"Gil Meche's nightmare season continued Friday with a late scratch from a scheduled start. Club officials are calling it a tired shoulder, similar to what brought Brian Bannister out of his Wednesday start after 1 1/3 innings.

Both pitchers underwent medical examinations earlier in the day, and the Royals are awaiting the results before making a decision on the next trip through the rotation.

Meche is 6-10 with a 5.09 ERA in 24 starts, a season limited by injuries and his first stint on the disabled list in three years with the Royals. He was 14-11 with a 3.48 ERA last season while tying for a league high 34 starts.

"It was sore a couple days ago," Hillman said. "…We've known for a couple days (that he might miss Friday's start)."

Meche had back problems in spring training and early in the season before battling a dead arm in late June. He spent more than a month on the DL with a lower-back problem.

Robinson Tejeda made the spot start for the Royals, his first since pitching five innings last September in an 8-4 win at Cleveland."