Chris Davis feels the Orioles need to be "patiently aggressive" against Pineda tonight

When a reporter asked Chris Davis about facing Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda tonight - a pitcher that struck out 16 Orioles earlier this year - he didn't miss the chance to sneak in a quick quip.

"We've got no shot," Davis said with a laugh. "Might as well forfeit right now and go home and save ourselves the embarrassment."

Pineda fanned those 16 Orioles over seven innings without a walk May 10 as the Orioles lost 6-2 at New York. Pineda became the first pitcher with a 16-strikeout, no-walk game since Johan Santana on Aug. 19, 2007.

Davis, in all seriousness, said the Orioles are motivated to get another shot at Pineda (7-2, 3.33 ERA) tonight.

"There is no doubt," he said. "Anytime you've got a guy with as much success against you as this guy, you look forward to the chance to get to face him again. It is part of the competition, what you prepare for and get excited about.

"Last time, he was just so sharp, so good. He had such good command that he could expand out of the strike zone just enough to entice us to swing. Tonight the biggest thing for us is try and get him on the run early. He is a guy that, the longer you let him stay around and get comfortable, the harder it will get for you. We have to score early and give ourselves a chance to get into the bullpen."

Davis and all the Orioles hitters need to find the right balance tonight to not take pitches where they find themselves always behind in the count, but at the same time try to make Pineda work. When he gets ahead of batters consistently, he is a pitcher very good with the putaway pitches to get strikeouts.

In two starts versus the Orioles this season, Pineda has allowed six runs in 13 1/3 innings but has 25 strikeouts and no walks. On the year, over 70 1/3 innings, he has walked just seven with 76 strikeouts to lead the majors with a 10.86 strikeout-to-walks ratio.

"You have to be more aggressive in the zone," Davis said of the approach for tonight. "I know that is easier said than done. You have to know, a guy like that, strike one and strike two are so important. You can't give it to him, you have to make him work for it. It's being patiently aggressive, which is sometimes hard for this offense to do, but I think we've seen it over the last few nights. The better at-bats we have, the more pitches we've seen, the better off we've been."

Pineda is 3-0 with an ERA of 2.56 in six career starts against the Orioles.

The Orioles begin play tonight four games behind the AL East-leading Yankees (33-26), but they are 8-2 in their last 10 Camden Yards games against New York.

"I always think it is important playing teams in your division, especially at home. But this isn't the last time we will see these guys. It is still relatively early and this division could be tight all year," Davis said.