Showalter on Kim's success as pinch-hitter (O's lead 4-0)

TORONTO - In discussing last night's win again before the game tonight, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked what makes Hyun Soo Kim a good pinch-hitter.

His two-run pinch-hit homer last night gave the Orioles the 3-2 lead in the ninth inning. Kim is now 6-for-9 with a double, homer and two RBIs as a pinch-hitter, slugging 1.111 with an OPS of 1.838.

"I think he is a pretty mechanically sound guy and he doesn't get out of whack too much," Showalter said. "He's had such good work habits and you know he does a lot of things ... you don't lose being selective usually. He does a lot of work to be prepared for that.

"You see certain guys around the fifth or sixth inning start doing some things in the cage or whatever. He has great work habits. Has good concentration and he's always ready. You always want to have at least one guy on the bench that can do that for you. Tonight, we should have it with Pete (Pedro Alvarez). He delivered a big double for us the other day."

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only three other active players began their careers with at least six hits in their first nine pinch-hit at-bats: Josh Bell, Evan Gattis and Denard Span (all went 6-for-9).

Orioles get early lead: The Orioles took a 1-0 lead tonight in the top of the third. Batting ninth, J.J. Hardy led off with a double to right-center. Hardy is batting .383 his last 19 games. He reached third on Adam Jones' groundout to first base. As the infield came in, Kim drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Then Manny Machado, who is 0-for-9 in the series, drove a deep sac fly to center field. Hardy charged down the line for the 1-0 edge. Ubaldo Jimenez stranded two runners in the Toronto first and was at 46 pitches through two innings.

Jimenez pitched around a leadoff walk in the last of the third and was at 61 pitches as the Orioles took a 1-0 lead to the fourth.

O's add one: With one out in the O's fourth, Chris Davis and Jonathan Schoop put together back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third. Michael Bourn hit a grounder to third and third baseman Josh Donaldson threw high to second trying for an inning-ending double play. He did get the out at secod, but Bourn beat the relay throw to first for the fielder's choice and a 2-0 Baltimore lead.

Jimenez pitched a 1-2-3 last of the fourth on just 13 pitches and has allowed one hit so far, a first-inning single. The O's led 2-0 at the end of 4 1/2 innings.

Kim keeps it going: Kim keeps his bat hot without being a pinch-hitter. After Bourn walked to lead off the top of the seventh and stole second, Kim produced a two-out RBI single to right field to extend the Orioles' lead to 3-0.

Jimenez is back on the mound to pitch the bottom of the seventh. He has allowed just one hit through the first six innings.

Wieters adds another: Jimenez was pulled for Donnie Hart with two outs in the seventh. Hart got pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr. to ground out to shortstop to end the inning. Jimenez pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and three walks while striking out five. He threw 116 pitches, 71 for strikes.

Mark Trumbo led off the top of the eighth with a double to center field. On the very next pitch, Matt Wieters smacked an RBI single right back up the middle for a 4-0 Orioles lead.