Kim’s status uncertain in wake of strain
OF to have tests on right hamstring today; Britton records 100th save
Just hours before they entered the All-Star break in first place in the American League East, the Orioles might have lost one of their most consistent hitters in Hyun Soo Kim.
Kim left Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels with a strained right hamstring he sustained running out a ground ball in the first inning. Joey Rickard took over for him in left field.
“I felt a stinging pain as I was running,” Kim told Mid-Atlantic Sports Network through interpreter Danny Lee. “I talked to the trainer and decided to leave the game upon agreement.”
Kim will undergo tests today to determine the severity of the injury. He’s hopeful he can return after the break Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
He enters the All-Star break of his rookie season batting .329. Kim had been playing almost every day in left field for the Orioles after a rough spring put his roster status in question.
“Going through the first half it was very exciting for both the team and me,” Kim said. “But ending the first half like this with a possible injury was not a pleasing thing. So I’ll focus on getting back on the field with healthy status.”
Kim’s interpreter told manager Buck Showalter that Kim suffered a similar injury last season in South Korea, and he returned to play after a few days. If he misses time, Rickard and Nolan Reimold will most likely platoon in his spot until he returns.
“Yeah, that’s kind of been our forte the last few years — having guys step up in big spots — so I’m sure we’ll have someone who can fill in for him,” first baseman Chris Davis said. Hyun Soo Kim Britton gets100th career save: Zach Britton came in for the ninth inning Sunday at Camden Yards and closed down a 4-2 win for the Orioles, making him a perfect 27-for-27 in save chances this year.
Britton, who took over the Orioles’ closer role in early 2014, has 100 career saves, tied with Stu Miller for fourth place in club history.
“That’s a nice little number, but like I said, I think it’s more of a credit to the last few years, how well Darren [O’Day] and Brad [Brach] have thrown in front of me, and a lot of other guys too, to put me in a situation to be successful,” Britton said.
Britton leads the major leagues in saves and boasts a 0.72 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 43 strikeouts in 372⁄ innings.
“There’s a real professional, competitive approach about it,” Showalter said of Britton and Brach. Around the horn: The Orioles optioned pitcher Jason Garcia back to Double-A Bowie after Sunday’s game. They called up Garcia on Saturday to replace Mike Wright. Garcia did not pitch before returning to Bowie. … Showalter said the team will have a closed workout at Tropicana Field ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Rays. … Relief pitcher Mychal Givens’ wife is due to have a baby today, and Showalter said in a perfect world she would have the baby that day and Givens could rejoin the team Friday in Tampa Bay. If it’s later in the week, the Orioles would likely have to make a move to put Givens on the three-day paternity list. … Reliever Darren O’Day threw on flat ground again Sunday but didn’t know what he would be doing at the team’s spring training facility in Sarasota, Fla., this week. “Early on, I was pushing it a lot, and then [head trainer Richie Bancells has] kind of taken over in terms of the pace,” O’Day said. “So I honestly don’t know when I’m getting on a mound or what I’m doing, so since he’s been driving the bus, it’s been going better.”