AMERICAN LEAGUE: INSIDE THE A.L.: `LIMA TIME' REPRISED IN KANSAS CITY.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

Many midseason acquisitions are like shrinking violets in their new clubhouses. Better to blend in for a few months rather than stand out in front of your teammates.

Jose Lima does not fall in this category.

Lima's gregarious presence dominates the Kansas City Royals' clubhouse. Apparently armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of top-40 fare that dominates ballpark soundtracks, his aura moves crisply into the dugout, where he croons along seamlessly to alternative rock as easily as he dances to his native merengue grooves.

Of course, it's not like Lima hasn't earned the right to strut a little bit since joining the Royals a month ago.

The one-time 21-game winner went 4-0 in his first five starts with Kansas City, injecting life into the American League's most unlikely contender this season. Lima helped fill a void created by injuries to starters Miguel Asencio and Runelvys Hernandez, who returned Friday from a two-month stay on the disabled list with elbow inflammation.

But in all honesty, Lima needed the Royals as badly as they needed him.

His downward spiral since he won 21 for the Astros in 1999 included the shame of getting released by the Detroit Tigers - no small task - and a stint in the independent Atlantic League, where he hoped to revive his fastball and his career.

Lima says the Tigers' unwillingness to use him - he once went 43 days without pitching - took precious velocity off his fastball. Where he once hit 91 or 92 mph on the gun, he said he was down to 85, which made his out pitch, his changeup, worthless.

But he found himself in New Jersey, and now he's back, bringing the occasionally grating ``Lima Time'' routine with him.

``You can see the smile on my face,'' he said, that smile reflecting off his designer sunglasses in the visitors' dugout at Edison Field. ``It's great, man. It's something I worked so hard for, to come back. It's been wonderful.''

The same could be said of the Royals' unlikely success. They were without outfielder Carlos Beltran for the first portion of the season and have been without four-time All-Star first baseman Mike Sweeney since June 19; he's not expected to return from nerve irritation in his neck until after the All-Star break.

But Beltran has been outstanding despite persistent trade rumors that might not go away, and a gaggle of unheralded role players such as middle infielders Desi Relaford and Angel Berroa have filled in the cracks.

And then there's Lima, who has fallen in love with the Midwest. If he continues to pitch well, he might be in the odd position of going from independent league scrap-heaper to sought-after free agent.

``There's some magic here,'' he said. ``I'm just looking forward to see if I can stay here for the rest of my career - good people, good front office, I love the city. I can't complain.''

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com