By The Associated Press

Byung-Hyun Kim is convinced he can start as well as he finished, and he's beginning to make believers of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Kim, a successful closer the past three years, made a strong bid for a spot in the starting rotation by throwing four scoreless innings Thursday in Arizona's 8-3 loss to an Anaheim split squad.

The 24-year-old South Korean sidearmer threw 30 of 42 pitches for strikes - a big improvement on his first spring start, when he struggled against the Chicago White Sox.

"I'm more comfortable than my last outing," Kim said through an interpreter. "I'm more focused. I'm trying not to think too much."

Kim, who has bounced back nicely from his late-inning meltdowns at Yankee Stadium in the 2001 World Series, saved a club-record 36 games last season.

But he has wanted to be a starter since joining the Diamondbacks in 1999, and arrived at spring training in high spirits after manager Bob Brenly agreed to give him a chance.

"BK was fantastic today," Brenly said. "He's always been a very quick learner and very coachable. We told him what he needed to improve on from his last start, and today was a tremendous step in the right direction. ... That's what we envision him doing for us all season."

Boston's Derek Lowe was a huge success after converting from closer to starter last year. Now Kim wants to prove he can do it, too.

Facing an Anaheim lineup that included only two regulars, Kim allowed one hit, struck out two and walked one.

"He threw strikes, plain and simple," catcher Chad Moeller said. "He threw his fastball for a strike and his slider was also much better. I think he was over the nerves, also. I think he was able to relax a little bit more this time."

In other games:

Twins 3, Red Sox 0

At Fort Myers, Fla., Brad Radke gave up two hits in three innings and Minnesota beat Pedro Martinez.

In his first start of the spring, Martinez gave up two runs - one earned - and two hits in two innings.

Astros 7, Devil Rays 6

At Kissimmee, Fla., Richard Hidalgo hit a grand slam and Jeff Kent had two hits and an RBI for Houston.

Marlins (ss) 4, Braves 1

At Kissimmee, Fla., Greg Maddux pitched three scoreless innings in his second start of the spring, but Florida got three shutout innings from Josh Beckett.

Indians 15, Blue Jays 6

At Winter Haven, Fla., Casey Blake hit a three-run shot for one of Cleveland's four home runs as the Indians sent Toronto to its first loss of the spring.

Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia got the win despite allowing four runs in three innings.

Orioles 6, Dodgers 2

At Vero Beach, Fla., Kevin Brown had his second straight impressive outing, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out three in the Dodgers' loss. Rodrigo Lopez blanked Los Angeles for three innings.

Cardinals 6, Expos (ss) 3

At Jupiter, Fla., Albert Pujols hit a grand slam off Javier Vazquez and drove in five runs for St. Louis. Matt Morris allowed two runs and six hits in four innings.

Mets 7, Tigers 0

At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Tom Glavine threw three sharp innings in his second spring start and New York got two-run homers from Joe McEwing and Jorge Velandia.

Marlins (ss) 11, Expos (ss) 2

At Viera, Fla., Al Martin homered and drove in three runs for Florida. Montreal starter Britt Reames allowed one hit and struck out four in three scoreless innings.

Phillies 10, Yankees 3

At Tampa, Fla., Roger Clemens struck out five in three solid innings, giving up one run and three hits.

Phillies starter Brett Myers allowed one run and two hits in four innings. Tyler Houston and Dave Hollins homered.

Alfonso Soriano and Jason Giambi sat out with nagging injuries.

Rockies 16, Padres 10

At Tucson, Ariz., Larry Walker went 3-for-3 with four RBIs as Colorado outslugged San Diego.

Phil Nevin had three RBIs for the Padres, who made five errors in a game for the second time this spring.

Rangers 11, Royals 8

At Surprise, Ariz., Alex Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez hit consecutive homers and Texas overcame another poor outing by Chan Ho Park. Rodriguez had five RBIs, but Park gave up six runs on four hits in 2 2-3 innings.

Mariners 10, Athletics (ss) 7

At Peoria, Ariz., Ken Cloude pitched four strong innings in his bid to win a spot in Seattle's rotation.

Ex-Mariner John Halama gave up six runs, seven hits and three walks in 2 1-3 innings. Seattle has won seven straight.

White Sox 8, Brewers 5

At Phoenix, Magglio Ordonez had two hits and two RBIs, and Mark Buehrle allowed two runs and five hits in four innings of his first spring start for Chicago.

Ben Sheets, Milwaukee's opening day starter, also made his first start after being slowed by back spasms. Sheets struck out three in two innings, allowing three hits and a run.

Cubs 5, Giants 2

At Scottsdale, Ariz., Matt Clement and five relievers combined on a three-hitter for Chicago. Barry Bonds doubled and scored as the Giants lost their fifth straight and remained winless in their last six games. Bonds is 6-for-11 this spring.

Angels 8 (ss), Athletics (ss) 5

At Tempe, Ariz., AL MVP Miguel Tejada hit his first homer of the spring, a three-run drive.

Scott Schoeneweis, bidding for a return to Anaheim's rotation, struggled through his second shaky start. Tim Salmon and Darin Erstad, both coming off surgery, were in the starting lineup for the first time.