Trial Continues for Punchless 1B Kila Ka'aihue

The Kansas City Royals trial by immersion continues for struggling prospect Kila Ka'haihue -- whose vulnerabilities have been laid bare by left-handed pitching as evidenced by his .154 average against them over the first eight games of the season.

Ka'aihue, a late bloomer at age 27, was made to look ridiculous in a recent confrontation with Tigers lefty Phil Coke, who fed him a dozen curve balls that held the so-called "Hawaiian Punch" punchless with three swinging strikeouts, all on pitches that cut the plate. Not a fastball in the bunch, and all from a hurler who is not exactly Sandy Koufax.

Now the six-foot-four, 235-pound first baseman's challenge intensifies as he must face three lefties this week, Brian Duensing and Francisco Liriano of the Twins, and Eric Bedard of the Mariners. By the time they get through with him, he might be happy to see a righty except for one thing: It will be Bedard's teammate Felix Hernandez, the fireballing ace. Though Ka'aihue has impressive minor league numbers, he put them up in the hit-happy Pacific Coast League, where today rival Eric Hosmer is off to a hot start, hitting 3-6 in the early going. The 50th state native must turn it up now if he wants to be considered anything more than a place-keeper until Hosmer arrives around June 1.

Yankees Offer Top Prospect Alan Horne in Trade

The Yankees are readying to showcase top prospect Alan Horne -- currently pitching for Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre -- in an attempt to acquire starters Eric Bedard of the Mariners or Ben Sheets of the Brewers, a mid-ranking, confidential clubhouse source told www.MLBnewsonline.com.

Barring setbacks in his performance, Horne likely will be promoted to New York before the end of the month, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Horne, 25, having fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, has been throwing a lively fastball that occasionally tops out at 97-mph, complementing it with a bonafide, major league curveball and a newly improved changeup.

If unsuccessful in a deal for Bedard or Sheets, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman will fall back on a lateral negotiation to acquire lefty Randy Wolf from the Padres, according to the source. Cashman is trying to accomplish either deal without fanfare, the source said.

In addition to Horne, an unnamed pitcher and middle infielder at Short A Staten Island are also among the components of the transaction, said the source.