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Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the top of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Friday. (Getty Images-Yonhap) |
Stuck at one win for the 2021 season for over two months, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals has taken a no-decision in yet another brief outing.
Kim gave up four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Friday (local time). The game was tied at 4-4 when Kim was pulled with one out in the fifth, and the Pirates won 5-4.
Kim remained at 1-5 for the year, while his ERA went up from 3.60 to 3.98. His only win of the season came on April 23 against the Cincinnati Reds.
Kim has failed to complete five innings for the sixth time in 12 starts so far in 2021. Last Sunday, Kim was lifted for a pinch hitter despite holding the Atlanta Braves to one run in four innings on 47 pitches.
This time, Kim's pitch count was at 70 when Ke'Bryan Hayes, who had two hits off Kim in the game, was due up in the fifth. St. Louis manager Mike Shildt decided not to let Kim face Hayes for a third time and sent in reliever Jake Woodford instead. Woodford walked Hayes, who later came around to score the tiebreaking run on a single by Jacob Stallings.
The Cardinals spotted Kim a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, thanks to a groundout by Dylan Carlson. But Kim couldn't make it stand.
The Pirates opened the top of the third with a single and a sacrifice bunt. Kim walked Adam Frazier and then a wild pitch put runners at the corners.
Hayes knocked in the tying run with a single. After another single loaded the bases, a slow chopper to third base by Stallings brought in the go-ahead run for the Pirates.
With runners at second and third, Phillip Evans sent a sinking liner to right field. Lars Nootbaar made the initial diving grab but then the ball popped out of his glove as his arm hit the ground on landing, which allowed two runners to score to make it 4-1 for the Pirates.
The Cardinals promptly responded with two runs in the fourth, thanks to Nolan Arenado's solo shot and Nootbaar's two-out single.
Carlson's solo shot in the fourth pulled the Cardinals even at 4-4. But Kim only got one more out before getting lifted in favor of Woodford.
The Pirates got the fifth run of the game off Woodford and held on for the one-run win.
It was a rough day for Kim at the plate too. He was hit by a pitch in the chest while attempting a sacrifice bunt in the second.
