scoreless innings Saturday in the Royals' 5-0 win over the White Sox.

Looks like it's going to be yet another up-and-down campaign for Hochevar, who still owns a rough 7.20 ERA and 1.57 WHIP on the season despite Saturday's superb results. The 28-year-old right-hander will try to keep things rolling next week against the Orioles. We'd keep avoiding him in fantasy leagues.

Royals manager Ned Yost said Monday that the struggling Luke Hochevar will remain in the starting rotation.

Hochevar was blasted for seven runs over just 2 1/3 innings Sunday against the Yankees and now has a 9.00 ERA across his first six starts this year. We were hoping the 2006 No. 1 overall pick was ready to make a step forward after his promising second half last year, but he should be left inactive in fantasy leagues for the time being.

Luke Hochevar got shelled yet again Sunday, allowing seven runs on seven hits in just 2 1/3 innings of Kansas City's loss to the Yankees.

That should just about do it for any illusions of Hochevar taking his long-awaited step forward this season. Kansas City's would-be ace has allowed seven or more runs in three of his first six starts, and is now the owner of a 9.00 ERA and 1.82 WHIP through his first 28 innings of work. Awful, disappointing stuff from someone who had a strong second half last season. He'll look to pick up the pieces in Chicago next weekend. Keep him benched.

Monday's game between the Royals and Tigers has been postponed due to rain.

The game will be made up on September 24, which had been a scheduled off day for both clubs. Luke Hochevar will be pushed back a day to start Tuesday, but the Tigers will just skip over Duane Below, who was going to make a spot start. Doug Fister should be ready by the time Detroit needs a fifth starter.

Luke Hochevar returned to action on Friday April 20.

Luke Hochevar limited the Blue Jays to one run on two hits over five innings as part of a no-decision on Friday night.

Hochevar struck out five and walked two in the game. He surrendered an RBI single to J.P. Arencibia in the fifth inning, and that was the extent of his damage. He's had some very mixed results through his first three outings, and will look to gain some consistency when he squares off against the Indians in Cleveland next week.

The Royals have pushed Luke Hochevar's (foot) next scheduled start back from Wednesday to Friday.

Hochevar took a liner off his left foot in his last outing, and although X-rays have come back negative, the Royals will play it safe and give him an extra couple days. Jonathan Sanchez will move up to start on Wednesday ahead of the team's off day Thursday. The lefty will be going on three days' rest, though he threw only 75 pitches in his last outing.

Luke Hochevar was pounded for seven runs over four innings Friday against the Indians.

Hochevar gave up all seven runs in the first inning. Though he settled down from there, his day ended after he was smacked in the left leg by a comebacker off the bat of Carlos Santana to finish off the top of the fourth inning. No word yet on his status, but he appeared to have trouble putting any weight on the leg. We'll pass along an update when it's made available by the team.

Luke Hochevar picked up the win allowing two runs on five hits against the Angels in his season debut Saturday.

Hochevar struck out four against only two walks. Hochevar has never quite lived up to the hype of being the number one overall pick in the 2006 draft, but showed marked improvement in the second half last season. Perhaps he is finally starting to put it together and could be on the verge of a breakout season in 2012.

Luke Hochevar allowed four runs in five innings Wednesday in a Cactus League start against the Rangers.

It was Hochevar's final outing of the spring. He threw only 48 of his 81 pitches for strikes and yielded eight hits, but the 28-year-old right-hander managed to strike out six batters while issuing just one walk. His command has been sharp throughout his time in this year's Cactus League.

Luke Hochevar mowed down the Dodgers in Friday's 2-0 win, striking out eight while allowing just three hits across six scoreless innings.

Hochevar has now allowed just two runs in 14 spring innings (1.29 ERA), posting a sparkling 15/1 K/BB ratio in the process. The Royals' de-facto ace, he appears in position to build on his strong finish to the 2011 season.

Luke Hochevar bested the Indians on Sunday, yielding five harmless hits in three shutout innings.

He also struck out four, giving him seven in eight spring innings. Hochevar likely will give up a lot of hits this season. But if we see the version exhibited during the second half of last year, he should give the Royals plenty of chances to win.

Luke Hochevar tossed two scoreless innings in his spring debut Tuesday, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out one in a win over the Padres.

A solid showing. Hochevar's career numbers, especially when you consider he's a former No. 1 overall pick, are underwhemling. But, he could be a sneaky end-game option in mixed leagues if he can carry over his second half from last season when he held a 3.52 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 68/24 K/BB ratio in 79 1/3 innings after the All-Star break.

The Royals and RHP Luke Hochevar avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract.

Hochevar posted a 4.68 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 198 innings last season while earning a $1.76 million salary. This new agreement for 2012 is worth $3.51 million.

Now shut down for the season, Luke Hochevar posted a 3.52 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 68/24 K/BB ratio in 79 1/3 innings after the All-Star break.

The half was easily the best of Hochevar's career, especially considering he had tended to take a turn for the worst after the All-Star break in years past. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2006 draft will enter 2012 as an excellent late-round flier in mixed leagues.

The Royals are planning to shut down Luke Hochevar.

Hochevar, 28, has tallied 198 innings this season for the Royals. He threw just 151 between the minors and majors last year. The righty will finish up with a decent 4.68 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He'll carry some AL-only value in 2012.

Luke Hochevar allowed just one unearned run over eight innings Saturday in a 5-1 win over the Indians.

Hochevar allowed just three hits and walked just one batter while striking out eight. The right-hander improved to 10-10 on the year and will carry a 4.76 ERA into his next scheduled outing against the Mariners.