By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
In what possibly was a crucial audition for a starting job, Florida Marlins reliever Kim Byung-hyun failed miserably in a 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
The 28-year-old right-hander made the emergency start Sunday with No.1 starter Dontrelle Willis out with a forearm injury and had the misfortune of going up against Johan Santana, widely considered the best pitcher in baseball.
Kim labored through six innings, giving up seven runs _ six earned _ over seven hits, including two homers by Joe Mauer. He walked five and threw 118 pitches, his highest pitch total of the season.
``He ended up with more walks than he probably wanted, but he battled out there on a hot day,’’ Florida catcher Matt Treanor said of Kim as quoted by the Associated Press (AP).
Santana was clinical as usual, giving up only one earned run while striking out eight over six. The two-time Cy Young winner is 8-6 with a 2.83 ERA for the season.
With its relievers pitching six innings out of the bullpen in its previous match on Saturday, the Marlins were forced to let Kim pitch through his struggles. Santana ended up crushing him both on the mound and at the plate.
Kim fumbled out of the gate, giving up a solo shot to Mauer and needing 30 pitches to close out the first inning.
Kim’s struggles continued in the second inning when he gave up a surprising triple to Santana that drove Nick Punto home from first base.
Santana squared to bunt but swung away instead and hit a drive that landed near the warning track for his first triple in 29 career at-bats. He reached home on Jason Bartlett's sacrifice fly.
Kim gave up two runs in the fourth inning, including a run charged on a throwing error by first baseman Arron Boone, and gave up a two-run homer to Mauer in the sixth inning.
Dan Uggla hit his 15th home run and Miguel Cabrera his 17th for the Marlins, who finished 9-9 in inter-league play for the season.
Kim’s dismal performance against the Twins hurts him even more as he continues to pursue a job as a starter.
Kim forced a trade from the Colorado Rockies earlier this year after the team dropped him from the starting rotation. However, he was sent to the bullpen again with his new team the Marlins after just winning two games in six starts.
Out of spring training, the Rockies had envisioned Kim as a bullpen pitcher, believing that he shows stronger stuff in shorter innings and hitters had better adjust to his underhand delivery after each plate appearance.
However, Kim, who was considered among baseball's top closers in his days with the Diamondbacks, insisted on being in the starting rotation.