Showalter on Wieters and Kim (O's down 3-1)

Matt Wieters is catching on back-to-back nights for the first time this season, as the Orioles continue their four-game series against the White Sox at Camden Yards.

The Orioles have been cautious with Wieters after he experienced soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow on March 12.

By starting Wieters again tonight, manager Buck Showalter can rest him for two consecutive days. He won't play in Sunday's series finale and the club is off Monday.

"He hasn't had many throws, a tribute to our pitchers being good with their times to the plate," Showalter said.

"If we didn't have the off-day Monday ... We talked to him about it. John (Russell) and I talked on the plane about it coming back from Tampa. We thought this would be a good time, and Matt did, too. He had already thought about it. That's kind of why. And it kind of matches up better with some other things we're trying to do.

"Talked to Richie (Bancells) and Matt about it again today. Everybody's ready to go."

Showalter isn't going to put extra effort into manipulating the lineup in order to pair up specific starters and catchers.

"There's certain things you go with a little bit if it presents itself, but we're not going to move a lot of things around just to get something ...," he said.

"We feel fine with either one of the guys catching. I know the pitchers feel that way. It's almost like having the same guy. There were a couple times early in the spring, we tried to match Matt up with some guys who were real quick to the plate so it wouldn't be a track meet out there and he'd have to make too many throws. We did do that a couple times."

Hyun Soo Kim has cracked the lineup tonight with the Orioles finally seeing a right-handed starter, Chicago's Mat Latos, following three consecutive lefties. Another southpaw, Chris Sale, starts on Sunday, and the Orioles expect to face Yankees lefty CC Sabathia on Wednesday.

Kim continues to play left field when he's in the lineup.

Asked whether Kim has improved defensively since reporting to spring training, Showalter replied, "I don't think 'improved' is the word that I would use."

"Our knowledge of him, I think this guy won two or three Gold Gloves over there (in Korea)," Showalter added. "Our knowledge of who and how good he is defensively, nobody's that smart. We don't know.

"He's made some good plays going back. Some of the balls that have fallen might be where we choose to play a guy toward the gap and the guy does something he doesn't normally do. I don't know. I wish he had more track record with us, but you can't base an outfielder evaluation on spring training. That's the worst. Trying to judge outfielders defensively in spring training is a total crap shoot with the conditions we play in.

"I think there's a real unknown about it."

The Orioles have learned that Kim isn't afraid of the weight room and indoor batting cage. He's more than willing to take extra reps in the outfield.

"He's a hard worker," Showalter said. "Everybody's pulling for this guy. He's handled it so well. Obviously, he's getting compensated for it, but it's more than that. He's handled some things that have been thrown his way that he hasn't had to for probably quite a while.

"Keep in mind, he's only 28. It's not like this guy is 32 years old. And I'll tell you, he's been working hard in the weight room, doing a lot of stuff that he probably hasn't done a whole lot.

"I'm watching (Yovani) Gallardo every day. He's getting after it. He's got a little chip, a little edge going right now about getting back and being real good. I like that. And Kim's been the same way. And when (Ryan) Flaherty was here. The things these guys do, it's encouraging to me.

"I walk down through the weight room after a game and that's, what, 10 minutes after the game is over, and there's seven guys in there already. I mean, it's impressive. I'm not one of them."

Chris Tillman will stay in turn and start Tuesday night's series opener against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Showalter hasn't announced the rest of the rotation.

The Yankees are expected to start Luis Severino, Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka, though it hasn't been confirmed.

Update: The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Adam Jones' one-out single, Chris Davis' bunt and Mark Trumbo's two-out single into right field. Trumbo was thrown out at second base.

Davis wasn't credited with a sacrifice, but Jones did move up on the bunt.

Trumbo is batting .349 with six home runs and 19 RBIs.

Update II: In a bizarre third inning, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop committed their first errors on back-to-back plays and the White Sox grabbed a 2-1 lead.

Update III: Brett Lawrie homered for the second time in two nights, a solo shot with two outs in the fourth that gave Chicago a 3-1 lead.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura was ejected in the bottom of the third for arguing that his club should have been awarded a triple play due to Machado's illegal slide into second.

Jones grounded to third baseman Todd Frazier, who stepped on the bag to force Hyun Soo Kim and fired to second. Machado clearly reached for Lawrie's ankle while sliding to the left of the bag, but the call stood after a challenge that lasted 3 minutes and 29 seconds.