Showalter talks about getting Kim in lineup (O's lose 9-8)

KANSAS CITY - Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim is making what for him this year has been a rare start. He's batting sixth and playing left field this afternoon as the Orioles and Royals conclude this three-game series.

Kim has started in just 12 of the Orioles' first 35 games. The emergence of Trey Mancini and the fact that the Orioles have already seen 15 left-handed starters have conspired to limit his at-bats so far. Before today, Kim's last start was May 6 versus the White Sox.

Manager Buck Showalter is trying to keep Kim "engaged" as he likes to say and ready even though he's not played very much so far.

"We take a lot of pride of keeping everybody in the mix because, in a major league season, you're going to need all of them," Showalter said before today's game. "And shame on you if they sit there for two weeks and you can't figure out why they can't contribute when they do play. We try to keep everybody involved but it's tough. It's tough. It's an excuse of you choose it to be and probably a valid one."

Has it been tough for Showalter to find places for Kim to make starts?

"Well for a good reason. Because Trey is doing well. But he's capable of doing well too. This guy hit .300 last year," he said.

Kim is one of six Orioles to make starts in left field this year. The list also includes Mancini, Seth Smith, Craig Gentry, Joey Rickard and Ryan Flaherty.

Davis homers again: Chris Davis connected for his second homer in three at-bats over the last two games and the Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. He connected on a 3-1 fastball from Chris Young and hit it very high but had enough on it to get it out. It is No. 6 for Davis. He had homered just once in his previous 24 games heading into Saturday's contest.

The O's stranded two runners in the second when Mike Moustakas made a leaping catch of Caleb Joseph's liner to third with two outs. On the play before that, Flaherty was credited with a single when Moustakas lost his popup in the sun.

Joseph homers again: The Orioles exploded for four quick runs with two outs in the fourth to open a 5-0 lead and knock Young from the game. Ryan Flaherty delivered a clutch two-run double for a 3-0 lead. Joseph followed with a long homer to left for the 5-0 edge. Joseph blasted an 0-1 slider 430 feet to left.

The O's catchers in this series, Joseph and Francisco Peña, are a combined 6-for-8 after that homer with two doubles, a triple, three homers and five RBIs.

Gausman can't hold lead: The last of fourth just did not go well for right-hander Kevin Gausman or the Orioles. It was the opposite of a shutdown inning. Staked to a 5-0 lead minutes earlier, Gausman gave the lead back as the fourth ended in a 5-5 tie with Gausman out of the game.

The inning featured RBI singles by Drew Butera and Alcides Escobar and a three-run homer to right to tie it by Mike Moustakas. He lined a shot into the O's bullpen to make the score 5-5. Richard Bleier came on one batter later and got out of a bases loaded jam.

Gausman went 3 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and five runs with two walks and three strikeouts. He threw 93 pitches as his ERA grew to 7.19.

This was only his third-shortest outing of the year. He went an inning-plus the night he was ejected at Boston and had a game where he lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed eight runs in Cincinnati.

It's a new game at Kauffman Stadium.

Then it got weird: The Orioles fell behind 7-5 when Kansas City scored twice in the fifth. The inning featured a bizarre throwing error by third baseman Manny Machado. With runners on first and second and no one out, Escobar bunted toward third. Machado threw to second for a force, but no one was covering the bag. The O's had sent J.J. Hardy to cover third and Jonathan Schoop to cover at first as Davis charged down the line to play a possible bunt his way. Machado threw to an unoccupied base and a run scored for a 6-5 lead that grew to 7-5 on a Moustakas ground out. Then K.C. made it 8-5 an inning later on Jorge Soler's 464-foot homer to center. It's gotten real ugly for the O's at Kauffman Stadium.