South Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim was in the Orioles lineup for the fourth consecutive game on Saturday, starting in left field and batting second.
As the Orioles struggled offensively in Houston earlier this week, Kim has taken advantage of his recent increase in playing time. He made just four starts in the entire month of April after struggling through spring training — he opened the spring 0-for-23 — and refusing an assignment to the minor leagues to open the season.
But with rookie Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard slumping, manager Buck Showalter is giving Kim more of an opportunity. Both Kim and Rickard were in Saturday's starting lineup, with Rickard starting in right.
"I just think he kind of brings some things we kind of need, some selectivity and kind of slow things down here and there," Showalter said. "First of all, the guy's going to have to get below .400 before you take him out. I'm not stupid. I don't care how many at-bats or what kind of hits they are. At some point you go, 'OK, let's see.' Like I told you, nobody really knows who he is or how good he can be."
Even though he was hitless in three at-bats on Friday, Kim scored a run after he was hit by a pitch on his left foot in the first inning. He went 1-for-5 on Saturday, dropping his average to .386. He has reached safely in 13 of his 16 games.
Through interpreter Danny Lee, Kim said that getting more playing time, and contributing at the plate, is building his confidence.
"It's helping me to not think too much about my mechanics and the things I have to do, and wondering about the things I do wrong," Kim said. "I don't really have to think about those things. Those results actually help me to not think too much about things."
"I feel a little more comfortable, but I'm still thinking too much when I'm at the plate," Kim added. "I'm going to try to free more of my mind to have more of a comfortable feeling there. But I [am] definitely feeling better than before. Now I just have to keep that going and keep performing as I'm doing right now."
Showalter said learning about Kim's game and how he can best be used to help the team is a continuing process.
"[We're] getting there," Showalter said. "If you said I've got to fill out a report on him, yeah, I could rip that off, but I'm really careful about that. None of us are that smart. There's a process with him you've got to go through. You look at a lot of the Korean players and kind of where they started and what they ended up being if you stayed patient. We're being open-minded about it."
Showalter defends Machado's aggressive baserunning
Despite a four-hit night in Friday's 6-4 win in Cleveland, shortstop Manny Machado ran the Orioles out of a potential rally when he was thrown out attempting to extend a fifth-inning leadoff double into a triple.
Machado's ill-timed decision came in a tied game — the Orioles rallied for three runs two innings later — but it marked the latest in a number of haphazard base-running miscues this season. Machado has been thrown out attempting to steal third three times to end an inning with slugger Chris Davis at the plate.
But Showalter said he doesn't want to discourage Machado's aggressiveness on the bases.
"There's been a lot of times where he's done something that may not be conventional, but it works out real well," Showalter said. "I don't want to take that away from him. It's one of those things where you talk to him. … It's like a 30-foot jump shot. You go to take it, and everybody goes, 'Oh no,' and then they make it, and they go, 'Wow.' He knows.
"It's just a reminder every once in a while that he's 23 years old. There are some things that all young players have to experience so they don't make those mistakes again. Is it a mistake if he's safe? Sometimes you get so caught up in conventionality that we take away some guys' freedom and their imagination. I think the big issue you have is if some guys are making the same mistake over and over again."
Around the horn
Center fielder Adam Jones' seventh-inning double Saturday tied him with Melvin Mora for 11th place on the Orioles' all-time hit list with 1,323. … Catcher Matt Wieters extended his hitting streak to eight games with his double in the sixth inning. He is hitting .441 (15-for-34) over that span. … Right-handed pitcher Franderlin Romero, who was acquired last week in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds for two international bonus slots, allowed one run on four hits over six innings, striking out five and walking one in his Orioles organization debut Saturday pitching for High-A Frederick. … Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson managed his 626th game with the Tides on Saturday, passing Gary Allenson for the franchise record. Johnson entered Saturday with a 311-314 record in five seasons at Norfolk.
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