By ALAN ESKEW
SportsRadioKC.com 
 
Gil Meche was pitching better than Zack Greinke in late May to mid-June in four starts for the Kansas City Royals. From May 30 to June 16, Meche allowed three earned runs on 19 hits in 30 innings, while striking out 26.
 
He threw seven scoreless innings on June 10 at Cleveland, striking out 11 -- which matched his career high -- and throwing 115 pitches. On June 16, he threw a complete-game shutout against Arizona, allowing four hits and throwing a season-high 132 pitches.
 
Meche was never the same in 2009. On June 21, he was ripped by St. Louis, giving up nine runs on nine hits, including two home runs, in 3 1/3 innings. He would go 0-4 in his the five starts after shutting out the Diamondbacks. In the last of those five starts, he surrendered eight runs, six earned, on eight hits, two of them home runs, in 3 2/3 innings in a 15-9 loss at Boston.
 
He went on the disabled list July 18 with lower back spasms and would not return until Aug. 13. He made just four starts and had an 8.14 ERA after the All-Star break. After permitting seven runs on eight hits, two of them home runs, in an 8-4 loss on Aug. 29 Meche was shut down the rest of the season with a fatigued shoulder.

Many blame the 132-pitch count as excessive and leading to Meche’s injuries and second half woes. Meche does not.
 
“It had nothing to do from one game to another,” Meche said. “Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again."
 
After a 3.67 ERA in 34 starts and 216 innings in 2007 and going 14-11 with a 3.98 ERA in 34 starts and 210 1/3 innings in 2008, Meche made only 23 starts and pitched 129 innings last year, finishing  6-10 with a 5.09 ERA. Meche said he is ready to throw 200-plus innings in 2010.
 
“I better be,” Meche said. “As good as I feel right now, there’s no reason why I can’t. The biggest things are staying consistent and staying healthy. If I do both of those things, everything will take care of itself.”

He said the back started bothering him last year before he reported to Surprise, Ariz.
 
“I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal,” he said.
 
It was.
 
“There was inflammation and it needed rest to go away,” Meche said. “I kept pushing it. It was never getting worse, but it was never getting better. It just caught up with me. I thought it was going away as time went along, but I don’t think anything from what I did during the season hurt me or helped me in any way as far as my back goes. It was unfortunate I couldn’t have a good year and go out there and throw 34 starts.”
 
Meche remained with the club after his final start against the Mariners and threw bullpen sessions.
 
“I could have pitched at the end of the year, but it was the smart approach to shut it down,” he said.
 
Although back issues are tricky, Meche says he did off-season workouts to strengthen his back and core.
 
“It’s probably something I’m going to have to do the rest of career as long as I’m pitching,” he said. “I feel the benefits from it. And my body feels great. When things happen that way, you want to keep doing them.”
 
Manager Trey Hillman called Meche during the winter to inform him Zack Greinke, who won the American League Cy Young Award, would be his Opening Day starter, an assignment Meche had drawn the previous three seasons. Hillman was not telling Meche anything he did not know.
 
“I shouldn’t be (the Opening Day starter), not the way I pitched,” Meche said.
 
Meche will start the second game of the season on April 7 against Detroit at Kauffman Stadium. 
 
If Meche, who is in the fourth year of a five-year $55 million contract, returns to his 2007-08 form and could win 14 or more games with an ERA less than four, and Greinke pitches close to what he did in 2009, the Royals could run out two aces.
 
Meche could be a No. 1 in the No. 2 slot.
 
“I think so," Hillman said, "because if it had not been for Zack’s unbelievable season last year, Meche very possibly would be our Opening Day pitcher. I think that’s a good way to look at it.”