Notes: Kim finds 'groove'; Miller makes debut

As a familiar reality unfolded for Kwang Hyun Kim -- he was getting hit around and removed from the first inning of a Grapefruit League outing for the second consecutive time -- he turned back to a more comfortable familiarity.

“While I was in the dugout, I visualized last season, and I realized the reason I was successful was the fast tempo and pounding the low strike zone,” Kim said after the Cardinals' 7-7 tie with the Marlins on Monday. “That’s what I did today, just visualize what I did last season and how I succeeded last year.”

Seems like it worked.

Kim conceded three hits and a walk, recording just two outs, before he was yanked in favor of Junior Fernández. By the time he retook the mound in the second, four earned runs had come across his ledger.

But when he returned, he looked much more like the Kim that burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2020 than he did the one who struggled through his first innings in the Grapefruit League.

“After that, it looked like KK settled into a groove,” said manager Mike Shildt. “Looked more like himself.”

After he needed 27 pitches to record just two outs in the first inning, Kim used just 11 for a breezy second and 10 more for two outs following a pair of quick singles in the third.

“The second inning, my velo and my balance was like last season,” Kim said. “[Thinking about last season] really helped me in the second inning. ... With that, I think I’ll be better for the next game.”

The rebound was part of an overall step forward for Kim. The 32-year-old lefty voiced concern about his velocity after his first Grapefruit outing on Thursday, when he averaged just 87.9 mph on his fastball. That number jumped to 88.8 mph on Monday and topped out at 91.2 mph -- more aligned with the numbers he flashed last year.

That jump in his velocity was part of the natural build-up progression Kim had laid out for himself, as the Cards have labeled him one of their “pace cars” among pitchers ramping up.

Kim’s return to form ahead of Opening Day on April 1 will be crucial for the Cardinals, whose rotation features a bevy of questions. Jack Flaherty struggled his first time out, though a “B” outing was said to have gone much smoother. Carlos Martínez and John Gant have also had innings rolled over and then returned for the second inning, with varying success. Miles Mikolas (right shoulder) has faced live hitters just once in Florida.

All told, no Cardinals starter has made it out of the first inning of this Grapefruit League slate except one: Adam Wainwright, who’s done so twice.

Miller debuts
Like Kim, Andrew Miller has been given the “pace car” label for his ramp-up. Following a couple of sessions facing live batters on the back fields, after his throwing program was delayed by a late arrival to camp due to a bout with COVID-19, the 35-year-old reacclimated himself in game action on Monday.

Miller walked two, had a runner steal second under his watch, threw a wild pitch and conceded a run on a sac fly before his outing ended at 22 pitches.

“Feel good about him getting out there,” Shildt said. “Ball was going out pretty well, some good sliders, some close misses. It was a good box to check, get him out there and get his feet in the dirt.”

With uncertainty around Jordan Hicks’ role as he returns from a year and a half of Tommy John recovery, Miller has been expected to fill a vital bullpen role, especially at the outset of the season. Giovanny Gallegos, another closer candidate, also appeared on Monday and rebounded from allowing three runs his last time out to record three outs against the Marlins on just seven pitches, working around a leadoff single.

Around the horn
• Delvin Perez, a 2016 first-round Draft pick, who’s struggled to find his footing ever since, had his first loud moment of camp on Monday. The 22-year-old laced a two-run triple to center in the fifth inning on a ball with a Statcast-measured 109.4 exit velocity.

“The impression this spring is he’s clearly gotten stronger,” Shildt said. “That ball just sounded loud.”

• Daniel Ponce de Leon hasn’t made any starts this spring -- at least officially. Monday, however, was his second multi-inning appearance, striking out four around three hits -- two of which were back-to-back doubles to plate a Marlins run. More outings like this could help his case for the rotation, especially with other starters either struggling or ailing at this point in spring.