(LEAD) Spring woes continue for Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun

유지호 / 2021-03-09 08:22:22

(LEAD) MLB-pitcher

▲ This March 3, 2021, file photo by the Associated Press shows Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals during a major league spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) MLB-pitcher

(LEAD) Spring woes continue for Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun

(ATTN: ADDS comments in paras 13-14, 17-20)

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun has been rocked for his second straight spring training start, once again failing to take advantage of an additional chance to straighten things out.

Kim was charged with four earned runs on six hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, on Monday (local time). He struck out two but has now been roughed up for seven earned runs in just three innings across his first two starts this spring.

As was the case against the New York Mets last Wednesday, Kim was allowed to take the mound for the second time in the second inning against the Marlins, despite getting lifted in the opening frame. Rules are relaxed for these exhibition games, as clubs try to find creative ways to help their pitchers get stretched out before the start of the regular season next month.

Kim had allowed four hits in that first inning against the Mets, and it was much the same script, only with a different cast, versus the Marlins.

Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson opened the proceedings with consecutive singles off Kim, who then walked Jesus Aguilar to load the bases.

Garrett Cooper knocked in a pair of runs with a single to center, before Kim settled down by striking out Brian Anderson and getting Adam Duvall to fly out to center.

Junior Fernandez came on to relieve Kim and promptly allowed a bases-clearing double to Isan Diaz, and both of the runs were charged to Kim.

Fernandez limited further damage in the first, and Kim was sent back out to start the second inning, with Marte once again leading things off.

This time, Marte flied out to center. Kim then erased a Dickerson single with a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Aguilar.

The meat of the Marlins' order gave Kim fits again in the third inning, as Cooper and Anderson hit back-to-back singles.

Kim retired the next two batters on a flyout and a strikeout, but his up-and-down day was done after 48 pitches, 31 of them strikes.

The game ended in a 7-7 tie, with the Marlins outhitting the Cardinals 12-8.

Kim tried to look on the bright side after the game, saying he had a little better balance on the mound than the previous start.

"With each passing inning, I think I am getting closer to the form I had last year," Kim said of a successful rookie season, when he was 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA in eight games. "I am not completely satisfied, but I was better today than the last game. This gives me hope for my next outing. If I had pitched worse today, then it would have been tough on me mentally too."

One saving grace for Kim was his increased fastball velocity. According to Baseball Savant, Kim averaged 88.8 mph with his four-seamer and touched 91.2 mph. In his previous outing, Kim's fastball topped out at 89.7 mph, with an average speed of 87.9 mph.

As a big league rookie in 2020, Kim, an MVP-winning starter in his native country, began the season as the unlikely closer before moving into the rotation. Kim is entering his second major league season with a rotation spot all but secured, though another rough outing or two may make the Cardinals' brass think twice.

Kim admitted he wasn't in the right frame of mind in the opening inning to throw as many strikes as he would have liked. After he was taken out of that frame, he tried to regroup mentally and think about things that made him effective in 2020.

"The key for me last year was to work quickly and to keep my pitches low in the zone," Kim said. "So I tried to focus on those things in the second inning. My last strikeout in the third inning came with a perfect slider. It was just the kind of slider I threw last year."

On being pulled in the first inning and returning to start the second inning for the second straight game, Kim said, "Ideally, I would like to finish an inning, but as I am increasing my pitch count, I may get injured if I throw too many pitches in one inning."

"We had to stop the bleeding midway through the inning because I wasn't pitching well," Kim said. "I'll try to make sure it won't happen again."

(END)