Chen lasts 3 1/3 innings, Chiti teaching "Sabermetrics for Dummies" (updated)

BRADENTON, Fla. - Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen didn't complete four innings today, his pitch count causing his removal from the game with one out in the third following Tony Sanchez's RBI single.

Chen threw 64 pitches, 43 for strikes, by my unofficial count. He allowed two runs and seven hits, walked none, struck out two and hit a batter.

This was Chen's longest outing of the spring.

Josh Harrison and Neil Walker had back-to-back doubles in the first inning. The Pirates left the bases loaded in the second after two singles and a hit batter, with Walker lining to right field. Another runner was stranded in the third, but the Pirates used singles by Sean Rodriguez and Sanchez - pinch-hitting for pitcher Vance Worley - to increase their lead to 2-0.

Mike Wright entered the game and got the last two outs on one play. Harrison popped up a bunt and Manny Machado raced in to make the catch and fired to first, doubling off Sanchez for his latest defensive gem.

Wright retired the Pirates in order in the fifth with a strikeout.

Worley shut out the Orioles on two hits in four innings, singles by Steve Pearce in the first and Travis Snider in the fourth. Chris Davis walked in the fourth, but Machado grounded out to strand two runners.

Manager Buck Showalter said bullpen coach Dom Chiti is studying up on Sabermetrics in an attempt to provide a simplified explanation to players. "Sabermetrics for Dummies," as Showalter referered to it.

"I think it's all in the presentation, who does it," Showalter said. "Dom's spent three days in a row now after the game until seven or eight o'clock with Ned (Rice) and all those guys and Ben (Werthan), and he showed me a sheet he's going to present to them. I want to take the cloak off of it. What you find out is, it ain't that complicated.

"Brady (Anderson) in the back of the room, I'll ask him about a player and he'll read off three stats. Finally, I told him the other day, 'Brady, you've got to understand, this group you're talking to, those first two numbers you talk about is braille.'"

The Orioles have come up with their own ranking system.

"We put it in elite, good, average, below average and poor, so if this guy's numbers fall in this range, it's not good. And more importantly, Dom's saying, 'Here's what it tells you that is good and here is what it doesn't tell you. Here's the flaw in that stat,'" Showalter said.

"What does it tell you and what's it not tell you. It doesn't tell you how a guy tags. Doesn't tell you how good of arm strength he has. Doesn't tell you how he relays the ball. Doesn't tell you how he gets a sac bunt down or not. Those are something to use to verify what your eyes are telling you."

Update: Alejandro De Aza walked against left-hander Antonio Bastardo leading off the sixth and Pearce followed with his second home run in two days to tie the game 2-2.

Pearce is 8-for-20 with a double, two homers and four RBIs this spring.

Snider collected his second hit of the day in the sixth after Adam Jones reached on an infield hit.